Curated news, analysis, and commentary about special operations, national security, and conflicts around the world.
Photo / Image: Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN-72) has been in the Arabian Sea since late January 2026. (photo by Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Aleksandr Freutel while sailing in the Pacific Ocean in June 2022)
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SOF News
Spanish SOF and STEADFAST DART. The Spanish Special Operations Component Command (SOCC) took part in Exercise STEADFAST DART 26 in northern Germany in February 2026. The Spanish ARF SOCC played a key role in the exercise in the air, sea, and land domains. NATO, February 20, 2026.
Marine Raiders. The Marines with the Critical Skills Operator military occupational specialty (MOS) serve in the Raider units of the Marine Corps Force Special Operations Command. Read about them in “MARSOC Marine Raiders: Always Faithful, Always Forward”, by Michael Ellmer, Grey Dynamics, February 20, 2026.
SOF, Intelligence, and Tech. To remain competitive on the battlefield U.S. special operations forces must leverage emerging technologies and further develop strategic intelligence capabilities. The U.S. needs to study the impacts of artificial intelligence, machine-learning, big data analytics, and more to advance its capabilities in SOF mission planning and execution. Read more in “Special Operations Forces Enterprise: Strategic Intelligence and Emerging Technology”, by Sgt. Maj. Erich Franck, Joint Special Operations University Press, February 2, 2026.
IW and DoD Instruction 3000.07. Chad Machiela and Seth Gray provide their insight on irregular warfare in “Regular or Unleaded? Differentiating Irregular Warfare”, Small Wars Journal, February 19, 2026.
NSW Art on Display. This summer the Navy Seal Museum located in Fort Pierce, Florida will be host to a show that highlights the art of Naval Special Operators. The 2026 exhibit – The Art of the Operator – will showcase a variety of mediums – including metalwork, charcoal, ink, oil, pastel, poetry, photography, and more.
IW and the “Institutional Battlefield”. Ian Murphy writes that current discourse on irregular warfare often focuses on its operational and tactical dimensions. However, many times ignored, is the role of institutions in long-term irregular conflicts. These institutions – governance, education, economic, and infrastructure can serve as tools used by occupying powers. The ongoing conflict in Ukraine is used by Murphy as a case in point. The Russians are shaping institutions in the occupied Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts. “The Institutional Battlefield: Why Irregular Warfare Must Contemplate Path Dependence”, Inter Populum, February 9, 2026.
SF and SOF Identity Crisis. Here is yet another publication on the Special Forces identity crisis. This one by retired Lt. Col. Greg Banner. “The Special Forces Identity Crisis and Rethinking of Special Operations”, Joint Special Operation University Press, February 9, 2026. https://jsou.edu/Press/PublicationDashboard/301
19th SFG(A) and African Lion. The 19th Special Forces Group will be providing personnel to participate in the annual AFRICOM exercise African Lion 26. This year it takes place in Morocco in the April-May 2026 timeframe. Read more in “Inside how SETAF-AF will turn innovation into capability during African Lion 26”, U.S. Army, February 19, 2026.
SOF History
OSS and the origins of the CIA and SF. Alex Dekker describes “How the OSS Shaped the CIA and U.S. Army Special Forces”, February 19, 2026.
On February 27, 1944, a five-man team from the OSS parachuted into Malo Ticevo, Yugoslavia to establish a weather station. Operation Bunghole consisted of members of the OSS and USAAF specialists. Yugoslavia was occupied by the Germans at that time.
https://codenames.info/operation/bunghole-ii/
On February 26, 1945, the 503rd Parachute Regimental Combat Team (PRCT) secured the island fortress of Corregidor after two weeks of fighting. The 503rd had parachuted onto the island on February 16th. It was assisted by the 34th Infantry Regiment, a unit of the 24th Infantry Division that made a seaborne assault, as well as other smaller units.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Corregidor_(1945)
On February 23, 1991, SFODA 525 was inserted by helicopter at night and moved to a hide site to conduct a recon mission deep behind enemy lines in Iraq. On the next morning, the 24th, this 5th SFG(A) team would find itself fighting for survival against an overwhelming enemy force.
https://sof.news/history/sfoda-525/
On February 24, 2006, the Marine Corps Special Operations Command (MARSOC) was officially activated at Camp Lejeune, N.C.
