Curated news, analysis, and commentary about special operations, national security, and conflicts around the world.
Photo / Image: Members of the U.S. Special Operations Mountain Warfare Training Center (SOMWTC) and Danish Special Operation Forces (DANSOF) trek up the mountains of Mestersvig, Greenland, March 6, 2024. The SOMWTC and DANSOF exchanged Arctic best practices during Arctic Edge 24 (AE24). AE24 provided Special Operations Command North and U.S. Special Operations Forces the opportunity to integrate with SOF from Norway, Denmark, and the United Kingdom as well as interagency and total force partners to enhance integrated deterrence, layered defense, and resilience across the Arctic. (U.S. Army photo by Spc. Andrew Estrada)
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SOF News
SOF and “Administrative Terrain”. Erika Lafrennie explains how special operations forces are the connective tissue between the convergence across domains and convergence across systems of governance. She argues that “administrative terrain” is a legitimate domain of military competition where SOF has an important role. “The Terrain Before the Terrain: Why Special Operations Forces Must Master Administrative Battlespace”, Small Wars Journal, January 27, 2026.
Parachute Tree Landings and the U.S. Army. Established recovery procedures for parachute jumpers in the trees are not optimized. Improved processes could lessen the financial burden and lessen injuries for personnel. An NCO at USAJKFSWCS has some recommendations. “Parachute and Jumper Recovery”, Special Warfare Journal, January 30, 2026.
NATO SOF Command and McRaven. Former USSOCOM commander Willim H. McRaven writes on the value that allied special operations forces brought to the fight in Afghanistan and Iraq. “Never Fight Alone”, The Atlantic, January 27, 2026.
Hong Kong’s SDU. A unit of the Hong Kong Police Force (HKPF) is tasked with tackling the most dangerous threats facing the special administrative region. Founded in 1974, it trained alongside the British SAS, SBS, German GSG9, and US Navy SEALs. “The Special Duties Unit (SDU): The Flying Tigers of Hong Kong”, by Milo R., Grey Dyanmics, January 31, 2026.
SOF History
SAS Legends. The United Kingdom’s Special Air Service (SAS) is the British government’s elite counterterrorism unit. It specializes in rescuing hostages, covert reconnaissance, and many other special operations missions. This article provides some background on five famous members of the SAS. “5 of the most legendary soldiers of the United Kingdom’s Special Air Service”, We are the Mighty, January 27, 2026.
Beginning the night of February 6, 1968, and concluding on February 7, 1968, the Lang Vei Special Forces camp close to the Laotian border came under attack and was captured by North Vietnamese Army forces.
https://arsof-history.org/articles/19_aug_lang_vei_page_1.html
On February 2, 2023, the 193rd Special Operations Wing received its first MC-130J Commando II. This signaled the wing’s transition to a new aircraft and a new mission.
https://sof.news/afsoc/193rd-sow-mc-130j/
National Security and Commentary
1st SFAB now ASCG-S. The 1st Security Force Assistance Brigade has transitioned to the Army Security Cooperation Group – South. The 1st SFAB was activated in 2017 to provide advisors for Afghan security forces. After the Afghanistan tour, the 1st SFAB was regionally aligned to the Southern Command area of operations. The ASCG-S falls under the newly-established United States Western Hemisphere Command (USAWHC). Read more in “Army Security Cooperation Group – South: First of its kind stands up in Georgia”, Army.mil, January 27, 2026.
“Scramble for the Arctic”. Sergio Miller puts the strategic value of Greenland in perspective – reports of Russian and Chinese warships are exaggerated and Russian military capabilities in the Arctic are overstated. “Exaggeration and Ignorance: The Scramble for the Arctic”, Small Wars Journal, January 29, 2026.
ICE Tools of the Trade. A recent article details the technological tools that the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is using in its current campaign of apprehending illegal immigrants across the country. Those in the SOF community will recognize that some of these tools have been in play for a couple of decades in the SOF CT / COIN world. “The powerful tools in ICE’s arsenal to track suspects – and protesters”, The Washington Post, January 2026. (subscription)
Intel, IO, Cyber, AI, IW
The New Propaganda Battlefield. There has been a broader transformation in the mechanics of influence operations. The core of persuasion now seems to be centered on emotions rather than ideology or doctrine. This is illustrated in studies done about TikTok that show emotional conditioning is a part of early-stage influence. Read more in “TikTok, Algorithmic Emotion, and the New Propaganda Battlefield” by Michael Morgan, War on the Rocks, January 27, 2026.
