October 2026 SOF Events
Looking for upcoming Special Operations community events this October? Here are notable SOF events happening across the community, including nonprofit fundraisers, networking events, and industry gatherings.
SOF Weekly Brief – Sep 14, 2026
This week’s SOF Weekly Brief covers Arctic special operations, Army Civil Affairs changes, emerging drone capabilities, Russian information warfare, and escalating conflicts involving Iran, Yemen, and Ukraine. Additional reporting examines strategic oil chokepoints, intelligence restructuring, veterans’ programs, military publications, and forthcoming special operations community events.
Ron Bucca – Green Beret and Firefighter: A Hero of 11 Sep 2001
On Sept. 11, 2001, New York Fire Department Fire Marshal (FDNY) Ronald P. Bucca gave his life while responding to the attacks on the World Trade Center. Bucca was a former Green Beret and was serving as operations chief of an MI detachment (New York).
Narrative Strategy Symposium – Sep 30, 2026
Homeland Security Today and Narrative Strategies are hosting the first-ever Narrative Strategy Symposium on Wednesday, September 30, in Arlington, Virginia. The participants and attendees will explore how narratives shape security, public trust, decision-making, and national resilience.
Attitudes Towards the War in Russian Society
After four years of war, Russian society increasingly shows signs of fatigue, frustration, and desire for peace. Oleksandr Sukhobrus examines how shattered expectations, battlefield setbacks, Ukrainian drone attacks, mounting casualties, and domestic repression have changed public attitudes toward the conflict.
Free Fall School Trains Students in High-Altitude Infiltration
The Military Free Fall School (MFFS), located at the U.S. Army’s Yuma Proving Ground in Arizona, is an elite joint-forces institution operated by the U.S. Army John F.Kennedy Special Warfare Center and School. The school trains special operations forces in critical infiltration skills, including high-altitude low-opening (HALO) and high-altitude high-opening (HAHO) parachuting.
SOF Weekly Brief – Sep 8, 2026
This weekly brief examines major developments in special operations, irregular warfare, national security, and global conflicts, including SOF education and sustainment, Turkish counter-piracy operations, Army leadership changes, renewed U.S.-Iran fighting, Russian jet-powered drones, emerging technologies, and Kurdish reconciliation efforts.
Special Operations Forces Tackle Unseen Threat of Blast Exposure
The U.S. special operations forces community is actively tackling the invisible threat of repeated blast overpressure to protect warfighters’ brain health without compromising combat readiness.
A Border Pollution Crisis is Undermining America’s Elite Warfighters
Pollution flowing north from Mexico’s Tijuana region is contaminating coastal waters near Coronado, exposing Navy SEAL candidates and other personnel to health risks while disrupting maritime training.
U.S., Canadian Special Forces Soldiers Receive 2026 Frederick Award
A soldier from 10th Special Forces Group (Airborne) and the Canadian Special Forces Regiment received the First Special Service Force Association 2026 Frederick Award on August 22, 2026 in Oshawa, Ontario, Canada at the FSSF Association annual reunion.
Monthly Drone Report – August 2026
This monthly report examines major drone developments from August 2026, including JIATF-401’s counter-UAS efforts, Army directed-energy defenses, Ukraine’s horizontal kill-web architecture, expanding Russian capabilities, drone warfare in Myanmar, and new systems designed to detect and defeat small unmanned aircraft threats.
SOF Weekly Brief – August 31, 2026
This week’s SOF News brief covers U.S. Special Forces in Ecuador, multinational training developments, special operations technology, and recognition for the Indiana Rangers. Additional coverage examines Iran and Ukraine, CIA engagement with Russia, China’s regional ambitions, Afghan allies, veterans’ issues, and selected books, podcasts, and videos on national security affairs.
Encouraging the UK Special Forces Mindset
Designing progressive training that stretches cadets beyond routine parade-ground and classroom work could encourage them to look towards a UK Special Forces career.
352d SOW and Northern Viking 26
Air Commandos from the 352d Special Operations Wing participated in Exercise Northern Viking 2026 (Iceland), a premier multinational training event designed to bolster defense capabilities in the strategically vital High North.
Conference Report – Critical Minerals and Strategic Competition
The Irregular Warfare Initiative (IWI) and the Special Operations Association of America (SOAA) hosted a two-day conference on critical minerals. The gathering was focused on the role of critical minerals and rare earth elements in strategic competition. As demand for […]