The United States Special Operations Command (USSOCOM) and the Global SOF Foundation (GSOF) are presenting the annual SOF Week in Tampa, Florida. The theme of this year’s event is “The Asymmetric Strategic Option for a Volatile World”. This exhibition is taking place from May 5 to May 8 at the Tampa Convention Center.
SOF Week 2025 is a global gathering of special operators, industry leaders, academics, and defense professionals. The exhibits and demonstrations are showcasing the capabilities and technologies of modern special operations. Attendees to this event include government and military representatives from over 60 countries. The 2024 event attracted over 19,000 attendees.
There are a host of important speakers that will be providing insight into the world of special operations the next few days. These include King Abdullah Hussein of Jordan, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, the newly appointed Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Dan Caine, the ministers of defense of Colombia, Thailand, Lithuania, and the commander of USSOCOM Bryan Fenton.
The 2025 event kicked off with a series of sessions held on Monday that were industry-related, with introductions to several aspects of how industry can work with USSOCOM. Topics included the SOF acquisition, technology, and logistics process; an overview on how SOFWERX can help businesses work with USSOCOM; and other related areas of USSOCOM and business collaboration.
Monday’s activities ended with the SOF Week Welcome Reception held at the Sparkman Wharf in Tampa. For many attendees, this was an opportunity to meet up with old friends not seen in many years. For this writer, bumping into acquaintances long past it is one of the special things about SOF Week that makes this event so rewarding. The Welcome Reception had live music, and sponsored free drinks and food. Several whiskeys with a special operations theme were available for sampling.
Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday will feature a series of presentations, speeches, panel discussions, and demonstrations on a variety of SOF related topics. Throughout these three days speakers will be addressing the attendees on current conflicts, irregular warfare, advances in special operations techniques, and more. Many of these events are held concurrently at different locations, so a careful examination of the detailed agenda is necessary to catch the events that are of importance to the individual attendee.
Throughout the week – on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday morning – the exhibits of hundreds of vendors are available for viewing. According to the “Exhibitor List” on the SOF Week website, there are over 800 exhibitors. It will take all of the 2 1/2 days that the exhibitions halls are open to walk through the various locations where vendors are displaying their products and services. To help those interested in special topics, the exhibits are grouped into functional areas. These include maritime, information systems, non-profits, small businesses, SOF Warrior, special air warfare, SOF services and support, digital applications, and others. A detailed floor plan is available to find the exhibits that interest the attendee.
Thursday, the last day of SOF Week, the sessions wind down by early afternoon. Everyone is getting ready for the big event held on Thursday evening. The USSOCOM Awards Ceremony and Dinner is a long-standing highlight of USSOCOM’s annual conference. The reception and dinner is a formal affair with many well-known personalities in the special operations community.
SOF Week 2025 will be providing the attendees an informative and interesting experience. The event will be an opportunity to learn about new capabilities and technology that SOF is currently or may soon be employing around the world.
**********
SOF Week 2025 is sponsored by USSOCOM and the Global SOF Foundation.
