Curated news, analysis, and commentary about special operations, national security, and conflicts around the world.
Photo / Image: Special Unit 333, photo courtesy of Resolute Support, 11 August 2017.
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SOF News
Field Manual 3-05, Army Special Operations, June 2025 has been updated.
https://armypubs.army.mil/epubs/DR_pubs/DR_a/ARN44116-FM_3-05-000-WEB-1.pdf
SOF and Moral Injury. Many SOF warriors are unfamiliar with the term or concept of moral injury. This fact sheet provides an overview of the definition, categories, causes, and symptoms of moral injury and explains how it is different from post-traumatic stress disorder. Special Operations Forces Moral Injury Fact Sheet, by John E. Caterson, Joint Special Operations University (JSOU), April 21, 2025. https://jsou.edu/Press/PublicationDashboard/273
Navy Parachutist Dies. A Navy Special Warfare Boat Operator died on Tuesday during a training parachute jump in Porterville, California. He was assigned to Special Boat Team 20 and was attending the Naval Parachute Course. “Navy identifies special warfare sailor killed while parachuting”, Task and Purpose, July 3, 2025.
New SOCPAC Commander. Maj. Gen. Jeffrey A. VanAntwerp assumed command of Special Operations Command Pacific from Rear Adm. Jeromy B. Williams during a change of command ceremony at Camp H.M. Smith, Hawaii, July 3, 2025. https://dod.hawaii.gov/jstaff/files/2024/08/MG-Jeffrey-A.-VanAntwerps-BiographyV2.pdf
Camp Chapman – CIA Outpost. Located near Khost in southeastern Afghanistan, Camp Chapman was established in the early days of the U.S. intervention in Afghanistan. It served as a regional base for the U.S. Army, a contingent of Special Forces, and as a forward operating location for the Central Intelligence Agency. The base was named after a Green Beret, SFC Nathan Chapman, the first American soldier to be killed in combat in the Afghan War. In 2009, a double agent working for the CIA blew himself and killed seven CIA officers at the same time. Six other CIA officers were injured. It was one of the deadliest attacks on the CIA. “Camp Chapman: The CIA’s Frontline in Afghanistan”, by Betselot Dejene, Grey Dynamics, July 3, 2025.
SOAA 2024 Annual Report. The Special Operations Association of America has published its annual report for last year. (PDF, 13 pages)
https://soaa.org/wp-content/uploads/2024-SOAA-Annual-Report.pdf
Help Special Operations Forces (SOF) personnel with spine injuries receive the healthcare options, education, and care they need.
Strategic Triad – SOF, Cyber, and IO. “Special Operations, space, and cyber forces share responsibility for conducting and supporting kinetic and non-kinetic operations in all domains, operating in contested or denied areas, and conducting or supporting IO.” Read more in “Converging Special Operations Forces, space, cyber, and information operations”, Booz Allen, 2025.
Belarus SF and Gyroplanes. Belarusian special operations forces are training with gyroplanes for air reconnaissance, cargo drops, and personal transport. The two-seat gyroplanes would be used for situations where the use of large helicopters or fixed-wing aircraft is not feasible. The aircraft was jointly developed by Belarus and China. The top speed is 200 km/hr and can fly up to six hours with dual tanks. “Belarus special forces train with new gyroplanes”, Defence-Blog, June 30, 2025.
Spy Talk. The special operations community has its own vocabulary and buzz words (specialforcestraining.info) that are sometimes unfamiliar to the conventional Army and the civilian population. The intelligence community (IC) also has their slang. “The SPYSCAPE Glossary of Spy Terms”, Spyscape, June 2025.
