Curated news, analysis, and commentary about special operations, national security, and conflicts around the world.
Photo / Image: A competitor from Guatemala zeroes his weapon before the start of Fuerzas Comando 2025 at Ilopango, El Salvador, Aug. 18, 2025. Fuerzas Comando 2025 brings together 16 special operations teams from across Central, South America and the Caribbean to Ilopango, El Salvador, 18-29 Aug. to test skills through a 10-day special operations forces competition alongside a senior leadership seminar to collectively refine skills and foster military-to-military relationships. (U.S. Army National Guard photo by Sgt. Felix Ortiz Rivera)
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SOF News
NSW Cdr Fired. Rear Adm. Milton “Jamie” Sands III, the commander of Naval Special Warfare Command, has been fired as part of a string of dismissals of high level defense officials by the Department of Defense in August 2025. Sands was in the job for just one year. He entered the Navy in 1992. As a Navy SEAL, he has deployed to Afghanistan and has been in special operations units for most of his career. He formerly commanded Special Operations Command Africa (SOCAFRICA). His previous assignments included time with SOCEUR, SEAL Team 2, SEAL Team 8, and other special operations postings. “Navy Reserve, Naval Special Warfare Leaders Removed from Command”, U.S. Naval Institute, August 22, 2025.
https://news.usni.org/2025/08/22/navy-reserve-naval-special-warfare-leaders-removed-from-command
SF: The Enlightened Warrior. David Maxwell, retired SF Colonel, argues that enlightenment values of reason and critical thinking are essential for Special Forces operators to effectively analyze complex situations and make sound decisions in the field. “The Enlightened Warrior: Applying Reason and Critical Thinking in Special Forces”, Small Wars Journal, August 18, 2025.
OSS “Donovan Award”. The OSS Society will present this years recipient of the “William J. Donovan Award” on October 18, 2025. The Office of the Strategic Services (OSS) Society is a charitable organization that honors the historic accomplishments of the OSS during World War II. Past recipients are a “Who’s Who” taken from the history books of the special operations and intelligence world. https://osssociety.org/pdfs/2025_Save_The_Date.pdf
Green Berets and “Conventional Combat Operations”. Michael Peck explains how the new U.S. Army special operations forces manual (FM 3–05, Army Special Operations, June 2025, PDF, 102 pgs) shifts the focus of U.S. Special Forces from conducting small-unit COIN and CT missions to supporting big-unit mechanized warfare. “Why Green Berets want to join conventional combat discussion”, Army Times, August 22, 2025.
Help Special Operations Forces (SOF) personnel with spine injuries receive the healthcare options, education, and care they need.
Survivability Drift Theory – Protecting the SOF Force. A concept developed to surveil and flag early warning signs in special operations forces under cumulative “exposure conditions” that degrade the individual operator and the SOF force in general. These exposure conditions may include blast-overpressure, institutional tension, hazardous materials, role erosion, and more. “Survivability Drift Theory and Attrition Mitigation in Special Operations Forces”, Small Wars Journal, August 21, 2025.
Becoming a Leader – Lessons from SOF. There is an organization that has developed a “rich curriculum for cultivating initiative, strategic vision” and other skills need to lead during volatile times. The U.S. Army Special Forces has taught tens of thousands of soldier who excel at managerial tasks to successfully take on leadership positions. The soldiers learn these skills through experience in diverse and challenging assignments as well as in specialized courses at the JFK Special Warfare Center. “Lessons from U.S. Army Special Ops on Becoming a Leader”, Harvard Business Review, August 19, 2025.
CDF Winter Cruise 2025. The Combat Diver Foundation will host it annual Winter Cruise on November 21, 2025. It is by invitation only – conducted by the Sunset Sail at Key West. Sailing on board General George Patton’s yacht, this year’s event will feature Ric Prado – a former CIA clandestine services officer and now book author. The Combat Diver Foundation was founded to preserve the history and legacy of combat divers from all the services.
SOF History
On August 25, 1961, the first Finnish conscript paratrooper course graduated with a parachute jump in Utti, Finland. Since then, first the Finnish Defence Force Paratrooper School and now the Special Jaeger Battalion (Erikoisjaakaripataljoona) have celebrated this day as their anniversary / tradition day.
