The SAWS 2026 event presented by the Global SOF Foundation (GSOF) and Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC) was packed with interesting and educational events today.
The day was filled with presentations from senior leaders of the SOF enterprise as well as other speakers from industry and academia. In addition, several presentations were provided by exhibitors on their products and services. The exhibit hall was full of displays and industry representatives that explained how their firms and products are supporting the special operations community.
There is a lot to report about the many exhibits presented by firms that are supporting the SOF enterprise. We will cover some of those in later posts; today we will summarize the many interesting presentations that took place.
The lead off presentation was by the Air Commando Heritage Foundation. The intent of this organization is to capture the history of 85 years of U.S. special operations aviation in a museum to be located in the Fort Walton Beach, Florida area. The new Air Commando Museum will be strategically located within the existing Hurlburt Field Airpark, which is already open to the public as of 2024.
The Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC) commander, Lieutenant General Michael Conley, addressed the audience. Joining him was Command Chief Master Sergeant Courtney Freeman. Topics covered included how AFSOC was adapting to an evolving world. China got a mention as well as a renewed emphasis on the Western Hemisphere. The importance of teamwork with the SOF community, services, international allies, and industry was highlighted. AFSOC’s role in aligning with the 2026 National Defense Strategy (NDS) priorities was mentioned.
Conley stated:
“We are forward deployed in the places the nations needs us to be. We must be able to do multiple missions well, counter terrorism today while preparing for the next fight tomorrow. That balance is central to AFSOC’s contribution to the joint force.”
Brigadier General Craig Prather of AFSOC provided some comments on the value of SOF aviation and SOF’s role in the ‘big fight’ or now known as large scale combat operations (LSCO). He went on to cover topics such as ‘SOF maneuver’, ‘SOF ISR’, ‘SOF strike’, and SOF air-ground integration; highlighting how these missions will evolve to meet emerging threats.
Prather added:
“SOF aviation is needed now for the same reasons we’ve always needed it: to get our nation’s finest onto the X, enable those operators and to assure them without doubt that we will pull them off the X when they call for exfil.”
Prather commented on how the character of warfare is changing. The proliferation of autonomous systems, cyber and space capabilities, and information operations are new warfighting domains. However, he stressed that SOF aviation still as relevant despite the change in how wars are fought.
Dr. Michael Hochberg, President of Periplous, spoke about artificial intelligence (AI). He noted that there were two distinct views of AI. One with an optimistic outlook, and the other more pessimistic viewpoint. On the downside he notes that adversaries are using AI for political propaganda, there are questions on AI’s loyalty to humans, and there are concerns about future economic disruption. His presentation echoed a paper on the same topic that he published in 2024.
Dr. Kerry Chavez of the U.S. Air Force Academy and Irregular Warfare Initiative spoke on what the future fight looks like and how SOF will take part in it. She discussed several topics to include technological advances that have an influence on SOF as well as the state of competition in the areas of IW, political warfare, and influence operations.
A panel discussion took place on the topic of acquisition reform. Mr. Jim Ruocco of the Department of Defense and Ms. Melissa Johnson of USSOCOM provided insight on how DoD and USSOCOM is changing up how the acquisition process is being reformed. They discussed how DoD is willing to accept more risk to attain greater speed of delivery. The moderator for the panel was Lieutenant General (Ret.) Scott Howell.
Several other presentations took place as well. The day closed with a “Networking Reception” at the convention center followed by an evening social event at “The Gulf” a short distance from the convention center. Tomorrow, Thursday, the symposium has scheduled more interesting and informative events.
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Photo: Two U.S. Air Force MC-130J Commando II aircraft, operated by the 67th Special Operations Squadron, fly in formation prior to conducting static line jump training with Greek special forces during exercise Trojan Footprint 24, over Greece, March 8, 2024. Exercise Trojan Footprint is a demonstration of Allies and partner nations’ ability to seamlessly operate together to maintain global freedom and security. (U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Westin Warburton)
