Curated news, analysis, and commentary about special operations, national security, and conflicts around the world.
Photo / Image: U.S. Army A/MH-6X Mission Enhanced Little Birds land during Weapons and Tactics Instructor course in Yuma, Arizona. Photo by Zachary M. Ford, DoD, April 4, 2016.
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SOF News
US Army’s Night Stalkers. The 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment is the U.S. military’s premier rotary-wing special operations unit. Created in the 1980s, it has participated in every major and minor conflict ever since. The unit has 4 battalions that fly the AH-6 (attack) and MH-6 (assault/transport) Little Bird; the MH-60 (assault/transport) and MH-60 DAP (attack) Black Hawk; and the MH-47 Chinook (assault/transport). The 160th SOAR just finished up with the infil, exfil, and fires support of Delta Force in Operation Absolute Resolve (SOF News) – the capture of President Maduro of Venezuela. Read more about the 160th in “The Incredible Firepower of the US Army’s Night Stalkers”, by Stavros Atlamazoglou, SANDBOXX, December 26, 2025.
Paper – “Frogmen and Fast Boats: The Future of Irregular Warfare in the Maritime Domain”, Inter Populum, Fall 2025, PDF, 27 pages. This article examines how irregular warfare in the maritime domain can strengthen national defense strategies for smaller states confronting more powerful naval adversaries.
https://interpopulum.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/Frogmen-and-Fast-Boats.pdf
Starlinks for Ghostriders. Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC) is looking at the possibility of outfitting its AC-130J Ghostrider with terminals that will improve beyond-line-of-sight satellite communications in support of operational missions. “AFSOC looks to add Starlink terminals to Ghostrider gunships”, DefenseScoop, December 31, 2025.
“The Tribe” and Tradition. On the last Friday of every month, members of the 3rd Special Forces Group (Airborne) observe a tradition where fallen members are remembered. Read more in “The Tribe that Carries the Fallen Forward”, DVIDS, December 30, 2025.
Read more about SFA Chapter 88’s effort to build the Special Forces Monument in the Sentinel .
Commentary – “Crisis Response as Deterrence: Strategizing the Use of Elite Capabilities to Deter Adversary Aggression”, Inter Populum, Fall 2025. This article argues that crisis response (CR) – an irregular warfare specialization executed by elite forces – can function as a strategic instrument of deterrence.
https://interpopulum.org/crisis-response-as-deterrence-strategizing-the-use-of-elite-capabilities-to-deter-adversary-aggression/
Irregular Warfare Center Achievements. “The Irregular Warfare Center (IWC) has concluded an exceptionally productive year dedicated to advancing the understanding and application of Irregular Warfare (IW) across the defense community and its global network of partners. The IWC has cemented its role as the central hub for innovation and synchronized effort in irregular warfare, focusing its efforts on refining educational standards, providing expert subject matter input to the Joint Staff, and fostering meaningful collaboration across sectors and borders.” Read more in an article about the IWC posted in DVIDS on January 1, 2026.
1st TIAD and SOF. Our adversaries rely on political warfare, information operations, economic pressure and coercive influence to advance national objectives while avoiding a conventional military response. The commander of the newly activated 1st Theater Information Advantage Detachment provided an overview of the the 1st TIAD and how it supports special operations forces as well as conventional forces at a recent symposium held in December in Tampa, Florida. “1st TIAD Takes on Gray Zone Warfare at SOF and Irregular Warfare Symposium”, DVIDS, December 15, 2026.
SOF History
Article on “Charging Charlie”. The Special Forces Regiment has produced a number of ‘Legends’ over the past several decades of its history. One of them is Charlie Beckwith – probably best known as the commander of Delta Force. Two people, Irv Jacobs and Ben Rapaport, who knew Beckwith provide some personal anecdotes about him in an article published by the Sentinel (Dec 2025).
https://www.specialforces78.com/a-legend-before-his-time-chargin-charlie-beckwith/
On January 14, 1946, the Special Operations Executive (SOE) was dissolved by Prime Minister Clement Attlee. The SOE conducted a wide range of intelligence and special operations behind enemy lines during World War II.
On January 15, 1951, the Army established the Office of the Chief of Psychological Warfare (OCPW) as a special staff division under the Deputy Chief of Staff and supervisory control of the Assistant Chief of Staff, G-3, headed by Brigadier General Robert A. McClure.
