An article from last September...

In a Volatile Region of Iraq, U.S. Military Takes Two Paths - washingtonpost.com

...that highlights the difficulties American troops will likely encounter as they try to shift tactics more toward the touchy-feely rapport/reconnaissance work of Special Forces - but find themselves hampered by a training mindset and temperament that prefers direct conflict as a means to achieve objectives. The difficulty: military objectives can only lay the groundwork for political conditions. If those military operations create conditions that hamper political progress, they become meaningless at best and counter-productive at worst.