The Navy and IW. Two Naval intelligence officers provide an essay on the U.S. Navy’s Information Warfare (IW) capabilities. For the purposes of this article IW is the collective of intelligence, cryptology, cyber, space, and other disciplines. They argue that the “most data-centric part of the Navy, the Information Warfare Community” is poorly postured to effectively adapt to the modern maritime battlespace. After outlining the problems they provide some recommendations. “Leading the Digital Fight: How the Navy’s IW Community Must Innovate to Win”, Center for International Maritime Security, January 29, 2026.
Air Force and AI. The Air Force is using advanced war gaming powered by artificial intelligence (AI) that brings an AI cloud-based system, called WarMatrix, into its war-gaming capability. “Air Force Leveraging AI for Advanced Wargaming”, National Defense Magazine, January 28, 2026.
Cyber Ops and Maduro Capture. A non-kinetic effects cell took part in the operation to apprehend Venezuelan President Maduro during Operation Absolute Resolve in January 2026. The cell targeted radar, internet, and the Caracas power grid – causing a temporary blackout. “US military used new ‘non-kinetic’ cell to guide cyber ops during Maduro capture”, Defense One, January 28, 2026. Read another article on the same topic – “Cyber isn’t the whole story in Venezuela – but it’s a key takeaway”, The Strategist, Australian Strategic Policy Institute, January29, 2026.
Cognitive Warfare. Colonel John Wilcox, a U.S. Army Civil Affairs officer, writes about how current targeting logic fails in a fast-moving information ecosystem. “Cognitive Warfare Without a Map”, Small Wars Journal, January 28, 2026.
Ukraine Conflict
Peace Talk Success Unlikely. Control over small Ukrainian towns and villages are a key focus of Putin in the long war in Ukraine. Negotiations over the Ukraine-Russia War involve a number of talking points including sanctions, oil movements, NATO, troop limits, and more. Most westerners believe that territory is a bargaining chip. However, Andrey Pertsev, argues that holding and gaining more ‘terrain’ is what is most important to Putin. “Ukrainian Villages Are a Bigger Prize for Putin Than a Deal with Trump”, Carnegie Politika, January 26, 2026.
A War of Attrition. Russia is attempting to wear down Ukraine through piecemeal destruction of its military. This is a battle of high casualties, massive expenditures of equipment, and very little movement along the front lines. Many observers believe that Russia has the advantage as it has a much larger pool of soldiers that can be mobilized. However, Russia has suffered nearly 1.2 million battlefield casualties. In 2025, it had roughly 35,000 killed, wounded, or mission on average each month. Estimates of Soviet Union losses in Afghanistan over a ten-year period are about 14,000 killed. Read a detailed analysis of the situation in “Russia’s Grinding War in Ukraine”, by the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), January 27, 2026.
- References:
- Interactive Map. Russia’s Invasion of Ukraine by the Institute for the Study of War and Critical Threats. On storymaps.arcgis.com See also https://www.national-security.info/ukraine/maps.html
And Around the World
NATO and SFA. The second edition of NATO’s AJP 3-16, Allied Joint Doctrine for Security Force Assistance, reflects its efforts to adapt Security Force Assistance (SFA) to the new strategic environment. The lessons learned from the counterinsurgency advisory missions in Afghanistan, Iraq, and Africa – as well as the security situation in eastern Europe – is incorporated into the updated document. Vibeke Gootzen provides a detailed analysis of the revised AJP 3-16 in “NATO’s Latest Doctrine on Security Force Assistance: What’s New?”, Irregular Warfare Initiative, January 20, 2026.
Greenland Update. Two new Danish defense initiatives were announced. The Arctic Basic Training program in Kangerlussuaq will be increased from 30 to 50 students. The program started 2024 with 22 participants and was expanded to 30 in 2025. The Danish military is looking at expanding its aerial surveillance capabilities with a contract to lease aircraft from Air Greenland. An interesting article that argues Alaska is more strategically placed than Greenland and U.S. Arctic security efforts will provide better security via Alaska. “Greenland isn’t the answer to U.S. Arctic security. This place is.”, The Washington Post, January 28, 2026. (subscription)
Guerrilla Warfare in Myanmar. Patrick Goldman provides an excellent essay on guerrilla warfare, Che Guevara and Mao, and how their writings apply to the current conflict in Myanmar. “Guevara in Myanmar: The Enduring Logic of Guerrilla Warfare”, Small Wars Journal, January 27, 2026.
Taiwan Resistance and Foreign Fighters. Lumpy Lumbaca provides us a scenario of Taiwan recruiting foreign fighters to join the fight against a future invasion and occupation of Taiwan. (SOF News) Interesting reading! “The Role of Foreign Fighters in a Taiwan Resistance Scenario”, Irregular Warfare Initiative, January 29, 2026.