On January 1, 1962, the first SEAL teams were established by President Kennedy. The OSS Maritime Unit was the precursor to the SEALs. Learn more in the book First SEALs.
https://bookshop.org/a/753/9780306824142
National Security
Strikes on Narco-Trafficking Vessels. U.S. Southern Command and Joint Task Force Southern Spear are continuing their efforts on countering narcotics trafficking networks with strikes against vessels suspected of smuggling drugs. On December 30, 2025, three narco-boats were struck in international waters. They were traveling in a convoy. Intelligence confirmed the vessels were transiting along known narco-trafficking routes and had transferred narcotics between the three vessels prior to the strikes. Three narco-terrorists aboard the first vessel were killed in the first engagement. The remaining narco-terrorists abandoned the other two vessels, jumping overboard and distancing themselves before follow-on engagements sank their respective vessels. (DVIDS video) This was followed by two more strikes on December 31, 2025. (DVIDS video) More than thirty narco-boats have been destroyed since September 2025.
Air Strike on Venezuelan Port. The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) carried out a drone strike in December on a Venezuelan port facility. It is believed that the facility was used by the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua to store drugs prior to boat shipment. Over the past several months the U.S. has launched strikes against more than 30 narco-boats and ordered a blockade of sanctioned oil tankers. “CIA carried out drone strike on port facility on Venezuelan coast”, CNN, December 29, 2025.
Oil Tanker Evades U.S. In late December 2025 the U.S. Coast Guard attempted to stop a sanctioned oil tanker that was heading to Venezuela. The oil tanker would not stop and would not let the USCG board. As the tanker continued on its journey away from Venezuela it registered as a Russian vessel, changed its name, and painted a Russian flag on the hull. This complicated things. The Bella 1 crude oil tanker is now in the Atlantic just west of Ireland likely heading to the North Sea – destination unknown.
Intel, IO, Cyber, IW, AI
Cyberspace Warfare. Derek Ray, an active duty Air Force officer, analyzes the use of offensive cyber operations across the Russia-Ukraine, Israel-Iran, and Israel-Hamas conflicts. Derek notes that a variety of “hacktivist” groups and cybercriminals quickly entered the fray at the beginning of each conflict. He outlines lessons learned for how offensive cyber operations can factor into future conflicts. “The Cyber Wars That Weren’t”, Irregular Warfare Initiative, December 30, 2025.
Absolute Resolve and Disinformation. Within minutes of the announcement that U.S. SOF captured Madura social media platforms were posting disinformation. This came in the form of text messages, images, and videos. Some were from other events in the past but stating they were from the recent SOF operation in Venezuela. In addition, many posts were made from artificial intelligence (AI). These fake posts are not just an attempt to conduct disinformation operations; many times it is done to boost engagement and gain followers. “Disinformation Floods Social Media After Nicolas Maduro’s Capture”, by David Gilbert, Wired.com, January 3, 2026.
New: 49B AI/ML Officer Career Path. The U.S. Army has established a new military occupational specialty (MOS) for officers who wish to work in the artificial intelligence and machine learning (AI/ML) fields. This new MOS will help advance the Army’s ongoing transformation into a data-centric and AI-enabled force. Officers in this career field will help enable commanders and staff to make faster, more informed decisions, streamline logistics, and support robotics and autonomous systems. “Army establishes new AI, machine learning career path for officers”, U.S. Army, December 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.
Europe
Finland Seizes Ship. A vessel sailing from Russia was found by Finnish authorities with its anchor chain lowered in the Gulf of Finland. The Finns boarded and detained the cargo ship after an undersea telecommunications cable connecting Estonia and Finland was damaged on December 31, 2025. Undersea cable disruptions have occurred frequently over the past few years and have been largely attributed to Russian sabotage.
Germany Considers a Draft. Currently the largest army in Europe is Ukraine. However, Germany is looking to step up its military capabilities to become a leading military on the continent. Germany has had decades of underinvestment in defense – including manning strength. Read more in “From Restraint to Readiness? Germany Considers Conscription”, by Michael F. Harsch, War on the Rocks, December 30, 2025.
Asia and Afghanistan
Korea Regional Review. David Maxwell, a retired Special Forces officer, has just rolled out a great news resource for those tracking events and issues in Asia and on the Korean peninsular. Maxwell has spent more than 30 years studying the Asia-Indo-Pacific region and specializes in Northeast Asian security affairs and irregular, unconventional, and political warfare.
https://www.upi.com/Korea-Regional-Review/
COIN Lessons of Afghanistan. Daniel Rix and Doug Livermore identify clear strategic failures of the U.S. counterinsurgency effort that lasted almost 20 years in Afghanistan. This is an excellent and detailed article with many good observations. “Afghanistan, A History Already Forgotten: Counterinsurgency Lessons U.S. Senior Military Leaders Must Not Ignore”, Small Wars Journal, December 31, 2025.
