Sept. 10, 2025

Fractured Brotherhood: Suicide, Identity Loss, and the Crisis within U.S. Special Operations Forces

The persistent suicide crisis within the U.S. special operations forces (SOF) community reveals deep psychological and institutional fractures that remain insufficiently addressed by existing prevention strategies. This paper explores the profound impact of social isolation, moral injury, and the abrupt loss of identity following separation from service, particularly among those removed under adverse conditions. Applying Maslow’s hierarchy of needs and the interpersonal theory of suicide as conceptual frameworks, examine how disruptions in belonging and perceptions of being a burden to others contribute to increased suicide risk among SOF personnel. Based on peer-reviewed research, including clinical associations between loneliness and elevated patient health questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) depression scores, the paper argues that the erosion of military identity and community diminishes psychological resilience during and after service. It advocates for a shift in military policy prioritizing trauma-informed rehabilitation over punitive separation and integrating programs such as the Sanctuary Model with principles of therapeutic jurisprudence. Furthermore, this paper highlights the critical role of sustained peer support networks in preserving meaning, connection, and mental health after active-duty service. In conclusion, it calls for a cultural transformation within the SOF community—one where leadership, policy, and research converge to reinforce dignity, prevent isolation, and ensure that every warrior has the support needed to confront challenges.

Sept. 3, 2025

Perspectives: Optimizing Time and Task Prioritization for Special Forces Training and Education

The U.S. Army Special Forces Regiment faces a stark reality: too many training requirements and not enough time. This imbalance threatens operational readiness, forcing Special Forces Soldiers to juggle competing priorities while risking subpar performance in critical areas. To overcome this, the Regiment must adopt a focused, streamlined approach to training that prioritizes mission-essential tasks and mitigates the effects of overextension. Time is the most valuable resource. Without deliberate planning and prioritization, Special Forces Soldiers will be ill-prepared for the challenges of modern warfare.

Aug. 28, 2025

Mission Command: Trust, Empowerment, and the Future Force

Air Force Doctrine Publication 1 discusses mission command as a product of trust.01 It is a philosophy of leadership that empowers commanders and operators in uncertain, complex, and rapidly changing environments through trust, shared awareness, and understanding of the commander’s intent. Think back to Nimitz, the technological challenges of his era required trust, though it was his way of command regardless.02 Modernity, conversely, does not inherently demand it; in fact, it often eschews trust, with compartmentalized information viewed as devoid of the necessary context for proper understanding. The ever-present challenge in modern military affairs persists: higher headquarters making snap judgments without grasping the “atmospherics” of the situation.03 What then should commanders do with their pixel of information?

Aug. 12, 2025

Book Review: LikeWar: The Weaponization of Social Media

Social media is a double-edged sword. The Army can use it to its advantage in the information environment, and it can also be used equally and effectively by adversaries to cause harm and destruction. Peter W. Singer and Emerson T. Brooking published LikeWar: The Weaponization of Social Media in 2018. This non-fiction book is divided into nine chapters that address the evolution of social media and its use by the United States’ (US) strategic competitors as an information warfare (IWAR) tool.

Aug. 7, 2025

Going Above and Beyond the Battlefield: Elevating Civil Affairs and Psychological Operations in the SOF-Space-Cyber Triad

This article emphasizes the critical role of Civil Affairs and Psychological Operations within the evolving SOF-Space-Cyber Triad, a strategic framework designed to enhance U.S. military advantages across multi-domain operations. Civil Affairs units provide vital insights into civil environments, counter adversary influence, and support governance while Psychological Operations influence perceptions and shape narratives in the information environment. When integrated with cyber and space capabilities, these units create a comprehensive approach to modern warfare, especially against near-peer competitors.

Aug. 4, 2025

Transforming Dental Support to the U.S. Army Special Operations Center of Excellence

Special Operations Forces (SOF) operate in high-stakes, austere environments where dental emergencies can jeopardize operator readiness and mission success. The spectrum of support provided by Army dentists ensures operators remain deployable and effective in these dynamic environments. Army dentists, as critical medical enablers, must have a deep understanding of SOF's unique mission and culture to deliver timely, effective care and training. While Army dentists have historically contributed to unit readiness and operational outcomes, dental representation within SOF remains limited to Special Forces (SF) groups and the Civil Affairs brigade, leaving gaps in capability and mentorship. A dental officer assigned to the United States Army’s Special Operations Center of Excellence (SOCoE) would provide SOF medics and dentists with an advocate and mentor at this critical command level. This article examines the Army Dental Corps' engagement with SOF, identifies deficiencies in current dental support, and proposes a path to enhance the delivery of care, medical training, and force readiness. By integrating an experienced SOF dentist in a key position, the Army can strengthen operator health, improve training outcomes, and ensure mission success in any environment.

July 23, 2025

Book Review: Fighting by Minutes: Time and the Art of War By Robert R. Leonhard

Lt. Col. (Ret.) Robert Leonhard’s Fighting by Minutes: Time and the Art of War offers a compelling exploration of the critical role that time plays in military strategy and operations, making it an essential read for Army Special Operations Forces (ARSOF). The book’s core thesis emphasizes that mastery of time—how it is measured, how it is managed, and how it can be applied strategically—is paramount in achieving battlefield success. Leonhard masterfully ties together historical and contemporary examples to demonstrate that the effective use of time can make the difference between defeat and victory. As ARSOF units operate in complex, ambiguous environments where rapid adaptation is key, Leonhard’s insights provide invaluable guidance on the integration of time as a warfighting variable.

July 16, 2025

Understanding and Mitigating Subterranean Operational Threats on Human Health and Performance: The Fatigue-Hormone-Mood Triad

With the advent of large-scale combat operations (LSCO) and contemporary threat groups’ use of underground tunnels, it is essential to understand the impact of subterranean military operations on human health and performance. Subterranean operations are not rapid in execution. Rather, warfighters can expect to spend days, weeks, and possibly months operating underground with limited access to sunlight, potable water, food, medical evacuation, and the resupply of rations and other military equipment. In brief, subterranean operations directly challenge human endurance, physiologically and psychologically. While subterranean operations are predicted to acutely strain and chronically suppress most, if not all, physiological systems of the body, this article focuses on the fatigue-hormone-mood triad.

July 10, 2025

Book Review: Patton’s War: An American General’s Combat Leadership, Volume 1

George S. Patton, Jr. remains one of the most renowned leaders in American military history. This is the narrative any student of history will find, emblazoned by Patton’s own memoirs, the seminal works of Martin Blumenson, Carlo D’Este, and Stanley Hirshon, and autobiographies of Patton’s peers and superiors. Historian Kevin Hymel seeks to contextualize this narrative through the lens of another Patton, “the man mentioned in the letters and memoirs of the many soldiers he led into battle.”

July 1, 2025

The Algebra of Irregular Warfare: A Planning Methodology for Transregional Operations

How do special operations forces (SOF) plan operations against threats delineated in the National Security Strategy that transcend the geographic and legal boundaries imposed by the Goldwater-Nichols Act and Unified Command Plan? The Department of Defense (DoD) requires, but does not have, an entity that connects, integrates, and globally synchronizes irregular warfare across combatant commands and the interagency. The solution to fulfilling that requirement is to create an entity that can integrate and leverage all the instruments of national power, domestically within the U.S. and through international allies and partners throughout all phases of the conflict continuum.