Thursday, July 20 at 7:00 pm

From America Abroad: This program looks into the use of US Special Operation Forces in the war against terrorism and violent extremism.

You will hear about all aspects of these units from soldiers on their first day of special forces training, all the way up to Admiral William McRaven, the former leader of Special Operations Command who oversaw the raid that took out Osama Bin Laden.

The hosts will also explore just what it takes to be successful on a special operations mission both from the perspective of a Green Beret captain who served in Afghanistan and Somalia fighters who are being trained to take the lead in the fight against Al-Shabab.

There will also be a look at the future of Special Operations Command, exploring the question "under what circumstances can or should the President deploy these elite units?" and how the inclusion of women in special forces enables the military to make deeper inroads into understanding foreign populations.