Curated news, analysis, and commentary about special operations, national security, and conflicts around the world.
Photo / Image: Members of the 125th Special Tactics Squadron conduct a Full Mission Profile (FMP) on October 30, 2019 in Madras, OR. This FMP helped members practice High Altitude-Low Opening (HALO) jumps, search for and recover lost and injured people, and get them to a UH-60 medical evacuation helicopter during day and night iterations, with the help of the Oregon Army National Guard’s 112th Aviation Regiment. (U.S. Air National Guard Photo by Tech. Sgt. Emily Moon, 142nd Fighter Wing Public Affairs)
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SOF News
Rangers Win. The United States Army Special Operations Command (USASOC) “Best Squad Competition 2025” was won by a team from the Ranger Regiment. The competition has number of difficult events to include a 12-mile ruck march, land navigation course, and more.
SO Imperatives: From 12 to 5. The new Field Manual 3-05, Army Special Operations, has streamlined the special operations imperatives from twelve to five. The new list is a more integrated and user-friendly list that reflects the changes in the contemporary strategic environment. Read more in an article by Daniel Ross in Small Wars Journal, August 8, 2025.
AI a Game Changer for SOF. United States Special Operations Command is on a path to emphasize the central role of artificial intelligence, autonomy, and cyber tools in modern warfare. These tools will be especially important for targeting and strike missions. USSOCOM is on the lookout for plug-and-play AI tools that can bolt onto existing platforms. “SOCOM Bets on AI and Autonomy to Redefine Special Ops”, Military AI, August 1, 2025.
William H. Webster Dies. The former director of both the F.B.I. and the C.I.A. has passed away at 101 years. He was a former federal judge who was chosen to lead the F.B.I. in 1978 due to his probity and integrity. During World War II he left college to join the U.S. Navy. Post WWII he earned a degree in law, he was recalled to active duty as a lawyer during the Korean War.
Royal Marines Graduate from Boat Course. A new batch of small boat and landing craft operators have competed a 14-week long intensive course and will soon be integrated into the UK Commando Force. “Royal Marines raiding craft graduates ready for action”, UK Defence Journal, August 6, 2025.
Help Special Operations Forces (SOF) personnel with spine injuries receive the healthcare options, education, and care they need.
Dunsterforce Mission. About 1,000 men conducted a dangerous mission to oppose the expansion of the Ottaman Empire in the closing days of World War I. This was a special operations mission that took place years before the formation of the UK Special Air Service (SAS). With the advent of the Bolshevik Revolution in Russia, the Russian armies fighting the Turks began to disengage. The British were worried that the Turks would then turn its attention to Persia and the Caucasus. This would possibly put British India and the oil fields in the Baku region at risk. The Dunsterforce objective was to secure Baku, protect the Trans-Caucasus Railway, stabilize the region, and support friendly national movements in Armenia and Georgia. Before the SAS: Dunsterforce and Britain’s First Special Ops Mission, The Ulysses Files, August 3, 2025, YouTube, 30 minutes. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gLs1r9OWmbU
SACO – U.S. Navy’s ‘Guerrilla Force’ in WWII. In the China Theater, the U.S. Navy raised an irregular army by training Nationalist guerrillas through the Sino-America Cooperative Organization (SACO). This unconventional campaign resulted in indigenous guerrilla networks tying down Japanese enemy forces, gathering critical intelligence, and disrupting Japanese military operations across the country. What started out as a weather reporting mechanism in mainland China evolved into a program of 2,500 U.S. personnel that trained over 100,000 guerrilla fighters by mid-1945. Read a detailed account of SACO by Cody Chick in “Sabotage From the Sea: The U.S. Navy’s Guerrilla Force in China During WWII”, Inter Populum, Journal of Irregular Warfare and Special Operations, May 16, 2025.
SOF History
Helicopter – Biplane Combat in Vietnam War. Read about when an unarmed CIA helicopter took on two North Vietnamese biplanes in aerial combat over the mountains of northeast Laos. “An Air Combat First”, Central Intelligence Agency, 2007.
On August 10, 1944, Lt. John “Jack” Singlaub parachuted into German occupied France to work with the French Resistance fighters that had grown bigger in strength after the D-Day invasion. He was a highly decorated OSS officer and a founding member of the CIA. He retired as a Major General in the U.S. Army.
On August 17, 1955, the Civil Affairs / Miltary Government was established as an Army Reserve Branch. It was subsequently redesignated as the Civil Affairs Branch on October 1959. The expansion of Civil Affairs in the Regular Army led to Civil Affairs being established as a basic branch of the Army effective October 16, 2006 by Department of Army General Orders (AGO) No. 29, 12 January 2007.
