Curated news, analysis, and commentary on special operations, national security, and global conflicts.
Executive Summary
This weekly briefing summarizes developments in special operations forces (SOF), global conflicts, intelligence, and national security from the past week. There is a lot happening in the special operations world – modernization, deployments, and technological innovation. Information and influence operations continue to expand as instruments of state power. The Iran conflict has highlighted gaps in U.S. naval mine countermeasure capacity compared to Cold War force levels. Iran’s use of low-cost sea mines can severely impact the global economy. Iranian drone employment highlights continuing challenges in U.S. counter-UAS force structure and procurement timelines. A $25,000 drone can take out a $500 million E-3 Sentry AWACS plane; and Iran has thousands of $25,000 drones. The U.S. had 17 E-3 Sentry aircraft in the beginning of 2026; it now has 16. The pivot to Asia keeps getting put on hold by other priorities – Greenland, Venezuela, Iran, and . . . coming soon . . . Cuba.
Photo / Image: Aircraft are 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)
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Key Outlooks
- Key SOF officer nominations
- SOF testimony before House of Representatives
- Russia-Ukraine War – now in its fifth year and continues to grind on
- Iran War – Operational success but what is the endgame?
- Ukrainian SOF is much more diverse than western special operations forces
- The intel communities annual intel threat assessment outlines current and future threats
SOF News
SOF and ROZ Warfare. This article by Dr. Anne Harrington and Brig Gen (ret) Brenda Cartier describes how the Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC) employed a mobile, four-dimensional column of battlespace during Operation Absolute Resolve (capture of Venezuelan President Maduro). Known as a restricted operating zone (ROZ), this digitally enabled configuration allows a ground operator (or air operator) to control an air stack overhead, obviating the need for a fire control line to deconflict air and ground assets. “Anytime, Anyplace: Special Operations Forces and the Invention of ROZ Warfare”, Small Wars Journal, March 19, 2026.
USASOC Team Wins Sniper Competition. Seventeen sniper teams competed March 15-19, 2026, at Fort Bragg, NC. The international event was designed to test combat readiness among elite snipers from across the joint force and partner nations. Teams came from Army Green Berets and Rangers, Navy Special Warfare Command, Marine Forces Special Operations Command. The USASOC team placed first and the 3rd Special Forces Group took second place. This was the 17th year that the 2-man team sniper competition took place.
Navy SEAL to Speak at Harvard. NASA astronaut, Harvard-trained physician, and decorated Navy SEAL veteran Jonny Kim (SOF News, 20 Apr 2023) will be the featured speaker at the annual Harvard Alumni Day celebration on June 5, 2026.
SOF testimony Before House of Representatives. Admiral Frank Bradley (Commander USSOCOM) and Derek Anderson (ASD SO/LIC) provided witness testimony to the House Armed Services Committee on special operations forces and the command posture for fiscal year 2027. Their presentation highlighted the demand for SOF worldwide and the current operational environment – technological advancement, competition with Russia and China, and the ever-present irregular warfare (IW) threats. Small Wars Journal provides the highlights and link to video. (19 Mar 2026)
Leader in Neurological Field Joins Invisible Wounds Foundation. Walter J. Koroshetz, M.D., the former director of the U.S. National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS), has been appointed to the Invisible Wounds Foundation board of directors and as a senior advisor. NINDS is the nation’s leading funder of research on the brain and nervous system. It is part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the nation’s medical research agency. The Invisible Wounds Foundation exists for one reason: to accelerate how we diagnose and treat military brain injury among our service members and veterans, with a particular focus on Special Operations Forces.
Report: A Primer on Ukrainian Special Forces: Beyond Joint. Kevin Stringer and Taisiia Vivdych provide a comprehensive report on the various formations and characteristics of the Ukrainian special operations community. Ukrainian SOF are dispersed across the Ukrainian interministerial landscape. This distribution makes coordination and integration more complex and has implications for SOF security force assistance (SFA) for Ukraine. An informative read and a must for those working with Ukrainian SOF. Joint Force Quarterly 119, National Defense University Press, December 22, 2025, PDF, 10 pages. See also an amplification of this report in “A Primer on Ukrainian Special Forces”, Small Wars Journal, March 202, 2026.
Army Col. John D. Bishop has been nominated for appointment to the grade of brigadier general. Bishop is currently serving as deputy commander (operations), 1st Special Forces Command (Airborne), Fort Bragg, North Carolina.
SOF and its $3.5 Billion Spy Sub. The USS Jimmy Carter (SSN-23) is a unique Seawolf-class nuclear-powered fast-attack submarine that has some specialized modifications. It is the most expensive SSN submarine ever built by the U.S. Navy. It comes equipped with a Multi-Mission Platform (MMP) that allows it to launch special equipment such as remotely operated vehicles, deploy Navy SEALs, and probably tap undersea cables. It is very quiet making it ideal for intelligence gathering and clandestine missions. Read more in an article posted by 1945, March 24, 2026.