On August 28, 2013, SSG Earl D. Plumlee while serving as a weapons sergeant assigned to C Co, 4th Bn, 1st Special Forces Group (Airborne), at Forward Operating Base Ghazni, distinguished himself by acts of gallantry above and beyond the call of duty while engaging with the enemy in support of Operation Enduring Freedom in Ghazni Province, Afghanistan. For his heroic actions he was awarded the Medal of Honor. Congressional Medal of Honor Society. https://lnkd.in/emQVxaBr See also an article by Military Review published September 2023.
On August 26, 2021, thirteen U.S. service members and almost 200 Afghans died in a terrorist bombing at Abbey Gate of the Hamid Karzai International Airport (HKIA) in Kabul, Afghanistan. The Kabul airlift (NEO) was in the final days of execution. https://afghan-report.com/news/abbey-gate-bombing/
National Security and Commentary
CRS Report – Counterproliferation in U.S. Policy. The Congressional Research Service has published a short report by Mary Beth D. Nikitin on the definition of counterproliferation policy, how it is used to degrade adversaries capabilities in developing weapons of mass destruction, the use of of force in counterproliferation (past events), and a short summary of the June 2025 strikes (Iran).
https://www.congress.gov/crs-product/IN12597
DIA Director Fired. Lt. Gen. Jeffrey Kruse, the director of the Defense Intelligence Agency, has been dismissed. Since January 2025 an unusual number of senior general officers have been fired or have announced an early retirement. Chief of Staff Gen. David Allvin has announced his retirement (forced departure). The Trump administration has dismissed several high-profile special operations and intelligence officials since January 2025. These include:
- General Timothy Haugh, Director of the National Security Agency (NSA)
- Wendy Noble, civilian deputy at the National Security Agency (NSA)
- Mike Collins, acting chair at the National Intelligence Council (NIC)
- Maria Langan-Riekhof, deputy acting chair at the National Intelligence Council (NIC)
- Brian Driscoll, former acting FBI Director
Army Chopper Units Cut. The U.S. Army is drastically reducing the number of rotary wing aviation units in the reserve forces. The cuts are part of a larger reorganization of the Army that reduces manpower, streamlines the force, modernizes the Army, and incorporates artificial intelligence and drone capabilities throughout the Army structure. “Why is the Army Chopping Away at Its Chopper Fleet?”, by David Roza, The Warhorse, August 22, 2025.
Maritime Security and Chokepoints. Some of the decisive struggles for global order may unfold in the oceans and across sea lanes. There are some areas of the ocean that are more “strategic” than others – straits being the most apparent. “The New Battle for the Straits”, by Isiah Wilson III, Compound Security, Unlocked, August 22, 2025.
ODNI Staff Cuts. Hundreds of roles are being phased away by the Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard. She has already eliminated 500 staff and reduced the office’s size by 30 percent since February. Now her plan is to cut even more. “Gabbard to cut ODNI staff by nearly 50 percent”, Politico, August 20, 2025.
Information Operations and Sabotage
Russia’s Fake News. A pro-Russian propaganda group is taking advantage of high-profile news events to spread disinformation – and they’re spoofing reputable news outlets to do it. “Russia is quietly churning out fake content posing as US News”, by Dana Nickel, Politico, August 17, 2025.
Agents of Influence. Narrative warfare takes place in many forms. It doesn’t always appear in the form of lies or deception. Sometimes it is just how a story, incident, or event is framed. Narrative framing presents factually accurate details – “but does so in a way that guides readers toward a morally charged, emotionally resonant interpretation.” Douglas Wilbur examines this topic in detail in “Agents of Influence Weaponizing Credibilty: How to Win a Wartime Narrative From Within”, Inter Populum, August 24, 2025.
Russia Sabotage Ops in Europe. Read a new report on how Russia is conducting covert operations against critical targets of NATO countries. The Scale of Russian Sabotage Operations Against Europe’s Critical Infrastructure, International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS), August 2025, PDF, 18 pages.
https://www.iiss.org/research-paper/2025/08/the-scale-of-russian–sabotage-operations–against-europes-critical–infrastructure/
Ukraine Conflict
Russia’s Irregular Forces. Mariya Y. Omelicheva, a professor of strategy at the National Defense University, describes in detail the irregular forces of the Russian military and intelligence agencies. Some are fighting in Ukraine while others can be found in Africa in various countries. “Inside Russia’s Shadow Military Sustaining the War”, War on the Rocks, August 22, 2025.