National Security and Commentary
SecDef Culling Senior Officers. The Department of Defense spokesperson, Colonel Dave Butler, was recently fired by Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth. Butler, a former infantry officer, is a longtime leader in Army public affairs and highly-respected officer. However, he apparently did not meet the ‘litmus test’ that Hegseth has established for senior Army officers; likely because Butler had worked under former CJCS General Mark Milley. “Hegseth’s Firing Campaign Reaches Down Into the Ranks”, The Atlantic, February 17, 2026.
US Sub Crew Member in Greenland for Medical Care. News was released by Denmark’s Joint Arctic Command on February 21, 2026, that a crew member of a US submarine, the USS Delaware (SSN-791), was evacuated due to an onboard urgent medical emergency by a Royal Danish Navy MH-60R Seahawk helicopter to a Nuuk, Greenland hospital for a medical emergency. The helicopter was dispatched from a Danish Naval vessel operating in the area. There are five regional hospitals in Greenland – the biggest in Nuuk. In related news, President Trump announced on Truth Social (and reposted by The White House Twitter account) that a U.S. Navy hospital ship is going to Greenland to take care of “the many people who are sick.” (click here to view a larger image)
The Prime Minister of Denmark, Mette Frederiksen, issued this statement about the medical system in Denmark and Greenland:
“I am grateful to live in a country where there is free and equal access to healthcare for everyone. Where it is not insurance coverage or personal wealth that determines whether you receive proper treatment. The same approach applies in Greenland.”
The Prime Minister (Premier) of Greenland, Jens-Frederik Nielsen, posted on Facebook:
“It will be a no thank you from here. President Trump’s idea of sending an American hospital ship to Greenland has been noted. However, we have a public healthcare system where treatment is free for citizens. That is a deliberate choice – and a fundamental part of our society.”
VA Backtracks on Threat to Strip Benefits from Veterans. The Department of Veterans Affairs quickly reversed course on a new rule that would require veteran’s disability ratings to be calculated by how well they function on medication and not on the underlying condition or injury itself. Political leaders on both sides of the aisle as well as many of the veteran service organizations quickly criticized the new rule. The VA Secretary Doug Collins announced that the new rule was now “on hold”.
SFABs Going Away. Lieutenant Colonel Jacob Meyers, a US Army foreign area officer who currently serves with the Army’s Military Advisor Training Academy, writes on the history of advising and how the reduction of the Security Force Assistance Brigades will create an advisor capability gap. “Gone but not Forgotten: Retaining Advising Capabilities Even as the Army Cuts its Advising Units”, Modern War Institute at West Point, February 18, 2026.
Intel, HUMINT, AI, IW
New DIA Director. Lieutenant General James H. Adams (USMC) has become the 25th director of the Defense Intelligence Agency. He is a Marine Corps aviator (AH-1W Super Cobra) with over three decades of service. He now leads a 16,500-member workforce. He is a graduate of the Naval Academy, Joint Advanced Warfighting School, and Harvard Business School.
Mapping Human Terrain. This essay discusses the critical intelligence function in the context of the modern era of irregular warfare and strategic competition. “Mapping the Human Terrain: The Endurring Role of Human Intelligence in the U.S. Army”, by Tyler Fleming, Small Wars Journal, February 18, 2026.
AI, Anthropic, and DoD. An artificial intelligence firm may soon be designated as a “supply chain risk” by the Department of Defense. Anthropic, the maker of Claude – an AI application – may be forced to cut ties with the Pentagon and lose a lucrative contract. Anthropic is insisting that any use by DoD of its AI should not include mass surveillance of Americans and not be used in fully autonomous weapons. Anthropic was founded by former OpenAI executives and got a huge $200M defense contract in July 2025. The Claude AI is also incorporated into the Palantir package heavily used by SOF, conventional military, and intelligence agencies. Anthropic does have some competition – Musk’s xAI, Google’s AI, and OpenAI. Read more on the legal aspects of this case in “Congress – Not the Pentagon or Anthropic – Should Set Military AI Rules”, Lawfare, February 20, 2026.
A Little about HUMINT. What does it take to ‘run agents’? Learn about it in “So, You Want to Be A HUMINT Operator?”, Grey Dynamics, February 19, 2026.