On this day, August 16, 2001 the 43rd United States President, George W. Bush and the United States Congress created and designated this day, every year, as National Airborne Day to honor the nation’s airborne forces. This date also marks the anniversary of the first official Army parachute jump at Ft. Benning, Georgia. “The successful jump validated the innovative concept of inserting United States ground combat forces behind a battle line by parachute. These sky soldiers represent some of the most prestigious and effectively trained forces in the United States Army.”
Ukraine Conflict
“Big Two Meeting”. According to an announcement by President Trump, the leaders of Russia and the United States will meet in Alaska this month. President has indicated that the agreement would be contingent on Ukraine and Russia swapping territory. Putin has said that Russia deserves territory that has been historically Russia in the past. Hopefully, Alaska – at one time a part of the Russian empire – is not part of the proposed territory swapping deal.
“Big Three Meeting”? There is the possibility that may attend the meeting in Alaska with Trump and Putin. Hopes are high but expectations are low that the Ukraine-Russia conflict will soon be over.
Terms of Agreement Unclear. Confusion seems to surround the exact terms of the proposed peace agreement or ceasefire to be discussed in Alaska. Members of the Trump Administration have described Putin’s demands for a ceasefire in Ukraine in four different ways since August 6. The confusion seems to be stemming from the US Special Envoy for the Middle East Steve Witkoff (Wikipedia) who possibly has misunderstood Putin’s statements during their recent meeting. (Institute for the Study of War, August 9, 2025). Read more in “Baked Alaska”, by Lawrence Freedman, August 11, 2025.
Russia’s Exoskeletons Not Working Out in Ukraine. Almost a decade ago USSOCOM was gearing up to test the prototype TALOS Iron Man Suit that would provide special operators with increased strength and effectiveness. In recent years, not much has been seen of this promising program. For several years Russia has also been forecasting the use of wearable machines that would make ground infantrymen stronger, faster, and able to carry heavier equipment and weapons. The past few years of the Russian – Ukrainian conflict would have been an ideal situation for testing out the concepts of an exoskeleton – but reality has introduced itself. “Russia’s Exoskeleton Dreams Meet Brutal Reality in Ukraine”, Future War Tech, August 8, 2025.
Training the Ukrainians – Improvements Needed. Ukrainian military personnel and units that are being trained in Germany and elsewhere in Europe are getting NATO-centric instruction that is not as useful to the Ukrainians as the NATO trainers might think. The U.S./NATO bureaucratic planning process doesn’t fit well into the current type of warfare being experienced in Ukraine. “Learn or Lose: Lessons from Ukranian Training in Germany”, Modern War Institute at West Point, August 5, 2025.
Ukraine War Effort. Russia retains two important advantages that are key to the Ukraine – Russia conflict. The first is that they will likely eventually prevail in a war of attrition as its resources and population base is much larger than Ukraine’s. The second is that it has continued to grind away with its ground offensive – gaining small amounts of territory week after week. However, although it has the upper hand in the conflict victory is still not within sight. While Ukraine’s front lines are bending, they are not breaking. “In a Tight Spot, Ukraine Resolves to Fight On”, International Crisis Group, August 5, 2025.
National Security and Commentary
Military Force Against Cartels? President Trump has reportedly signed a directive for the DoD to begin taking the fight to the drug cartels that have been designated as foreign terrorist organizations. Plans are being drawn up now. The fentanyl epidemic is especially acute. Nicholas DeMasters, a U.S. Navy special operations veteran, describes how the US military can counter the fentanyl epidemic at its source. (SOF News, March 2024). One key component to this proposed new ‘war on drugs’ is the current U.S. Ambassador to Mexico – Ron Johnson is a former Green Beret and CIA officer.
Intelligence Reform Needed. Holden Triplett believes the U.S. Intel agenices are too fragmented to face the multifaceted and dispersed nature of Russian and Chinese threats. Read more in “Five Misconceptions Blocking National Security Reform”, National Interest, July 31, 2025.
NORTHCOM and SOUTHCOM Combined? The Department of Defense is looking at ways to save money, reduce bureaucracy, and improve efficiency. Some national security commentators believe that combining the two combatant commands in the Western Hemisphere could accomplish this task. They argue that this change would deliver a unity of effort at a lower cost. Dr. Jason Smith, a professor of National Security Strategy at the National War College explains this in “Consolidate NORTHCOM and SOUTHCOM”, Defense One, August 5, 2025.