SOF History
OSS Team Cardinal’s Mission in China. At the conclusion of World War II, eight OSS teams dropped into China to conduct the Mercy Mission operation. The task was to gather intelligence and get to POW camps before the Russians did or the Japanese executed prisoners. On August 16th, Team Cardinal (six men) dropped into Japanese-held Manchuria. Included in the team membership were a doctor, a Russian linguist, a Japanese linguist, a Chinese linguist, and a radio operator. The team was led by a major. Read the story of Team Cardinal in “Drop, Improvise, Win: The OSS in China”, by Lt. Col. Zachary Griffiths, Special Warfare Journal, June 20, 2025.
On July 9, 1941, the First Special Service Force was officially activated.
https://armyhistory.org/first-special-service-force/
On July 11, 1941 the Coordinator of Information (COI) was established. President Franklin Roosevelt appointed William J. Donovan to head a new civilian office attached to the White House. The office was an intelligence and propaganda agency of the U.S. government. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Office_of_the_Coordinator_of_Information
On July 8, 1961, the 20th Special Forces Group (Airborne) was activated in Birmingham, Alabama.
On July 9, 1961, teams of Green Berets began organizing and training tribesmen in the Central Highlands of Vietnam into the Civilian Irregular Defense Group (CIDG).
Ukraine Conflict
U.S. Halts Weapons to Ukraine. The stockpiles of some types of weapons being sent to Ukraine is getting low enough that the U.S. is scaling back or halting the flow of weapons. (AP News, July 2, 2025) Shortly after this news broke President Trump had a phone call with President Zelensky where he reassured the Ukrainian leader that the halt was temporary and some weapons shipments would still be ongoing. Anti-aircraft defenses are critical in light of Russia’s ability to mass produce missiles and drones to the extent that hundreds of missiles and drones are attacking Ukraine’s cities each night.
Patriots for Ukraine? Zelensky and Trump discussed Ukraine’s need for air defense systems during a recent phone call that may have spurred Trump to decide more Patriot systems should go to Ukraine. “Trump says Ukraine will need Patriot missiles for its defense, chides Putin”, Reuters, July 5, 2025.
Drone Wall. David Kirichenko says that Ukraine is heavily dependent on drones to prevent a breakthrough by Russian forces during their summer offensive. A ‘drone wall’ is the best way for creating a layered defense that can halt a Russian advance. The drones are used both for surveillance and to conduct airstrikes. Ukraine is expecting to produce four million drones this year. NATO countries are now looking at putting up their own drone wall to protect their borders from a Russian incursion. “Ukraine’s drone wall is Europe’s first line of defense against Russia”, Atlantic Council, July 2, 2025.
The Digital Battlefield of Ukraine. Military innovation has been at the centerpiece of the Russian invasion of Ukraine – now entering its fourth summer fighting season. There is much to learn from the Ukrainian military that western militaries can benefit from. The threat from Russia, if Putin stays in power, will remain long after the Ukraine-Russian conflict is resolved. “Ukraine: Masters of the digital battlefield”, by Peter Caddick-Adams, The Critic, July 4, 2025.
- References:
- Interactive Map. Russia’s Invasion of Ukraine by the Insitute for the Study of War and Critical Threats. On storymaps.arcgis.com See also https://www.national-security.info/ukraine/maps.html
- U.S. Security Assistance to Ukraine, Congressional Research Service, CRSIF12040, periodically updated, PDF, 3 pages. https://crsreports.congress.gov/product/pdf/IF/IF12040
- Ukraine Conflict, National Security Info. https://www.national-security.info/ukraine-conflict.html
National Security
White House Nominates Jim Caggy. A GWOT veteran, James Caggy, has been nominated to be Assistant Secretary of Defense. Jim is an Army veteran and has worked in civilian life on numerous projects related to national defense. He was a volunteer assisting in the evacuation of Afghan allies during the Kabul NEO of August 2021 with Team America Relief. An acquaintance has described him as a “brainiac with common sense”.