Sabotage Behind the Lines. Members of the Ukrainian underground resistance movement – Atesh – have carried out sabotage against the Russian army. The leader of a group of agents provides a ‘behind the scenes’ look. “Ukrainian sabotage groups operating behind Russian lines“, Counteroffensive News, August 20, 2025.
Peace Talks – All About Donbas. The Russians, although they don’t occupy all of Donbas and have failed to capture the entire Donbas region, are demanding that Ukraine give it up. This is where the conflict began over ten years ago. “Peace Talks in Ukraine All Lead to the Donbas”, The New York Times, August 24, 2025. (subscription)
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.
Asia
CRS Report – The U.S. “One-China” Policy and Taiwan. The Congressional Research Service has published a two page report by Susan V. Lawrence that covers the historical context, diplomatic agreements, and related Congressional legislation related to China and Taiwan relationships. (18 August 2025)
https://www.congress.gov/crs-product/IF12503
North Korea and Taiwan: A Duel Contingency. Dr. Ju Hyung Kim, President of the Security Management Institute (South Korea), argues that strategic planners across the Indo-Pacific must reckon with the scenario of a full-scale war on the Korean peninsular at the same time China launches an attack against Taiwan. But one overlooked dimension of this type conflict is the North Korean irregular warfare capability against U.S., South Korean, and Japanese rear-area targets. “Preparing for the Silent Surge: Countering North Korea’s Gambit in a Dual Contingency”, Irregular Warfare Initiative, August 21, 2025.
Taiwan and Post-Invasion Resistance. Tyler Rodriguez provides an essay that explores how a Taiwan-based insurgency could emerge in a post-occupation environment. “The Inevitable Invasion is Over, Now What? Resistance in a Post-Invasion Taiwan”, Small Wars Journal, August 18, 2025. See also Taiwan Resistance for more articles on this topic.
And . . . Around the World
“Enduring Welcome Act of 2025”. With the beginning of the new administration in January 2025 the relocation of Afghans from Afghanistan to the United States with approved Special Immigration Visas (SIVs) was drastically curtailed. The U.S. Department of State’s Office of the Coordinator for Afghan Relocation Efforts (CARE) lost funding, staff, and the ability to coordinate and support the relocation of Afghans who supported the U.S. military as interpreters and in other roles as well. This bipartisan act will strengthen the role of CARE and allow it to resume the operations it had been conducting the past few years. Read more about the act on the website of the #AfghanEvac coalition.
Report – Four Years of the Islamic Emirate in Afghanistan: A Stocktaking. Observer Research Foundation (ORF), August 2025, PDF, 53 pages. https://www.orfonline.org/public/uploads/posts/pdf/20250819092118.pdf
CT, Al-Qaeda, and Saudi Arabia (2002-2006). Julian McBride details the rise of al-Qaeda in Saudi Arabia in the early 2000s and how the country’s security services cracked down on the suspected extremists mosques and imams sympathetic to Bin Laden and al-Qaeda. This counterterrorism campaign took place from 2003 to 2006. “Lessons in Counterterrorism in Saudi Arabia’s Expulsion of Al-Qaeda in the Kingdom and Challenges Going Forward”, Small Wars Journal, August 19, 2025.
Venezuela Update. President Nicolas Maduro is mobilizing his country in preparation for perceived threats from the United States. News of an uptick in naval and other military operations by the U.S. in the Caribbean has causes some consternation for Maduro. He has reportedly declared a mobilization of militia units to deter a U.S. intervention in Venezuela.
Russian Mercenaries in Africa. Raphael Parens provides an analysis of what Russia’s mercenary forces in Africa would look like after the war in Ukraine comes to an end. “Moscow’s Mercenary Makeover in Africa”, War on the Rocks, August 20, 2025. (subscription)
Books, Podcasts, Videos, and Movies
Book – SAGE. Chapter 17 of the Special Forces Association has re-published the book SAGE, which is the memoir of COL Jerry “Robin” Sage. He was an OSS officer who was captured by the Germans during WWII. During his three years of captivity in a German POW camp, he helped work on the three-tunnel escape project that helped form the plot for the movie The Great Escape. After WWII, he commanded a Regimental Combat Team in the Korean War. He subsequently was the commander of 10th SFG(A) in Europe during the Cold War. The book is available in Kindle version at Amazon.com.
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Upcoming Events
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October 18, 2025
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