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

Photo / Image: U.S. service members assigned to Naval Special Warfare Command conduct Special Purpose Insertion/Extraction training from a CH-47 Chinook helicopter assigned to the 25th Combat Aviation Brigade at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, July 25, 2019. U.S. Navy SEALs engage in a continuous training cycle to improve and further specialize skills needed during deployments across the globe. SEALs are the maritime component of U.S. special operations forces and are trained to conduct missions from sea, air, and land. (U.S. Army photo by 1st Lt. Ryan DeBooy)

Executive Summary

This weekly brief examines significant developments affecting special operations, irregular warfare, intelligence, and national security. Key topics include the expanding military applications of autonomous systems and artificial intelligence, proposed changes to U.S. aircraft carriers, rising American casualties in the Iran War, leadership developments in Ukraine, and lessons emerging from modern conflicts.

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Key Developments

• An opinion piece on the role of UW in modern warfare
• 7th SFG(A) CCWO CoR Ceremony
• Observance of the NVA attack on SF on Marble Mountain in 1968
• DoD updates Iran War casualty figures
• IWI podcast on SOF on a global battlefield
• The Jedburgh Podcast interviews Frank Sobchak
• Ukraine’s Horizontal Kill Web Architecture