M-10 Booker – Going Away? The Army’s M-10 Booker Infantry Assault Vehicle was formerly known as the Mobile Protected Firepower (MPF) System. Over 500 systems were programmed to be fielded to the 10th Mountain Division, 82nd Airborne Division, and the 101st Airborne Division. However, on May 1, 2025, the Army cancelled the program citing it as a failed program. (CRS report, 13 May 2025)
U.S. to Buy Six Arctic Icebreakers. Over $9 billion will be spent to expand the Coast Guard’s Arctic icebreaker fleet. Both Polar Security Cutters and Arctic Security Cutters are to be funded. The majority of the world’s ice breakers are produced by Finland. (gCaptain, July 4, 2025)
U.S. Southern Border. Compared to the previous administration the border would appear almost locked down. Certainly there is a huge drop in the number of illegal aliens crossing the border. There are approximately 8,500 military personnel (DOD News, July 2, 2025) attached to Joint Task Force Southern Border that enhance the U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s ability to identify, track, and disrupt threats to security at the southern border. In the next few months, there will be four ‘national defense areas’ along the border. This will give more ‘legal’ cover for the U.S. military to conduct operations along the border.
Commentary
Military Advising. Alexandra Chinchilla provides insight on the successes and failures of U.S. advising over time. “Influence by Design: Reassessing U.S. Military Advising”, Irregular Warfare, June 5, 2025.
Dysfunction at NSC. Fewer meetings, more top-down demands, and worries some officials may go rogue are upending the system. The national policymaking process under Trump and Rubio is hindered by a staff that is half the size it used to be. It has been described as the “Game of Thrones” with loyal Trump supporters seeing the NSC staffers as representative of an untrustworthy government bureaucracy. “Inside the Dysfunction at Rubio’s Shrunken National Security Council”, Politico, July 2, 2025.
How to Complicate the IW Planning Process. Two Army officers present their vision of how DoD can connect, integrate, and globally synchronize irregular warfare across combatant commands and the interagency. They believe that DoD’s traditional planning methods need to be replaced with new ways that can prepare and synchronize transregional irregular warfare effects. “The Algebra of Irregular Warfare: A Planning Methodology for Transregional Operations”, Special Warfare, July 1, 2025.
Drone Warfare
Report on Drones. The Battlefield AI Revolution Is Not Here Yet: The Status of Current Russian and Ukrainian AI Drone Efforts, by Kateryna Stepanenko, Institute for the Study of War, June 2, 2025, PDF, 10 pages. Link to report.
Learning About Drones from Ukraine and Israel. Two countries have recently executed a couple of extraordinary missions deep inside their respective adversaries homelands using drones and commando teams. Operation Spider’s Web and Operation Rising Lion both used drones that cost no more than a few thousand dollars each but that were able to wipe out tens or even hundreds of millions of dollars’ worth of advanced weapons systems. Both operations point for the need for the United States to rely less of high-cost, crewed served weapons systems and more on numerous cheap drones. “What Drones Can – and Cannot – Do on the Battlefield”, Foreign Affairs, July 4, 2025.
“Sky Fortress” – Tracking Russian Drones in Ukraine. Acoustic detection systems are reshaping air defense against drones. Built from scratch, these systems are tracking Russian drones as they enter Ukrainian airspace as they fly to their targets. “Sky Fortress – Ukraine’s Acoustic Detection System That Tracks Drones Cheap and Fast”, by Lucile Brizard, United24, July 1, 2025.
Information Operations
Russia, AI, and IO. This 23 page (PDF) report explores how Russian actors are discussing, conceptualizing, and framing artificial intelligence within their online communications. Russia, AI and the Future of Disinformation Warfare, Royal United Services Institute, June 2025. https://static.rusi.org/russia-ai-and-the-future-of-disinformation-warfare.pdf
Russian Cognitive Warfare. Nataliya Bugayova and Kateryna Stepanenko argue that understanding cognitive warfare is a national security requirement for the United States. This type of warfare focuses on influencing an opponent’s reasoning, decisions, and actions – below the threshold of war. A Primer on Russian Cognitive Warfare, Institute for the Study of War, June 30, 2025, PDF, 34 pages. Link to report.
