by Joey Middleton | Jul 27, 2026 | SOF Operations
By Charlie Phelps, Joe Kelley and Brian Fosjord A sprawling urban center deep within contested territory had become a critical node in the adversary’s war machine. Captured and subsequently retained by enemy forces during the initial phases of the conflict, its dense...
by Joey Middleton | Jul 26, 2026 | SOF Operations
By Sarah Adams One of the most important lessons in counterterrorism is that terrorist organizations reveal their intentions long before they act. They reveal them through the leaders they elevate, the institutions they rebuild, the capabilities they invest in, and...
by Joey Middleton | Jun 21, 2026 | SOF History, SOF Operations
By Chief Warrant Officer 2 David Mueller Special Warfare Journal Over the last 20 years, the U.S. military has been highly focused on counterinsurgency operations as we engaged in the Global War on Terror (GWOT). This focus, along with expertise in irregular warfare...
by Joey Middleton | May 18, 2026 | SOF Operations
By Chief Warrant Officer 2 Michael Wood Special Warfare Journal Special Operations Forces (SOF) thrive in ambiguous, chaotic environments because the principles of chaos theory directly enable and accelerate innovation in modern warfare. To understand this connection,...
by Joey Middleton | Apr 22, 2026 | SOF Operations
By Emina Umarov Introduction US Special Operations Forces are increasingly fine-tuned for readiness frameworks designed for conventional war, distorting employment incentives and eroding the human capital that makes SOF strategically decisive in irregular...
by Joey Middleton | Apr 13, 2026 | SOF and Strategic Competition, SOF Operations
By Dr. Joseph Long “Every intervention begins as a story of liberation. Without adaptation, it ends as a story of occupation.” Why do militarily superior forces consistently win the fight—but lose the peace? This is not a new question. It is the defining paradox of...
