The editor of SOF News will be on an overseas contract for a few months so the posting of articles and sending of the newsletter will be suspended for a while. We will resume posting in mid-summer ..read more

By Christian P. Martin. The Global War on Terror (GWOT) saw the U.S. military engaged in combat operations the likes of which had not been witnessed since the Vietnam War. American military personnel serving during the GWOT were deployed around the globe to seek out and destroy the terror networks (and complicit governments) that were responsible for the September 11 attacks. While conventional forces such as Army and Marine Corps infantry or armored units were a common sight on American news channels, special operations forces (SOF) were conducting surgical strikes with astounding regularity ..read more

By Nicholas DeMasters. Will Deploying the U.S. Military Stop the Mexican Cartels Fentanyl Enterprise: Exploring Strategies and Evaluating Options In recent polling, 25% of Americans report that either themselves or a family member have been addicted to opioids. [i] Unfortunately, within the current US political landscape, there is less agreement on policy solutions that are urgently needed to address the widespread opioid crisis endangering so many Americans. [ii] A fundamental shift in policy paradigm is imperative to address the persistent failure of US policies in combating the escalation ..read more

Every year, a group of Special Forces veterans who live in Maine gather together to pay tribute to two Special Forces soldiers who were recipients of the Medal of Honor. This occasion takes place on Medal of Honor Day – which was observed this year on Monday, March 25, 2024. The Green Berets taking part in the tribute are members of the “Maine Special Forces Annex”, a small but growing ‘community’ of former and current members of Special Forces in Maine. National Medal of Honor Day was established by Congress to “foster public appreciation and recognition of Medal of Honor Recipients.” The da ..read more

Leaders of the U.S. special operations community testified in Washington, D.C. before the House Armed Services Subcommittee on Intelligence and Special Operations on Wednesday, March 20, 2024, in open and classified sessions. Chris Maier, (SOF News, 24 Apr 2021) the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Special Operations / Low Intensity Conflict (ASD SO/LIC) and General Bryan Fenton the commander of U.S. Special Operations Command (USSOCOM) provided opening statements and answered questions posed by the members of the subcommittee. The Chairman of the committee, Representative Jack Bergman (R-M ..read more

Story by Jim Garamone, DOD News. The strengths of the U.S. special operations community have always been agility, adaptability and innovation its service members demonstrated as they approached a mission. Special ops leaders are working to continue this process as the Defense Department drives forward, Army Command Sgt. Maj. Shane W. Shorter said.   Shorter, the senior enlisted leader of U.S. Special Operations Command, sees special operators playing key roles across the military spectrum and using new domains, new technologies and new processes to do their crucial jobs better.    Shorte ..read more

Curated news, analysis, and commentary about special operations, national security, and conflicts around the world. Photo / Image: Two U.S. Air Force MC-130J Commando II aircrafts, operated by the 67th Special Operations Squadron, fly in formation prior to conducting static line jump training with Greek special forces during exercise Trojan Footprint 24, over Greece, March 8, 2024. (U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Westin Warburton) Do you receive our daily newsletter? If not, you can sign up here and enjoy it 2 or 3 days a week with your morning coffee (or afternoon tea depending on where ..read more

The Afghan Special Immigrant Visa (SIV) program requires regular reauthorization and additional visas from Congress. There will soon be a SIV application backlog that exceeds the number of remaining visas which, at current processing rates, will be exhausted by the end of Fiscal Year 2024 (September 30th). The Afghan SIV program was created in 2009 to give Afghans who served as interpreters for the U.S. military a path to escape Taliban threats to their lives and resettle in the U.S. The Numbers. According to the Department of State there are approximately 7,000 Afghan SIV visas remaining (as ..read more

Story by Lt. J.G. Martin L. Carey, NSWG-2. ARCTIC CIRCLE — Recognizing the importance of the Arctic region to defense of the homeland from potential adversarial threats, elite special operations forces from the U.S. Navy, U.S. Army, U.S. Air Force, Canada, Denmark, Norway, and the United Kingdom recently concluded high-impact training events throughout the pan-Arctic region, stretching from Alaska, in the Arctic Circle, across Canada and into Greenland. Arctic Edge 24, a U.S. Northern Command exercise, brought together more than 400 special operations forces (SOF) to integrate, share les ..read more

The United States Special Operations Command (USSOCOM) has posted online its February 2024 issue of Tip of the Spear. This is a news rollup of the major SOF component commands and the Theater Special Operations Commands (TSOCs). Some interesting reading in the articles listed below. SOCAFRICA supports Equatorial Guinea with humanitarian assistance SOCEUR – “Family is Forever – a Life of Service” Partnership Training in Korea Army’s ‘Triad Partnership’ with cyber and space Fires Center named after legendary Ranger SEALs and Cypriot Navy train together in Mediterranean SEALs train du ..read more