Curated news, analysis, and commentary on special operations, national security, and conflicts around the world.
Photo / Image: Aircraft is staged for flight operations on the flight deck of Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72) in support of Operation Epic Fury, Mar. 3, 2026. (U.S. Navy photo)
Reporting Period: 2-8 March 2026
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Summary
Two notable Green Berets passed away over the past week. Use of artificial intelligence (AI) by the U.S. military was in news, with concerns about mass surveillance of Americans and use in autonomous weapons systems. A comprehensive report on the state of the U.S. military is available. And a lot more.
Key Takeaways from the Iran Conflict (Past Several days)
- Israeli airstrikes target Iranian oil storage facilities
- Iranian missiles and drone launches hit Gulf state targets
- Iranian drone strikes target radar and missile defense sites supporting U.S. forces
- Coalition air ops continue against missile bases and military facilities
- Regional governments increase diplomatic calls for de-escalation
- France moves aircraft carrier to eastern Mediterranean Sea
- UK alerts aircraft carrier – Trump responds to UK
- New leader for Iran selected
- Another U.S. Casualty (DoD Press, 8 Mar 2026)
- Oil prices up over $100 / barrel for first time in almost four years
- U.S. State Department orders diplomats in Saudi Arabia to leave
Read a summary of the past 24 hours of Operation Epic Fury from national-security.info.
SOF Commandos on the Ground? There is a bit of talk about the need to put U.S. special operations forces into Iran to secure Iran’s uranium stockpiles. Suspected locations for the material include damage tunnel complexes at Esfahan, Fordow, and Natanz. A concern is that if the Iranian regime fell, chaos would soon reign and the theft of centrifuges and materials could result in it falling into the hands of Hamas, Hezbollah, or the Islamic State. “The Mother of all Commando Raids: US forces may need to secure uranium in Iran, analysts say”, Stars and Stripes, March 8, 2026.
ISW – Middle East. The Institute for the Study of War (ISW) continues to provide some detailed daily updates on the Iranian conflict.
SOF News
LTC (Ret.) James Gordon “Bo” Gritz passed away (specialforcestaps.com) on February 27, 2026 at age 87. He was a highly decorated soldier who served in Vietnam, later commanded 3rd Bn, 7th Special Forces Group (Airborne) in Panama, and after retirement engaged in (unsuccessful) private sector POW rescue missions in Laos.
COL (Ret.) Mark D. Boyatt passed away (specialforcestaps.com) in February 2026 at age 77. He was a former commander of 3rd Special Forces Group (Airborne), former commander of CJSOTF-A in 2002-2003, and defined the term “through, with and by” which is currently codified in joint doctrine and is a base reference in the special operations community.
Rep. Ryan Zinke (R-Mont.). Zinke, a former Navy SEAL, has announced he is not seeking reelection for the U.S. House of Representatives. He indicated that he has several surgeries ahead of him. He retired from the Navy in 2008 with 22 years of service. He served as Interior Secretary from 2017 to 2019.
SOF and the $75 Radio. Logan Birchfield argues that USSOCOM should buy disposable commercial off-the-shelf radios to supplement expensive and high-signature military radios that are easy to detect and target. “The $75 Radio: Why US Special Operations Command Needs to Buy Off the Shelf for the Next War”, Small Wars Journal, March 3, 2026.
Emerging Technologies That Expose SOF Teams. In denied and complex environments, technology increases the exposure of special operations teams. SOF teams need to develop technological intuition as a form of readiness to manage this exposure and anticipate consequences before they materialize. This should become a baseline capability that provides survivability and effectiveness when conducting operations inside increasingly technologized terrain. “Fading into the Background: From Risk Awareness to Technological Intuition”, by Anna M. Gielas, PhD, Joint Special Operations University (JSOU), March 3, 2026.
ASOM Newsletter. The March 2026 newsletter of the U.S. Army Airborne & Special Operations Museum is posted online. ASOM is announcing new visitor attractions and modernization plans. Read about its Airborne V/R experience that will take visitors from the museum to the drop zone using the latest cutting-edge digital technology on a META headset. https://www.asomf.org/march-newsletter-2/
USSOCOM and the Western Balkans. Nysret Buzhala argues that the U.S. is in a purely reactive mode when confronting gray zone activities of Russia in the Western Balkans. He believes that Special Operations Command Europe and US Special Operations Command need to step up in a more proactive way to counter Russia. “Why the USSOCOM should establish a Western Balkan’s Denial and Resilience Program”, Small Wars Journal, March 4, 2026.
International SOF
Tropical Dagger XIII. U.S. Army Green Berets assigned to 7th Special Forces Group (Airborne) conducted long-range sniper training alongside the Jamaican Defense Force, Trinidad & Tobago Defense Force, Royal Bahamas Defense Force, Belize Defense Force, Guyana Defense Force and Barbados Defense Force at Kingston, Jamaica. in February 2026. Tropical Dagger XIII, co-hosted by Jamaican Defense Force, Canadian Special Operations Forces Command and U.S. Special Operations Command South, is a multinational training exercise that strengthens interoperability and enhances regional security cooperation among Caribbean partners.