Afghans in the U.S. The tragic shooting of a young soldier from the West Virginia Army National Guard in Washington, D.C. by a Afghan in November 2025 has put collective suspicion on Afghans living in America. The killer was a former member of the CIA’s NDS zero units and was brought to the U.S. as a parolee after the August 2021 fall of the Afghan government, the Kabul non-combatant evacuation operation, and subsequent takeover of the Taliban. In the weeks that followed the November 2025 shooting the federal government announced several immigration and security-related steps that hindered or stopped immigration processing, relocation, and vetting of Afghans who were in the Special Immigrant Visa (SIV) pipeline or who had already been relocated to the U.S. by the Department of State. Omid Kamal provides an Afghan’s perspective on the current situation in “The Costs of Collective Suspicion: Afghans in America in the Aftermath of a Killing”, War on the Rocks, January 27, 2026.
SIGAR Goes Away. The Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR) ends its run as a long-term impartial observer and recorder of the Afghan War as of January 31, 2026. Its quarterly reports often contradicted the rosy proclamations of DoD, DoS, and ISAF four-star generals. The SIGAR quarterly reports and special reports to Congress were one of the most reliable sources of information about the Afghanistan War.
CT Policy Against ISIS at Stake. The walking away from the Syrian Democratic Front (SDF) in northeast Syria will have a big impact on the U.S. policy and strategic in confronting the Islamic State. The one-year-old Syrian government is in a campaign to take the country’s northeast from the Kurdish-led militia that helped the U.S. significantly degrade the Islamic State. Read more in “Syria’s Campaign Against Kurds Scrambles Trump’s Counterterror Policy”, The Wall Street Journal, January 28, 2026.
Insurgency in Mozambique. Brandon Schingh writes on the rise of the Islamic State in Mozambique (SOF News, March 2023) amidst a deteriorating socio-economic situation. The insurgency for many years was found mostly in the north of Mozambique (NSI map), along with other factors, are stretching the fragile governmental structures and has limited humanitarian response mechanisms. Various regional and western nations have attempted to provide assistance in military equipment and advisors. This includes the United States – providing Special Forces teams for Mozambique advisory missions. (SOF News, March 2021) Aid from western nations has been ineffective and not enough. China may step into the vacuum to offer assistance – and at the same time tap into the immense natural resources that Mozambique offers. Read more in “A War Without Headlines: Mozambique’s Insurgency and the Global Security Blind Spot”, Small Wars Journal, January 26, 2026.
Russians In Mali. The Wagner Group has left Mali, to be replaced by the Africa Corps. However, the tactics of violence by the Russians is still the same. “In Mali, Mercenaries Have New Name, Same Tactics”, Eurasia Review, January 24, 2026.
Books, Podcasts, Videos, and Movies
Book – The Winter Warriors. Author Oliver Norek is interviewed about his latest novel that takes place during the 1939 Russo-Finnish War. The main character is a Finnish sniper called ‘The White Death’ by the Russians. Read a transcript of the interview in Lethal Minds Journal, January 27, 2026.
Sentinel. The February 2026 issue is now posted online. An update on America’s “Forgotten Warriors” – the Montagnards in Vietnam, a story of secret ops in El Salvador during the 1980s, book review of “Textbook Special Ops: the Son Tay Raid”, and video about Colonel Mataxis – a career combat soldier.
https://www.specialforces78.com/chapter-78-newsletter-for-february-2026/
Report – The War in Sudan. Nikkie Lyubarsky and Gabriella Tejeda write about the role of external actors and the prospects of conflict resolution in Sudan. The Soufan Center, January 2026, PDF, 23 pages.
https://thesoufancenter.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/TSC-IssueBrief-The-War-in-Sudan.pdf
Video – Embedded with 20th Special Forces Group in Eastern Europe. A video about an SF ODA training with counterparts in Latvia. Posted by Mighty Finland on YouTube, August 2025, 38 minutes.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Axqfu8WSr0
Video – What Do Night Stalkers Do? Take an inside look into the world of the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment. Posted by The U.S. Army, YouTube, January 9, 2026, 4 minutes.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tqBTnoKhDzw
Video – How CIA Black Ops Actually Work. John Kiriakou, a former CIA officer specializing in counterterrorism, discusses black ops. Topics include recruiting and training agents, missions, raids, interrogations, and more. John was chief of CIA CT ops in Pakistan in 2002. He later became a whistle-blower on the CIA’s “enhanced interrogation” program and spent a couple of years in prison. Business Insider, January 22, 2026, YouTube, 58 minutes.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pcfwx50zl40
Podcast – Special Operations Aviation (Night Stalkers) with Kyle Hogan. A former Deputy Commander of the 160th SOAR, Hogan discusses the Maduro raid, special operations, the future of Army Aviation, and the oil industry. Extremely informative! WarVector, January 30, 2026, 40 minutes. https://www.warvector.com/p/episode-189special-operations-aviation
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