CRS Report – STRATCOM. The U.S. Strategic Command is a DoD functional combatant command whose history dates back to the U.S. Air Force’s Strategic Air Command (SAC) that was created in 1946. Today’s STRATCOM is headquartered at Offutt Air Force Base in Nebraska. It is staffed by 41,000 uniformed and civilian personnel and manages the land-, air-, and sea-based nuclear forces. “U.S. Strategic Command (STRATCOM)”, by Anya L. Fink, Congressional Research Service (CRS), August 7, 2025.
Information Operations
China’s AI Strategy. Beijing is using soft power to gain global dominance. China is rapidly developing technology that will keep it in competition with the United States on the artificial intelligence front. “China’s Overlooked AI Strategy”, Foreign Affairs, July 25, 2025. (subscription)
Russia Meddling in Moldova. The citizens of Moldova will soon be voting in an election but there is a sense of alarm on interference by Russia in the upcoming elections to be held in late September. Russia has a history of attempting to sway the electorate and cause political chaos during voting in a number of countries and its latest victim will likely be Moldova. “Russia’s hybrid war on Moldovan democracy”, Deutsche Welle, August 7, 2025.
Blocking WhatsApp. There are reports on social media that Russia plans to block the popular messaging service called “WhatsApp”.
China, AI, and Info Warfare. Chinese companies with expertise in artificial intelligence are gaining ground on the Russians in the ability to monitor and manipulate public opinion. This new weapon in information warfare is being used to influence campaigns in Hong Kong and Taiwan as well as collect data on members of Congress and right-wing U.S. influencers. These emerging Chinese capabilities are happening at a time that the current U.S. administration is dismantling teams at the State Department, the FBI, and other agencies to warn the public about potential information warfare threats. This new AI technology will allow Chinese intelligence agencies to go beyond the U.S. election influence campaigns undertaken by Russia in recent years. “China Turns to A.I. in Information Warfare”, by Julian E. Barns, The New York Times, August 6, 2025.
Strategic Competition
China’s PLA Modernization. In 2015, China began a series of military reforms to prepare for conflicts in the future. One of these reforms was the establishment of the Strategic Support Force (SSF). In addition, a new C2 structure, regional commands, and other changes were instituted. The reforms were meant to usher in an era of ‘jointness’ and the integration of artificial intelligence (AI) into doctrine. However, what is expected in theory is not always attained in practice. “China’s Military Reforms: PLA Jointness & AI Challenges”, by Gaurav Sen, Small Wars Journal, August 4, 2025.
Baltic States at Risk? A few years back it was widely believed that the Russians could attack and occupy one or more of the Baltic States (Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia) in about three days. That belief was held before the Russians launched their full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 and proved to have a difficult time over the next few years due to staunch Ukrainian resistance. What is more likely is that Russia will continue its low-grade hybrid warfare campaign against these three Baltic nations, setting the stage for a possible repeat of how Russia took Crimea in 2014. “Could Putin Take the Baltics?”, by Ted Vician, Small Wars Journal, August 5, 2025.
USAID Gone: Russia Stepping In. As United States foreign aid is diminished overseas another country is filling the void and expanding its global development reach in the Global South. Russia is copying the USAID model and setting up a central foreign aid agency like what the U.S. once had in the U.S. Agency for International Development. “Russia Prepares to Fill the USAID Gap”, by Thomas Kent, National Interest, July 21, 2025.
China and the Carribbean. As the United States cuts foreign aid to nations around the world other nations (Russia, China, etc.) are stepping up their development aid and commercial interests. This is happening in Africa, the Middle East, and . . . in our own backyard. “China’s Quiet Coup in the Caribbean”, International Policy Digest, August 9, 2025.
Russian Annexation Moves and the EU. A policy brief by the European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR) provides insight into the process of de facto annexation by Russia of the breakaway and occupied regions of Abkhazia, South Ossetia, and Transnistria – and the possible responses available to the European Union (EU). “Occupational Therapy: Frozen conflicts, Russian aggression and EU enlargement”, ECFR, August 4, 2025.
Testing NATO’s Article 5. NATO members are increasingly worried about Russian aggressive moves against the Nordic countries and Baltic states. Finland is especially concerned in light of recent Russian military buildup activity along its border. In addition to the conventional threat, Russia ‘hybrid warfare’ activities have been taken place in the region. There is concern that Russia could conduct an attack on a NATO nation within three to five years; likely be in the form of a hybrid attack. “Baltic security: Keeping an eye on the Kremlin”, GIS Reports Online, July 30, 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.
