Curated news, analysis, and commentary on special operations, intelligence, irregular warfare, national defense, and global conflicts.

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)

Executive Summary

This weekly briefing summarizes developments in special operations forces (SOF), global conflicts, intelligence, and national security from the past week. Iran is continues to attack U.S. forces in the region in an effort to stop the United States from undermining Iranian efforts to control the Strait of Hormuz. The U.S. is retaliating with strikes of its own on Iranian military targets. Unmanned systems continue to significantly affect military operations in the Persian Gulf and Ukraine. Strikes deep into Russia are disrupting the oil and gas supplies and the supply lines to Crimea are being successfully interdicted. AI is playing an increasingly important role in U.S. military operations and affairs.

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Key Outlooks

• The Iran-U.S. conflict continues with tit-for-tat exchanges of strikes
• “Bull” Simons Award presented to former Navy SEAL
• “Gray Zone” in the maritime domain
• Reports on psychedelics and veterans
• Calendar of upcoming SOF events