A 7th SFG(A) Team Trained with soldiers of the Panamanian BRIFFEE in February 2026. The U.S. Army Special Forces Soldiers instructed members of Panama’s la Brigada de Fuerzas Especiales (BRIFFEE) on a variety of skills in Metetí, Panama, While training together, U.S. Green Berets from 7th Special Forces Group (Airborne) worked to enhance the core special operations skill sets of their Panamanian counterparts.
SOF History
During March 9-12, 1966, the A Sahu Valley Special Forces camp was attacked by a large North Vietnamese force. One Green Beret, Bennie Adkins, was awarded the Medal of Honor for his heroic actions during the four-day fight.
On March 16, 1967, Operation Bright Light was initiated. During the Vietnam War when a down pilot, Hatchet Force, or Recon Team was in trouble a MACV-SOG Brightlight team was formed and inserted into the fight to find, locate, assist, and exfiltrate the entity in trouble.
On March 13, 1981, the United States sent 15 Special Forces personnel to El Salvador as military advisors. (NYT, 14 Mar 1981)
https://www.nytimes.com/1981/03/14/world/15-us-green-berets-to-aid-salvadorans.html
National Security and Commentary
And Cuba? CNN’s Dana Bash reported on a conversation she had with President Trump on Friday, March 6, 2026. He said “Cuba is going to fall pretty soon”. Any movement on regime changing in Cuba will need to take into consideration Cuba’s Revolutionary Armed Forces (FAR). Read more in “Cuba’s Military: The Institution Washington Cannot Ignore?”, by Brian Fonseca, America’s Quarterly, March 5, 2026.
Counter-Drug Strike. USSOUTHCOM conducted another kinetic strike against a suspected drug-trafficking vessel transiting a known smuggling route in the eastern Pacific on March 8, 2026. Six KIA.
Report – U.S. Military Strength. The Heritage Foundation’s 2026 Index of U.S. Military Strength assesses the condition of the United States military with respect to America’s vital national security interests, the threats to those interests, and the context within which the U.S. might have to use military force to protect them. U.S. Index of U.S. Military Strength, PDF, 576 pages. A keyword search in the PDF for “special operations” yields 32 occurrences. Read online or download at this link.
Swedes Stop Russian Oil Tanker. The Swedish Coast Guard stopped the vessel Caffa, sailing under the Guinean flag but treated as stateless under international law. Civil Defense Minister Carl-Oskar Bohlin said the ship is under Ukrainian sanctions.
PRC in Burma. The People’s Republic of China (PRC) has been aligned with the Myanmar government – a military junta that took power in February 2021 in a coup d’etat. The country is embroiled in a civil war. The government controls about 21% of Burma; mostly in the urban areas. The insurgents control about 42% of Burma; the remainder is contested. Currently the conflict is in a stalemate. The PRC has economic and geopolitical interests in Burma. In this article, the two authors – Elizabeth Turnage and Dr. Joshua Hastey, argue that the U.S. government can oppose further PRC encroachment in Burma. “Raise the Cost for the PRC in Burma”, Irregular Warfare Center, March 2, 2026.
Intel, IO, Cyber, AI, IW, Technology
Pentagon’s Fight with Anthropic. Michael Endrias and Alan Rozenshtein examine DoD’s designation of Anthropic as a “supply chain risk” to national security the institution of a government wide ban. The AI firm, its AI is called “Claude”, will challenge this designation in court. The dispute is tied to two usage restrictions in Anthropic’s military contract – prohibitions on autonomous weapons and mass surveillance of U.S. citizens. Read a detailed look at the legal standing of the governments stance in “Pentagon’s Anthropic Designation Won’t Survive First Contact with Legal System”, Lawfare, March 2, 2026.
AI for Africa’s Defense Forces. The Africa Center for Strategic Studies has provided a toolkit for defense sector AI strategy and adoption. An 18-page PowerPoint presentation and 76-page Word document provides the details. (Feb 27, 2026)
“FICINT” and an Infantry Man’s AI Tool. Andrew Liptak has penned a fictional, futuristic story about how artificial intelligence (AI) will be integrated onto the battlefield. “FICINT” is a naming convention for fictional intelligence – it seems. Read “Deficiency Agent”, Issues in Science and Technology, January 30, 2026.
Ukraine Conflict
Russia’s BAI Campaign. Russian forces have been improving the intensity, tempo, precision, and depth of its battlefield air interdiction campaign since 2025. It is using air power to strike targets in the operational or near rear (within 120 km of the frontline. One of the effects is to interdict the Ukrainian supply lines leading to the frontlines and logistics nodes. Read a detailed report on this topic in “Russia’s Quest to Intensify the Theater-Wide Battlefield Air Interdiction Campaign Against Ukraine’s Logisitics”, Institute for the Study of War, February 23, 2026.
Russian LNG Tanker Sinks in Med. A Russian-flagged tanker suffered an explosion and sank in the Mediterranean Sea just off the coast of Libya. The Russians are blaming a Ukrainian sea drone for the incident.
Ukraine Logistics Lessons. Ian North and Luke Condon provide an article that summarizes recent logistics lessons from the war in Ukraine, particularly with respect to emerging technologies and adaptation in tactics, techniques, and procedures. “Logistics Lessons Learned from “The War” in Ukraine”, The Cove, March 2, 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
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