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Special Operations

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Small Wars Journal analysis of special operations forces: doctrine, employment, and the practitioner experience behind direct action, civil affairs, psychological operations, unconventional warfare, and counterterrorism.

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230+Articles
2007Coverage since

Featured Reading

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The Third Option: How the CIA’s Paramilitary Arm Shapes the Battlefield

04.20.2026
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US House Armed Services Committee Hearing: Special Operations Forces and Command Posture for FY27

03.19.2026
Featured

The Last A-Team: Special Forces Aren’t Special Anymore

06.03.2026

civil affairs

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Maintaining Freedom of Action: Civil Affairs and Consequence Management in Afghanistan

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10.21.2026 at 06:00am

The Perfect Storm: El Niño, Food Insecurity, and the Risk of Political Instability: Getting Left of the Crisis Through Food-Security Early Warning

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10.14.2026 at 06:00am

Beyond the Admiralty Code: Rethinking Information Evaluation in Civil Affairs

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10.02.2026 at 06:00am

SOJ Throwback Thursday: Entry Point: Accessing Indigenous Perspectives During Complex Operations

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07.16.2026 at 03:50am

Call for Civil Affairs Issue Papers: “Civil Affairs: Securing the Victory in New Environments”

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06.04.2026 at 05:34pm

Cognitive Warfare to Dominate and Redefine Adversary Realities: Implications for U.S. Special Operations Forces

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02.11.2026 at 12:00am

Conventional Forces Will Never Embrace Irregular Warfare

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01.27.2026 at 06:00am

No Bench, No Game: Reconstituting Special Operations Civil Affairs and Psychological Operations Depth from the Reserve

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01.11.2026 at 08:16pm

Guerrillas and Governance: Lessons on Resistance Forces and The Local Populace from The American Civil War

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12.02.2025 at 06:00am

Advancing the SOF Warrior Mind: Essays from the Academic Year 2025 JSOU Call for Special Operations Papers

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09.19.2025 at 01:36pm

The US Army War College Quarterly – Parameters (Summer 2025 Issue)

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07.02.2025 at 11:54pm

Global Fragility Act in Coastal West Africa: Policy Lessons from US Engagement in the Sahel

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06.16.2025 at 06:00am
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From the Archive

Archive · 2026

CIA Special Activities Center and Global Response Staff

Archive · 2025

Ukraine Special Operations Forces

Archive · 2025

Semper Paratus and Special Forces

Archive · 2026

Robin Sage: Unconventional Warfare and Special Forces

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