AFSOC Is Looking for Small Attack Drones. The U.S. Air Force wants small one-way attack drones for its special operations forces, according to an Air Force Request for Information. The service is looking for a drone with a range of at least 10 kilometers, and ideally more than 20 kilometers. It would be armed with a fragmentation warhead of 1.5 to 3 kilograms. Guidance would be via GPS, and include the ability to function in GPS-denied environments. Flight time should be 15 to 30 minutes. “US Air Force special operations seeks kamikaze drones“, by Michael Peck, Defense News, March 18, 2026.
Army Col. Lucas S. VanAntwerp has been nominated for appointment to the grade of brigadier general. VanAntwerp is currently serving as assistant commander-support, Joint Special Operations Command, U.S. Special Operations Command, Fort Bragg, North Carolina.
SOF History
On April 2, 1961, the 14th Special Forces Operational Detachment (Area) was activated. Its ‘cover designation’ was the 8251st Army Unit that was activated at Fort Bragg, NC. Its mission was to operate as a command and control unit within a denied area. The 14th SFOD would be the cadre for the 1st Special Forces Group (Airborne). It would move from Fort Bragg to Fort Shafter, Hawaii, and then on to Fort Buckner, Okinawa.
The Fight for Baghdad during Operation Iraqi Freedom began in the beginning of April 2003. An Army University Press film describes the battle for the capital city. “Objective: Baghdad“, August 14, 2020, YouTube, 50 minutes. https://sof.news/video/fight-for-baghdad/
On April 1, 2004, Colonel Aaron Bank died. He was one of the founding members of the U.S. Army Special Forces. He is known for his daring missions with the OSS during WWII and the establishment of the Green Berets in the early 1950s.
On April 6, 2008, Operation Commando Wrath took place in Afghanistan. Members of the 3rd Special Forces Group were engaged in a fierce hours long fire fight with an overwhelming number of Taliban.
https://sof.news/afghanistan/operation-commando-wrath/
Each year March 29th is observed as National Vietnam War Veterans Day. Established in 2017, this day honors the 9 million American veterans who served during the Vietnam War era. March 29, 1973 was the day the last U.S. combat troops left Vietnam and the last prisoners of war were released.
National Security and Commentary
‘Golden Dome’ Cost Increase. The Pentagon is adding another $10 billion to the cost of the ground and space-based multilayered network of sensors, satellites, and interceptors designed to protect the United States from a wide array of missile threats. The Golden Dome project was initiated in the early days of President Trump’s second term via executive order. “Pentagon’s ‘Golden Dome’ estimate increases by $10 billion to $185 billion”, Washington Examiner, March 17, 2026.
GAO Report on Army Aviation. The U.S. Government Accountability Office published a report about how the future vertical lift programs for the U.S. Army have been restructured to reduce costs as well as to address the emergence of autonomous systems used for ISR. GAO-26-108025, March 25, 2026, PDF, 10 pages.
Age 42 Now Limit for Joining Army. The maximum enlistment age for joining the Army is now 42 years. This is for the Regular Army, Army National Guard, and the Army Reserves. The limit had been capped at 35, although it did accept some older recruits with waivers. The minimum age for enlisting remains at 17 with parental permission or 18. “Army ups max enlistment age to 42”, Stars and Stripes, March 24, 2026.
Iran War and Operation Epic Fury
Summary: Over the past two days, U.S. and Israeli strikes continued targeting Iranian mission production infrastructure and missile launch capabilities. Tehran still retains significant residual capability. The Houthis of Yemen have begun launching missiles toward Israel and are threatening maritime routes near the Bab el-Mandeb Strait. Israel continues to expand its operations in southern Lebanon. Most defense news outlets are commenting on the possibility of ground operations taking place in the next few weeks unless a diplomatic agreement is reached.
The U.S. has still not been able to address the opening of the Strait of Hormuz. The threat from small, inexpensive, and numerous one-way aerial and sea drones is hard to defeat. Iran has the ability to mine the strait with thousands of sea mines. While the U.S. has a mine clearance capability, it is not robust and it would take a significant amount of time and resources to clear the strait of mines. (National Interest, 26 Mar 2026)
U.S. Navy Mine Sweeping Capability. The navy is lacking the mine sweeping capability it needs to keep the Strait of Hormuz open. “The Mine Gap: America Forgot How to Sweep the Sea”, Foreign Policy Research Institute, March 17, 2026.