Strategic Competition
Paper – Russia in the High North. Russian strategy and escalation risks in the Arctic region is examined in this publication. RAND Corporation, 2026, PDF, 69 pages.
https://www.rand.org/pubs/research_reports/RRA3446-1.html
‘FICINT’ and the Baltic-Nordic Front. James J. Torrence provides a fictional story on how the Russians can test NATO’s command and control systems. ‘FICINT’ stands for ‘fictional intelligence’ – (Editor’s Note: This is a new acronym for the editor). Read “Maneuver Under a Lying Sky: Russia Tests NATO on the Baltic-Nordic Front”, Modern War Institute at West Point, February 19, 2026. Torrence also provides an epilogue to the story where he extracts five real-world lessons for U.S. and allied military forces. “When the Fiction Ends: Lessons from ‘Maneuver Under a Lying Sky”, Modern War Institute at West Point, February 20, 2026.
JIATF-CC and Mexican Cartels. The Department of Defense established (NORTHCOM, Jan 15, 2026) Joint Interagency Task Force – Counter Cartel under U.S. Northern Command. This is part of an effort to identify, disrupt, and dismantle cartel operations posing a threat to the United States along the U.S.-Mexico border. In related news, a leading cartel leader, Ruben “El Mencho“, was killed in Mexico on Sunday, February 22, 2026. Mexican special forces were responsible for the elimination of the crime boss. Some major clashes are reported to have taken place between government troops and members of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG). The Embassy of Mexico in the U.S. announced that U.S. authorities provided complimentary intelligence to assist in the operation.
NATO’s FLF MNSE in Finland. NATO’s Forward Land Forces (FLF) headquarters will be located in the Finnish Lapland’s capital of Rovaniemi. (map NSI) The FLF Multinational Staff Element (MNSE) will have a permanent presence in Northern Finland. This will strengthen NATO’s deterrence and defense in the High North and Arctic region. Arctic Today, February 20, 2026.
Ukraine Conflict
Russian Daily Casualties. Recent reporting from the Ukraine-Russia conflict is that Russia is currently losing over 1,000 casualties a day during the grinding offense along the front lines. Most estimates of Russian military personnel killed are over 400,000 since the start of the war 4 years ago in February 2022. Some estimates by observers say less than 100 meters is gained per day on average by Russia.
CIA and MI6 Got it Right in Pre-Invasion Period. The Central Intelligence Agency and the British intelligence service accurately predicted that Russia was going to invade Ukraine. The President of Ukraine, Zelensky, and other European leaders dismissed the warnings. Read a detailed article on how the CIA and MI6 got hold of Putin’s Ukraine plans and why nobody believed them. “A War Foretold”, The Guardian, February 20, 2026.
Ukrainian Railways Under Attack. Over this current winter the Russians have hit Ukrainian civilian infrastructure hard. This is especially true of the power grid and energy facilities that provide heat and electricity to the city dwellers across the country. In addition, this winter, the passenger rail system is being attacked as well. Transport by air is impossible in Ukraine since the Russian invasion in 2022 – now movement is by car, bus, or train. Russia has now mastered the technique of attacking moving trains with Shahed drones that are equipped with a thermal camera and an internet modem that transmits a live video feed to a drone pilot many miles away. “They’re attacking the railways”, Counteroffensive.News, February 21, 2026.
Ukraine Gains. Over 201 square kilometers in southeastern Zaporizhzhia were recaptured from Russian forces in mid-February. This breakthrough exploited a critical Starlink outage on the Russian side which hindered Russian C2 efforts. This is one of the most significant gains for Ukraine in the past two years.
Case Study – Civil-Military Cooperation (CIMIC) in Ukraine. Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022 has altered the strategic landscape of Europe and redefined NATO’s approach to Civil-Military Cooperation. CIMIC has now become a vital element for deterrence, crisis management, and national defense. Read more in “Case Study Ukraine: A CIMIC Analysis”, NATO, February 2026, PDF, 114 pages.
https://www.cimic-coe.org/publications/ukraine-comprehensive-case-study/
Around the World
Attacking Iran . . . Again? The world is holding its breath – wondering if President Trump will give the go-ahead for another attack on Iran. The U.S. last attacked Iran in Operation Midnight Hammer in June 2025, hitting a number of sites associated with Iran’s nuclear development program. As a second aircraft carrier nears the region and hundreds of military aircraft settle in on forward staging areas in the Middle East area the time for an attack could be nearing soon. However, Trump believes he can reach a deal with Iran on its nuclear program. Over the past two weeks online OSINT accounts have followed and reported the mass movement of U.S. military aircraft using sites like ADS-B Exchange and FlightRadar24.
