Special Operations

The hub for thinking, dialogue, and professional growth across the Special Operations community, bridging operators, policymakers, researchers, and industry partners.

Who Truly Wears the Watches and Has the Time in Irregular Warfare?

Memory supplies the past, interpretation supplies the present, and expectation supplies the future. Together, these things produce a judgment about where events are heading.

Adaptive Judgment in Irregular Warfare: A Decision-Making Framework for SOF Leaders

Decisions made at the team level under conditions of uncertainty can generate consequences that extend well beyond their immediate tactical effects. As a result, judgment becomes a decisive capability in IW.

Before Rogers' Rangers: Legitimacy, Partnership, and the Limits of External Sponsorship

Editor's note: The "Short of War" Podcast discussing this article is AI-generated. In June 1752, a war party of roughly two hundred and fifty Odawa, Ojibwe, and Potawatomi tribal warriors led by the French-Canadian Charles de Langlade descended on the town of Pickawillany. This

Meaning, Myth, and Force Design in U.S. Special Operations

Editor's note: The "Short of War" Podcast discussing this article is AI-generated. The debate over the future of U.S. Army Special Forces (SF) has increasingly become a debate about its past. Critics argue that decades of counterterrorism, security force assistance, and persistent global engagement

The Future of War Part IV: Special Operations on a Global Battlefield

This episode of the Irregular Warfare Podcast concludes our four-part Future of War series, pairing author and futurist August Cole with senior special operations leaders to explore how tomorrow’s conflicts may unfold.

The Future of Conflict and Special Operations Forces

Editor's note: The "Short of War" Podcast discussing this article is AI-generated. Since 9/11, Special Operations Forces (SOF) have often been cast as the United States’ sharpest instrument: they hunt high-value targets, train partners, and operate at the seams where conventional forces cannot

Assessing Special Operations Forces (SOF) 2040 (Part 1): The Operator Is the Platform

Editor’s Note: this article is being republished with the permission of Small Wars Journal as part of a republishing arrangement between IWI and SWJ. The original article was published July 13, 2026 and is available here. Series Introduction This is the first installment in a four-part series examining

A Global Security Advisory and Assistance Strategy for Strategic Competition: Winning Before War Through Effective Campaigning

"The true value of security assistance is not measured in weapons delivered or training events completed. It is measured in trust, relationships, access, influence, and capability."

Why Green Berets Can’t Stop Asking Who They Are

"Our concern should not be SF guys questioning who they are. Our concern should be whether anyone at Bragg and MacDill is listening."

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Bridging the gap between irregular warfare scholars, practitioners, and policymakers.

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The IWI SOF Program is the hub for thinking, dialogue, and professional growth across the Special Operations community. Built as a virtual team house, it brings together operators, policymakers, researchers, and industry partners to explore how SOF contributes to irregular warfare and to the broader national security mission. The program curates analysis, ideas, and debates that help the force learn faster, think deeper, and stay relevant as strategic competition evolves.

At its core, the program strengthens the human network that makes SOF effective. It gives the community a place to read, write, debate, and test ideas—whether examining the future of SOF activities, unpacking emerging technologies, or translating lessons learned into forward-leaning concepts. Contributors can publish articles, propose podcasts, shape events, and collaborate across the joint force and interagency. The goal is to cultivate a shared intellectual space where the profession sharpens itself.

The SOF Program is also a platform for leadership development and service. Team members gain visibility, build experience, and help shape the profession’s future direction. Anyone with a stake in the SOF enterprise—practitioners, scholars, and industry professionals—is invited to engage, contribute, and join the team as we advance the conversation around SOF and irregular warfare.

Meet the Team

Dr. Joseph Long Dr. Joseph Long Director, SOF Program
David Cook David Cook Advisor, SOF Program
David Maxwell David Maxwell Advisor, SOF Program
Don Edwards Don Edwards Advisor, SOF Program
Dr. Frank Sobchak Dr. Frank Sobchak Advisor, SOF Program
Dr. Robert Burrell Dr. Robert Burrell Advisor, SOF Program
Jaclyn "Jax" Scott Jaclyn "Jax" Scott Advisor, SOF Program
Paul Cobaugh Paul Cobaugh Advisor, SOF Program

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