U.S. Ground Operations? The Pentagon is preparing for the possibility of ground operations in Iran. Thousands of American soldiers and Marines are arriving in the Middle East; with more on the way. Possible objectives could be Kharq Island or operations to find and destroy weapons that can target commercial and military ships transiting the Strait of Hormuz. Read more in “Pentagon prepares for weeks of ground operations in Iran”, The Washington Post, March 28, 2026. The Israeli Defense Force (IDF) has pushed deeper into southern Lebanon’s western sector to create a new buffer zone against Hezbollah. It appears that a demilitarized area up to the Litania River may be in the near future.
E-3 Sentry Damaged. One of the U.S. aircraft recently hit in Iran’s March 27th attack on Prince Sultan Air Base in Saudi Arabia was a Boeing E-3 Sentry airborne early warning and control aircraft. Pictures on social media show the aircraft severely damaged and not worth repairing. The U.S. Air Force operates only 16 of these AWACS aircraft. It seems many of the U.S. aircraft are no parked in hardened sites; easy prey for Iran’s missiles and drones. Other aircraft damaged were some KC-135 Stratotankers.
Regime Change. It seems President Trump believes that Iran’s regime has changed. He was quoted on March 29th during a press gaggle on Air Force One with “I think we’ve had regime change. You can’t do any better than that.” We will declare victory soon?
Latest Update on Iran War by SOF News
https://sof.news/middle-east/iran-war-weekly-update-28-mar-2026/
Past SOF News posts on Epic Fury, Epic Fury Timeline, Iran Country Profile, Strait of Hormuz, maps, ISW interactive map, and CRS reports.
Intel, IO, Cyber, AI, IW, Technology
Annual Threat Assessment. The U.S. intelligence community has released the 2026 (U) assessment of threats to the national security of the U.S. The report focuses on the most direct, serious threats to the U.S. primarily during the next year. 2026 (U) Annual Threat Assessment, March 2026, PDF, 34 pages.
https://www.dni.gov/files/ODNI/documents/assessments/ATA-2026-Unclassified-Report.pdf
Army Col. Stephen J. Miko has been nominated for appointment to the grade of brigadier general. Miko is currently serving as deputy commander, Joint Force Headquarters-Cyber, U.S. Army Cyber Command, Fort Gordon, Georgia.
SOF and Cyber. Zita Ballinger Fletcher writes on how U.S. Special Operations Command (USSOCOM) based in Tampa, Florida will be working to maintain a competitive edge in disruptive technology in the future. The cyber domain is a critical maneuver space that SOF needs to work in and take advantage of. “Why U.S. Special Operations Forces Will Focus More on the Cyber Domain”, Forbes.com, March 29, 2026.
Importance of the Narrative. The nature of global confrontation has changed and the strategic narrative has become a primary instrument of national power. It now is a major characteristic of twenty-first-century global communications and confrontation. Reforms are needed to ensure the United States can operate effectively in the ‘gray zone’. The Army needs to adopt a fundamental shift in how it views, mans, and employs its forces to support a narrative-centric strategy. “Easier to Kill Than to Text: A Mandate for Information Warfare Reform”, by Robert W. White, Small Wars Journal, March 24, 2026.
Ukraine Conflict
“Computational Power” and the War. There is more to drone warfare than the drone, drone pilot, and drone controller. The use of autonomous swarms of drones has arrived or will arrive shortly. Less understood is the other resources needed for autonomous drone warfare – the data centers, the electrical power, and the connection to ‘the cloud’ where some data is stored. What Ukraine will need is a layered computational architecture. It is a complicated topic that is explained by Clara Kaluderovic in “The coming compute war in Ukraine”,Atlantic Council, March 16, 2026.
Drones Attack Russia’s Oil Exports. One of the main sources of revenue for Russia’s state budget and a key part of funding its war in Ukraine are oil exports. However, the exports are down by 40% due to consistent drone attacks by Ukraine. (Kyiv Post, 26 Mar 2026)
Summary: Over the past week the Russia-Ukraine war has seen intensified long-range strikes. Russia has launched large waves of drones and glide bombs against Ukrainian cities. Ukraine has conducted its own drone attacks on Russian energy infrastructure – targeting oil export terminals. Fighting along the front lines remains largely positional with limited territorial gains. Moscow is likely readying for its spring offensive. Ukraine is continuing localized counterattacks in the southern sectors. Ukraine has provided Middle Eastern nations with advise of counter-drone capabilities.
- 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
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.
