U.S. Navy Adm. Frank “Mitch” Bradley assumed command of U.S. Special Operations Command from U.S. Army Gen. Bryan P. Fenton during a ceremony held today in Tampa.
U.S. Air Force Gen. Dan C. Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, presided over the ceremony. The event hosted senior defense leaders, international military partners, allies, U.S. special operations leaders, local community leaders and other distinguished guests.
“SOCOM is a unique organization. Forged from the OSS in World War II, your job is to connect people and to bring dilemmas to those who would do us harm,” said Caine. “Bryan [Fenton] strengthened those connections. Mitch Bradley’s charge is to expand them…ensuring SOCOM remains ready to go out into the darkness on land, in the air, on the sea, or in cyberspace to do our nation’s business.”
Fenton, who retired after 38 years of service to the nation, completed his final three years at the helm of the special operations enterprise. During his tenure, Fenton focused on the priorities of People, Win, and Transform, and his leadership embodied the first SOF Truth: humans are more important than hardware.
“Serving as the SOCOM commander has been the highlight of my professional life…and you can count on me to continue carrying the torch on behalf of the special operations community,” said Fenton. “There is no better command team than Adm. Bradley and Command Sgt. Maj. Krogman to continue to accelerate the incredible work being done at the tip of the spear.”
Bradley, who previously served as the commander of the Joint Special Operations Command, now leads an organization of 70,000 personnel who enable special operations in more than 80 countries around the world.
“The men and women of SOCOM are the best of our sons and daughters. We must empower them with knowledge and imbue them with the grittiest form of abilities for the hardest missions,” said Bradley. “I thank you for the opportunity and the privilege to bear the pressure of commanding this unbelievable group of humans.”
USSOCOM develops and employs the world’s finest SOF to conduct global special operations and activities as part of the joint force, in concert with the U.S. government interagency, allies, and partners, to support persistent, networked, and distributed combatant command operations and campaigns against state and non-state actors, all to protect and advance U.S. policies and objectives.
**********
This story by USSOCOM was first published by the Defense Information Visual Distribution System (DVIDS) on October 3, 2025.
Image: U.S. Navy Adm. Frank “Mitch” Bradley, incoming commander, U.S. Special Operations Command, delivers remarks during the USSOCOM Change of Command Ceremony in Tampa, Florida, October 3, 2025. (photo by Airman 1st Class Monique Stober, USSOCOM)