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. This past week saw expanding Pakistan–Afghanistan interstate strikes, increased NATO Arctic readiness activity, the continuing of the Iran War, U.S. interest in Ukraine’s counter-UAS capabilities, the rise of global Jihadism, and another Russian tanker sunk in the Mediterranean by a sea drone (Ukrainians?). Some of this weeks topics include a new Army hand grenade, some neat history on the Fulton Recovery System, and as always, articles about strategic competition.

Key Outlooks

• U.S. and Israel have achieved air superiority (maybe air supremacy), Iranian missile and drone attacks significantly reduced, Strait of Hormuz is a problem that needs solving, Iranian regime will likely survive, final disposition of nuclear materials in doubt.
• NATO activity in the Arctic continues to prioritize SOF mobility and cold weather persistent capabilities.
• Russia’s operational approach in Ukraine remains attritional, favoring incremental territorial gains over maneuver warfare. Ukraine is holding the line but equipment and personnel shortages present problems.
• AI-enabled intelligence tools are moving from experimental adoption toward operations integration across Western security institutions.

Photo / Image: U.S. Army Soldiers assigned to the 10th Special Forces Group (Airborne) begin movement on their snowmobiles during Cold Weather Training at Taylor Park, Colorado, Feb. 12, 2026. Snowmobile training equips Soldiers to navigate challenging terrain in cold weather conditions. (U.S. Army photo by Spc. Cheyenne Mayer)

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 in the world you are).