The force buildup for a possible Iran operation is the largest since the 2003 Iraq invasion. The size of the buildup has prompted speculation about the intent of the White House. Is it to limit Iran’s nuclear program, is it to effect regime change (in conjunction with the riots and demonstrations taking place within Iran), or is it a combination of several different outcomes? US bases in the Middle East are found in Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Qatar, UAE, Bahrain, and Kuwait.
Leaving Syria. The U.S. is moving some, and perhaps all, of its military personnel out of Syria. Where this leaves the Syrian Democratic Front (SDF) – Kurds that live in the northeast part of the country is a big question. Without the support of the U.S. the Kurds will have to come to an agreement with the current Syrian government and fight the remnants of ISIS in Syria. For the past few years the U.S. had at least 1,000 military personnel located in several small bases in eastern Syria.
Paper on North Africa and the Sahel. Dario Cristiani provides a long essay examining the dynamics of the three regions of North Africa. (map NSI) He argues that these three regions should not be looked at as independent areas but as a distinct region where economic, political, migration, terrorism, and security factors connect the three regions. “The Mediterranean, North Africa, the Sahel: A Single, Strategic System?”, Stimson Center, January 27, 2026.
Paper – Russia’s Transition from the Wagner Group to Africa Corps . . . and US SOF. Nadina Ronc provides a detailed look at how Russia uses paramilitary forces to undermine regional stability and challenge western influence. “From Guns for Hire to Military Doctrine: Russia’s Institutionalization of Influence in Africa – Implications and Recommendations for U.S. Special Operations Forces“, Joint Special Operations University Press, January 29, 2026. https://jsou.edu/Press/PublicationDashboard/297
Russia – Failure in Africa? Russia has taken advantage of a decline of western presence and influence in the Sahel region of Africa. For the past few years Russia has increased its presence via diplomacy, economic ventures, and with military and paramilitary forces. Some African nations have turned to Russia for advice and assistance in defeating jihadist insurgent groups; however, the jihadists have expanded their activities and areas of control. Over the long term, this could cost some reversals for Russia and provide openings for western nations. “The Waiting Game: Signposts of Russia’s Coming Failure in Africa”, Irregular Warfare Initiative, February 19, 2026.
The Forgotten War. Less than 1 percent of the U.S. population serves in the Armed Forces. That means 99 percent of the population forms their opinion of wars through reading the news, talking to relatives or friends that served, or by watching movies or documentaries. Each war has a few well-known movies that form the basis of understanding the conflict. For instance, World War II had Sands of Iwo Jima and Saving Private Ryan. The Vietnam War had Platoon and Apocalyspe Now. What was the movie that provided the background of the second Gulf War? Dr. Majorie Galelli, a professor of history, presents her thoughts in “Operation Iraqi Freedom: The New Forgotten War?”, Military Review, Nov-Dec 2025.
Books, Podcasts, Videos, and Movies
CTC Sentinel. The latest issue – February 2026 – has been posted by the Combating Terrorism Center at West Point. This monthly publication leverages the Center’s network of scholars and practitioners to understand and deliver content about contemporary terrorism threats. This month’s issue contains topics on Al-Sharaa (Syria), digital fandom, and more.
SOF News Book Shop
View our selection of books about special operations forces at the SOF News Book Shop.
Upcoming Events
April 10-12, 2026
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Fort Benning, GA
April 27 – May 1, 2026
SOMA 2026 – Raleigh, NC
Special Operations Medical Association
May 18-21, 2026
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GSOF – Tampa, FL
May 28-31, 2026
Det A / PSSE Annual Reunion
Knoxville, TN
June 7-11, 2026
Special Forces Association Convention
Eglin AFB and Fort Walton Beach, Florida
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