Propaganda & Psychological Warfare Collection. The Hoover Institution Library & Archives has a collection of propaganda from societies and governments from around the world and through time. There are large holdings from the Communist Parties (Soviet, Chinese, and others), World War II, and more. https://www.hoover.org/library-archives/collections/propaganda-psychological-warfare
China’s Shadow War. A “shadowy, silent battle waged through deception, infiltration, and manipulation” has become a cornerstone of the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) strategic playbook. This covert war is not fought on battlefields but within the institutions and society of adversary states. China is using a combination of political warfare, psychological warfare, and asymmetric warfare to break the spine of Taiwan. “Taiwan Under Siege”, by Shubhangi Palve, The EurAsian Times, July 5, 2025.
Fighting Disinformation. Jacob Ware prescribes methods to combat disinformation in social media. “To Fight Disinformation, Treat it as an Insurgency”, The Strategist, Australian Strategic Policy Institute, April 4, 2025.
SOF News welcomes the submission of articles for publication. If it is related to special operations, current conflicts, national security, or defense then we are interested.
Europe
Baltic and Arctic Regions Contested. Since the onset of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the northern region of Europe has been on watch for a repeat of Ukraine but along their borders. Russia has been provoking and probing its neighbors’ defenses in the Baltic and Arctic regions. Read more in “The Coming Northern Showdown”, Defining Ideas, by Thomas H. Henrikson, July 2, 2025.
Sabotage in the Mediterranean? Since January 2025, five oil tankers have had unexplained explosions that have caused significant damage. A common theme is that they have visited ports in Russia, Libya, and Malta. While there is lots of speculation most bets seem to be placed on Ukraine special operators causing havoc. The most recent ship suffering ‘an explosion’ of some sorts is currently being towed by tug to a port in Greece for repairs. Limpet mines anyone?
Afghanistan
Afghan Zero Units of the CIA. The Central Intelligence Agency used specially trained units in the fight against the Taliban and terrorist targets in Afghanistan. The Zero Units – named 01, 02, and 03 – were cloaked in secrecy. Many of the Zero Units fell in on the Kabul airport during the August 2021 fall of the Afghan government and helped secure the airport while U.S. military and diplomatic personnel, U.S. citizens, “Green Card” holders, and Special Immigrant Visa (SIV) holders were evacuated by U.S. military aircraft. The U.S. government promised that if the Zero Units secured HKIA then they and their families would be allowed on the last of the flights to safety. Kevin Maurer provides some insight on these CIA paramilitary forces during the long war and the aftermath. “Inside the CIA’s Secret Afghan Army”, Rolling Stone, July 4, 2025.
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Middle East
ISIS Gaining Strength in Syria. The new Syrian regime that took power in December 2024 may soon find that it has some challenges ahead from the Islamic State (IS). Renewed militant activity signals a calculated attempt by IS to reposition itself during the establishment of the new Syrian government. It is currently recruiting among Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) members. It is directly appealing to foreign fighters in Syria as well. “IS looks poised to exploit security vacuums in Syria”, Al Majalla, May 26, 2025.
Iranian Missiles Were Intercepted by U.S. Navy Destroyers. The U.S. 6th Fleet had five guided-missile destroyers in the Eastern Mediterranean Sea to disrupt Iranian missile attacks against Israel. The Aegis Weapon System was instrumental in the defensive action. Military Times, June 30, 2025.