Around the World
Korea, Tanks, and Drones. Sustained aerial reconnaissance, swift integration of sensor-to-shooter systems, and the absence of effective countermeasures by maneuvering armored units could mean the destruction of tank forces by drones. North Koreans are now fighting on Russia’s behalf in the Russia-Ukraine War and are learning these lessons. If the lessons are absorbed and applied by North Koreans then South Korea’s tank-centric defense concept may not be an effective cuter to a North Korean offensive. Read more in “Drone Warfare and the Future of Korean Armor”, by Ju Hyung Kim, Modern War Institute at West Point, March 19, 2026.
Report – Brokers and Patrons. Armed gangs continue to expand their influence in Haiti through territorial control and be consolidating their role as political brokers. Current international policies fail to account for the political economy of violence. A long-term crisis resolution strategy must integrate justice, economic policy, security and political reform. This report argues that the central question is not whether to negotiate with criminal groups, but how to articulate justice, demobilization and reintegration in a way that prevents the reproduction of violence. (Global Initiative, PDF, 30 pages)
Pivot to Asia? Not so Fast. When the Trump administration took office over a year ago there was an expectation that U.S. foreign policy and military presence would strategically shift to the Indo-Pacific region. Confrontation with China would be stepped up and U.S. allies would receive more attention. The recent National Security Strategy and National Defense Strategy designate the Western Hemisphere as the most important region for U.S. interests. The Indo-Pacific comes in second. However, ending the Ukraine War, diplomatic posturing about Greenland, conducting Operation Midnight Hammer against Iran, capturing President Maduro of Venezuela, and starting the Iran War have taken up much of the administrations time over the past year. “Why the US Won’t Be Making a Pivot to Asia Anytime Soon”, by Tsuruoka Michito, The Diplomat, March 26, 2026.
Chad Force Going to Haiti. The U.N.-backed Gang Suppression Force – an international mobilization intended to help Haiti’s police fight powerful armed gangs in the Caribbean country – should fully deploy by October this year. New troops from Chad are now being trained in the United States and the Kenyan police who deployed to Haiti under an earlier model of the force should withdraw gradually. “Chad to gradually replace Kenyan force in Haiti through October”, Reuters, March 17, 2026.
Books, Podcasts, Videos, and Movies
Podcast – The Rise of Non-State Special Operations, War Room Online Journal, March 17, 2026. Craig Whiteside, a Professor of National Security Affairs at the U.S. Naval War College at the Naval Postgraduate School talks on how groups like the Islamic State, cartels, and violent cults now conduct strategic strikes mirroring elite state operations. https://warroom.armywarcollege.edu/podcasts/non-state-special-operations/
Video – POW Medicine from SE Asia. Explore the complex history and medical challenges faced by prisoners of war in the Far East during World War II. Medical Support to Irregular Warfare (MSIW), YouTube, March 25, 2026, 25 minutes.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5H4jypael3o&t=1s
Video – U.S. SOCOM Para-Commandos. The Para-Commandos are the U.S. Special Operations Command’s premier aerial parachute demonstration team. They perform at across the nation, informing the public about U.S. SOCOM, the command’s mission, and the contributions of over 80,000 U.S. Army Soldiers, U.S. Navy Sailors, U.S. Air Force Airmen, U.S. Marine Corps Marines and Department of War Civilians are making across the United States and in more than 70 countries around the globe. DVIDS, 2 minutes. https://www.dvidshub.net/video/1000637/us-socom-para-commandos
Video – Exercise Deep Strike. Green Berets with 2nd Battalion, 10th Special Forces Group (Airborne), U.S. Special Operations Command Europe, carry out the first iteration of Exercise Deep Strike at the Joint Multinational Readiness Center near Hohenfels, Germany, Feb. 13-25, 2026. SOCEUR conducted the first iteration of special operations deep strike lanes, a pivotal training initiative designed to enhance force readiness by operating in geographically dynamic and complex scenarios, including denied environments with contested electronic warfare spaces. DVIDS, February 25, 2026, 3 mins.
https://www.dvidshub.net/video/1000680/exercise-deep-strike
Video – 3rd SFG(A) Unit Highlight. 3rd Special Forces Group (Airborne) discusses the unique capabilities that distinguish the unit from other Special Operations forces. 3rd SFG(A) conducts specialized operations across the U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM) area of responsibility to support theater objectives and U.S. national interests. DVIDS, March 24, 2026, 2 minutes.
https://www.dvidshub.net/video/1000734/3rd-sfga-unit-highlight
Pub – Parameters. The spring issue by the U.S. Army War College is now online.
https://press.armywarcollege.edu/parameters/
Pub – Infantry Magazine. The Spring 2026 issue is now available online. (PDF, 56 pages)
https://d34w7g4gy10iej.cloudfront.net/pubs/pdf_76711.pdf
Pub – Naval War College Review. The Winter 2026 issue by the U.S. Naval War College is available online. (PDF, 181 pages)
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Upcoming Events
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