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

Photo / Image: An AC-130 Gunship shoots off flares. Photo by AFSOC, January 1, 2020.

Executive Summary

This week’s SOF Weekly Brief highlights significant developments in special operations, irregular warfare, and national security. Space Force Special Operations Command begins operations, while USSOCOM advances development of the shoulder-fired Zeus missile. NATO prepares to exercise its proposed Multinational Force–Ukraine, and Indian naval commandos rescue a hijacked vessel off Somalia. Other developments include Greenland’s Arctic security agreement, the growing threat posed by commercially available personal data, emerging applications of artificial intelligence in military operations, and the expanding role of private military companies in Sudan.

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Key Developments

• SOCOM to get Zeus missile
• El Salvador is stepping up its presence in Haiti
• NATO tests Multinational Force – Ukraine in exercise
• Robert K. Brown, founder of Soldier of Fortune, dies at age 93
• SOF Museums are thriving
• Commercial personal data presents growing opportunities for cognitive warfare