Cash Flights to Kabul. Natiq Malikzada argues that Western governments must stop sending cash to Afghanistan for ‘humanitarian purposes’. He says that the money is actually diverted by the Taliban for their own purposes; and some finds its way to Iran. “How Cash Flights to Kabul Help Iran and the Taliban”, The National Interest, December 23, 2025.
Middle East
Yemen Update. The United Arab Emirates (UAE) announced it was withdrawing all of its remaining counterterrorism forces in Yemen. This is in response for calls for its withdrawal by Saudi Arabia and other factions in the UAE. The Southern Transitional Council (STC) is a Yemeni political-military organization that opposes the Houthi; but that is also a counterweight to the internationally recognized government and has been supported by the UAE. Saudi Arabia supports the Yemeni government; putting Saudia Arabia and the UAE in opposition to each other over Yemen. The latest news has the STC retreating from some of the territory it has held in Yemen. Saudi Arabia is conducting military operations against the STC.
U.S. Hits ISIS in Syria. Central Command issued a press release on December 30, 2025, stating that U.S. military forces killed or captured nearly 25 ISIS operatives during 11 missions conducted between December 20-29, 2025. This follows an operation when U.S. and Jordanian forces struck over 70 targets with more than 100 precision munitions on December 19.
Unrest in Iran. Over the past several days protests have taken place in many of the major cities of Iran. What started out as a localized shopkeepers protest against the state of the economy has turned into a days-long state of crisis across the country. Clashes are taking place between protesters and regime forces in many of the cities.
Africa
African Ambassadors Recalled. A mass recall of ambassadors to 15 African countries – many in sub-Saharan Africa – will complicate U.S. efforts to protect its interests and counter the spread of Islamic terrorism. This raises to 30 the number of vacant ambassador positions on a continent with 54 nations. “Trump’s recall of ambassadors compounds staffing problems at posts in Africa”, Reuters, December 24, 2025.
U.S. Strikes in Nigeria. The U.S. military launched attacks against the Islamic State in Nigeria on December 25, 2025. It is reported that a US Navy vessel fired Tomahawk missiles at Islamic State targets in retaliation for the group’s targeting of Christian communities in the country. The region struck targets near the border of the Sahelian country of Niger (map of Africa). The Islamic State’s Sahel Province (ISSP) is the likely target – the organization is based in Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger. ISSP has been making inroads into Nigeria in recent years.
Russia in Africa: Failure Coming Soon? A recent essay analyzes how Russia’s presence as a ‘security partner’ grew in Africa and provides some reasons why this presence has peaked. Read more in “The Waiting Game: Signposts of Russia’s Coming Failure in Africa”, Small Wars Journal, January 1, 2026.
Somaliland Recognized by Israel. The Republic of Somaliland (map NSI) and Israel have signed a mutual declaration of recognition. This agreement by Israel acknowledges Somaliland as an independent and sovereign state. Somaliland declared independence from Somalia (NSI) in 1991 and has operated for more than three decades as a de facto state with its own government, constitution, currency, security forces, and elections.
Books, Podcasts, Videos, and Movies
Military Review. The November – December 2025 issue by Army University Press is now online. Several interesting articles on topics such as NATO, LSCO, OIF, Iraq War, Space and the Indo-Pacific, proxy wars, Mongolian nationalism and resistance to China, and more.
https://www.armyupress.army.mil/Journals/Military-Review/English-Edition-Archives/November-December-2025/
Infantry. The Winter edition is now online. (PDF, 74 pages)
https://d34w7g4gy10iej.cloudfront.net/pubs/pdf_76210.pdf
Sentinel. The January issue is now posted. Articles include info on fundraiser for the Special Forces Monument (NW FL), Colonel W.C. “Clint” Norman (Ret.), Chargin’ Charlie Beckwith, SOG Recon, and Det A (Berlin). https://www.specialforces78.com/chapter-78-newsletter-for-january-2026/
SOA Videos. This past fall the Special Operations Association (SOA) held their annual convention in Las Vegas. SOA posted four videos about the convention on their website about their board meeting, banquet, taps of SOA members and the SOA/SFA Joint MIA-POW Symposium.
https://specialoperations.org/soa/soar-2025-media/
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