This week’s SOF News Brief covers changes in U.S. special operations forces, emerging defense capabilities, SOF operations in Ukraine, fighting in Yemen, international security developments, historical special operations missions, and analysis of irregular warfare and national security issues.
By Jessica Walton. The Taliban are conducting an increasingly sophisticated information warfare strategy that incorporates Western tourists and social media influencers. Foreign visitors enjoy freedoms denied to Afghan citizens, then return home praising Taliban hospitality and tolerance.
By Matt Ikenoyama. A 2025 review in the European Journal of Psychotraumatology, led by Victoria Williamson, found that conventional PTSD treatments, prolonged exposure among them, often inadequately address moral injury and may exacerbate symptoms.
An AFT score and the promotion points it earns are two different numbers. Since replacing the ACFT on June 1, 2025, the Army Fitness Test has used five events worth up to 500 points altogether.
The last of this year’s UK Special Forces bi-annual “Exercise Chameleon” unfolded in August and September. It was a concentrated period of RAF tactical airlift, High-Altitude High-Opening (HAHO) parachute operations, and supporting ISTAR activity, centred on UK RAF bases, RAF Gibraltar and RAF Akrotiri, Cyprus.
This week’s SOF News Update covers the activation of SPACEFOR-SOC, evolving Army special operations missions, U.S. counternarcotics operations in Latin America, the Russia-Ukraine war, Iranian maritime threats, and significant security developments across Africa, the Middle East, and the Indo-Pacific region.
250 years ago this fall, Knowlton’s Rangers were established and helped Washington achieve his first battlefield success of the war. The unit was a specially designated unit for long-range reconnaissance behind enemy lines and other dangerous work.
Looking for upcoming Special Operations community events this November? Here are notable SOF events happening across the community, including nonprofit fundraisers, networking events, and industry gatherings.
The 3rd Special Forces Group (Airborne) is standardizing the baseline training pathway, building readiness and enhancing combat lethality for the Special Forces Operational Detachment Alphas (SFOD-A or ODA).
This week’s SOF Weekly Brief covers special operations developments, the Russia-Ukraine war, escalating tensions in the Middle East, emerging drone threats, and international security challenges. Additional reporting examines multinational SOF exercises, military technology, strategic vulnerabilities, and developments affecting the SOF community.
A deadly ambush of Erik Prince’s Vectus Global contractors in eastern Congo highlights the growing role of private military companies in the conflict with M23 rebels. The incident raises questions about foreign security assistance, critical minerals, and regional instability.
The 390A Robotics Technician military occupational specialty was officially activated at the U.S. Army John F. Kennedy Special Warfare Center and School, the Special Operations Center of Excellence, on October 1, 2026.
Taliban propaganda exploited coalition mistakes, government corruption, cultural divides, and trusted local networks to undermine America’s Afghanistan campaign. The article examines how insurgent narratives shaped perceptions, weakened Afghan legitimacy, and offers enduring lessons for future irregular and asymmetric conflicts worldwide.
Homeland Security Today and Narrative Strategies hosted the first-ever Narrative Strategy Symposium on Wednesday, September 30, 2026, at Amentum in Arlington, Virginia. This gathering brought together leaders from government, academia, industry, the military, and the homeland security community.
This week’s SOF Weekly Brief covers the U.S. withdrawal from Iraq, developments in the Iran conflict, Ukraine battlefield gains, international SOF activity, Special Forces recruiting, defense policy changes, renewed fighting in Ethiopia, sanctions on Iran, and other national security developments worldwide.
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