Africa
Gulf State Actors in East Africa. The countries of Turkey, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates are three nations that are expanding their engagements in East Africa. They are making investments in critical infrastructure, ports, and in the security sector – with the aim of seeking opportunities and competing for influence. Their actions are reshaping the investment and political contours of the region. Qatar and Kuwait are also in play. Of the 12 countries in the region, 9 of them are wracked by instability and suffering from the threat of armed conflict. Learn more in a detailed report on this topic in “Mapping Gulf State Actor’s Expanding Engagements in East Africa”, Africa Center for Strategic Studies, July 8, 2025.
40 Colombian Mercenairies Killed in Sudan? According to an Associated Press news report a Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) airstrike destroyed an United Arab Emirates (UAE) aircraft that possibly had Colombians on aboard while at the Nyala Airport (Google Maps) in Sudan. The strike on Wednesday, August 6, 2025, occured just as the aircraft landed at the airport. The UAE has been one of the Rapid Support Force’s (RSF) biggest supporters. “Sudanese airstrike hits Darfur airport, killing 40 suspected mercenaries”, AP, August 7, 2025.
New Approach For West African Sahel. Ian Edgerly examines the recent role of U.S. counterinsurgency, stability, and counterterrorism efforts in countries in the western Sahel region. The U.S. (as well as France) has suffered a series of setbacks in this region as a result of its personnel being ‘disinvited’ in several countries. Military coups have taken place, jihadists are gaining ground, and Russia has been expanding its diplomatic, economic, and military presence in the region. Edgerly argues that a new approach to the security situation in the western Sahel states is needed; one that takes into account the history of the region, reasons for support of jihadist / extremist groups, and the lack of state consolidation in the individual countries. He believes that there are aspects of irregular warfare strategies that may provide a more effective long-term approach to the regions problems. “Divergent Conflict Drivers in the West African Sahel: The Inaccuracy of Global War on Terror Counterterrorism Heuristics”, Inter Populum, Journal of Irregular Warfare and Special Operations, July 18, 2025.
Russia’s PMCs in Africa. The Irregular Warfare Center has published research bibliography that provides a selection of top resources on the Wagner Group that range from 2019 to 2025. The publication encompasses the Wagner Group’ origins to its breakup and replacement by the Africa Corps. (PDF, 13 pages, July 2025)
Jihadist Terrorism in Sub-Saharan Africa. Jihadist groups have entrenched and expanded across sub-Saharan Africa. These violent extremist organizaitons have transformed the region into the deadliest region of the world in the midst of an expansion of global terrorism at the same time that international counterterrorism efforts are waning. “Sub-Subharan Africa Remains the Epicentre of Global Jihadist Terrorism”, Observer Research Foundation, August 5, 2025.
Books, Podcasts, Videos, and Movies
Video – Understanding Combined Arms Warfare. This video defines and outlines the important aspects of modern combined arms operations. This is not a complete history of combined arms warfare; however, it is intended to highlight the most important aspects of the subject. Army University Press, March 24, 2023, 42 minutes, YouTube.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ZOGdKANL5s
Video – Special Forces Association Chapter Coins. A four-minute video featuring the coins from the many different chapters of the SFA. July 2025.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_zayxPYQVps
Video – SF and ROKSWC Conduct HALO Jump. A one-minute video showing scenes of membeers of a U.S. Army Special Forces element and Repubic of Korea Special Warfare soldiers assigned to the 3rd Special Forces Brigade (Airborne) participating in a high altitude low opening proficiency jump. (DVIDS, 12 June 2025) https://www.dvidshub.net/video/972726/us-army-special-forces-and-rokswc-conduct-high-altitude-low-opening-proficiency-jump
Book Signing – Berlin: A Spy’s Guide to Its Cold War History in Story and Image, by James Stejskal, International Spy Museum, Washington, D.C., Saturday August 16, 2025.
https://www.spymuseum.org/calendar/in-store-book-signing-berlin/2025-08-16/
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Upcoming Events
August 16, 2025
Book Signing – Berlin, by James Stejskal
International Spy Museum – Washington, D.C.
August 19-21, 2025
Indo-Pacific Irregular Warfare Symposium
Bangkok, Thailand
October 2025
Virtual MOG Mile
Three Rangers Foundation
October 7-9, 2025
Global SOF Europe
Athens, Greece
October 13-16, 2025
Special Operations Association Reunion (SOAR)
Las Vegas, Nevada
October 14-17, 2025
Special Forces Association Conference
Las Vegas, Nevada
November 16, 2025
Inaugural Charleston Trident Swim
Charleston, South Carolina
November 17-20, 2025
2025 Modern Warfare Week – Fort Bragg
Global SOF Foundation
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