Africa
Ukraine’s Charm Offensive in Africa. Russia has deep roots in Africa stemming from as far back as the Cold War when there was an ideological struggle between western democracies and the Communist bloc led by the Soviet Union. In the past decade, Russia’s influence and presence has grown with diplomatic overtures, aid, military arms sales, and the presence of first Wagner Group and now the Africa Corps. Ukraine, locked in a long struggle of survival against invading Russian forces, is seeking ways to diminish Russia’s influence on the Africa continent. There were rumors of Ukrainian operatives participating or aiding the attack on Russian paramilitary operatives in Mali. It has been distributing food aid to North African and sub-Saharan countries. It’s most recent endeavor is in Mauritania. “Ukraine turns to Africa in its struggle against Russia”, by Jessica Donati and Olena Harmash, Reuters, June 26, 2025.
IW and Africa. This article provides four key points about irregular warfare in Africa. “Exploring African Perspectives on Irregular Warfare”, by Sandor Fabian and Matthew Heidel, Insider, July 1, 2025.
Executive Outcomes – PMC. One of the more well-known private military companies operating in Africa is Executive Outcomes (EO), formed in 1989. For over a decade its activities were widely known. Read up on the history, organization, equipment, and controversies of EO. “Executive Outcomes: The Rise, Fall, and Rebirth”, by Nicola Barbesino, Grey Dynamics, July 2, 2025.
Background on the DRC – Rwanda Conflict. The eastern portion of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has been the scene of fighting between DRC government troops and the M23 rebel movement (backed by Rwanda). At stake is a mineral rich area of the DRC that both the government and M23 wish to control for the wealth that it generates. Currently, the Trump administration is attempting to broker a peace agreement – the likelihood of that working is unknown. Read up on some history of the DRC and an update on the current conflict in “The Trump Administration’s Peace Initiative for the Great Lakes Region of Africa: History and the Drivers of Conflict”, by H.R. McMaster, History We Don’t Know, July 1, 2025.
Books, Podcasts, Videos, and Movies
The Guerrilla Trilogy. Author Jim Morris (bio) was one of the first writers to pen books about the Vietnam War. As a Green Beret, he served three tours in Vietnam with U.S. Army Special Forces. He experienced the war up close and put those experiences into print. In addition to his experiences as a SF soldier in combat he also worked as a combat journalist covering numerous guerrilla wars and conflicts in the 1980s. Three of his published books include War Story, The Devil’s Secret Name, and Fighting Men and they are available as an eBook entitled The Guerilla Trilogy.
Military Review. The July-August 2025 issue by Army University Press is now online.
https://www.armyupress.army.mil/Journals/Military-Review/English-Edition-Archives/July-August-2025/
Infantry. The summer issue of Infantry is now available online. (76 pages)
https://www.benning.army.mil/infantry/magazine/issues/2025/Summer/PDF/20250702%20InfMag_Summer25.pdf
Sentinel. The July 2025 edition of Sentinel has been posted online. Topics include a tribute to Clyde Sincere, a well-known Special Forces officer who recently passed away; a book review of Bobbie the Weather Girl: AFVN Saigon’s Weathergirl Shares Letters From Vietnam; a book review of Across the Fence: The Secret War in Vietnam, and more.
https://www.specialforces78.com/chapter-78-newsletter-for-july-2025/
Podcast – CIA at Risk. Former senior CIA ops manager Luis Rueda talks about an imperiled spy agency. SpyTalk, July 2, 2025, 45 minutes.
Podcast – Gen. Donahue on Deterring Russia in Europe, War on the Rocks, July 3, 2025, 26 minutes.
https://warontherocks.com/2025/07/gen-donahue-on-deterring-russia-in-europe/
Book Review – House of Huawei. Eva Dou’s book provides insight into the Chinese telecommunications firm that was established in 1987. The firm has gone global and is closely aligned with China’s party-state. Its ‘Safe City’ facial recognition technology is used not only in China but has been bought by countries in Asia, Africa, and Europe. This is a concern for western governments – for two reasons. One is the control of a sector of technology around the globe and the other is the use of technology by China’s intelligence services. Read more in “The Secret History of China’s Most Powerful Company”, Real Clear Defense, July 3, 2025.
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