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2026 Special Air Warfare Symposium Registration Now Open

Saturday, November 29th, 2025

HURLBURT FIELD, Fla. —

Registration is now open to attend the Special Air Warfare Symposium taking place at Fort Walton Beach, Florida, Feb. 10-12, 2026. SAWS is an annual, global SOF Aviation gathering that brings together leaders, innovators, and industry experts to ensure the readiness of our SOF warfighters.

Now in its fourth year, the 2026 Special Air Warfare Symposium will focus on the theme: “Adapting Special Air Warfare for an Evolving World.” This year’s theme highlights the need to advance the operational effectiveness and strategic relevance of Special Air Warfare in response to rapidly changing global challenges.

SAWS is co-hosted by Air Force Special Operations and Global SOF Foundation and features three days of briefings, exhibits, and networking. To see highlights of the 2026 programming click here.

Registration is free to active duty and government employees. Click here to register for this opportunity to engage with and learn from the aviation-focused Special Operations community.

-AFSOC PAO

Posted in Aviation, GSOF, Guest Post, SOF | No Comments »

Civil Affairs, AI, and the Future of Army Readiness

Saturday, November 22nd, 2025

Soldiers from the 91st Civil Affairs Battalion, 3rd Special Forces Group, executed a team-level validation exercise conducted October 20 – 24 2025. This annual training event enhances unit readiness and prepares Soldiers for complex missions worldwide. Following months of individual and collective training, Civil Affairs teams validated their skills in a realistic training scenario, designed to test Soldiers’ skills in a complex and dynamic environment.

Army Special Operations Forces Civil Affairs (ARSOF CA), is a branch of Soldiers specially trained to understand and influence the civil component of the operational environment. Civil Affairs professionals serve as an integral component in providing Commanders with key information about a region’s civilian population, enabling commanders to maintain operational tempo, preserve combat power, and consolidate gains. Capable of operating within the full spectrum of operations, ARSOF CA teams integrate with key populations and organizations to best understand civil networks to support national and theater-level objectives.

During Atlas Lion 26-1, two 4-person teams from Bravo Company of the 91st Civil Affairs Battalion navigated complex scenarios designed to evaluate months of tactical training. From engaging with local nationals to evacuating simulated casualties under hostile conditions, teams worked through multifaceted scenarios in a large-scale combat operations environment to prepare Soldiers for the unforeseen challenges overseas.

“This training environment replicates a large-scale combat operations environment. When we train, we train for the future,” explained Lt. Col. Michael Veglucci, Commander of the 91st Civil Affairs Battalion. “This gets after our core competencies and our Civil Affairs battle drills.”

After a week of validating their CA collective tasks, the 91st Civil Affairs Battalion partnered with Delta Company, 96th Civil Affairs Battalion, to execute a comprehensive tabletop exercise. This exercise leveraged a one-of-a-kind artificial intelligence and machine learning (AI/ML) model that enabled leaders to certify their Company in the unit’s critical tasks, a groundbreaking shift in how the Army assesses readiness.

In a first full iteration for the formation, ARSOF CA conducted a company-level certification exercise without using humans as external evaluators. For decades, units relied on observers to monitor training and assess Soldier competencies. Today, that work is being done by AI.

Civil Affairs Soldiers, who typically find themselves engaging with civil populations to solve complex problems, suddenly found themselves interacting with role players and civilian leaders built into the AI model.

In an innovative approach to transform how Soldiers prepare for future conflicts across multiple operational environments, AI is helping standardize training. AI enables commanders to rapidly scale training without proportionally increasing resources. What was once expensive and resource-intensive feat is now being done with the stroke of a keyboard.

“What makes this AI model unique is that it is limitless in complexity and cohesion to give the training audience a valuable and effective training opportunity,” said Moran Keay, CEO and founder of Motive International, who ran the training. “This training provides commanders with an objective assessment of their formation’s ability to execute critical tasks before sending anyone overseas.”

During Atlas Lion, the AI model analyzed tens of thousands of data points using key performance indicators, a task previously impossible for human evaluators. By leveraging thousands of pages of doctrine, documents, and regulations, the model provided an unbiased assessment of the Company’s ability to conduct Civil Affairs tasks critical to mission success.

While some express skepticism about the role of AI in evaluating Soldiers whose primary role is to engage with civilian populations, the Army is adapting, modernizing, and transforming how it trains and certifies its troops.

As the Army continues to identify innovative ways to train and certify formations, Civil Affairs Soldiers are shaping the future of training. Through innovation and forward-thinking leadership, ARSOF CA is not only enhancing their readiness but also setting the standard for how the Army will train and certify its Soldiers to meet the demands of tomorrow’s missions.

Story MAJ Justin Zwick

3rd Special Forces Group (Airborne)

Photos by PFC Christina Randall

Posted in AI / ML, Army, Guest Post, SOF | No Comments »

Sons of Liberty Gun Works Awarded USSOCOM Contract for MK1 Rifle

Thursday, November 20th, 2025

San Antonio, TX – Sons of Liberty Gun Works (SOLGW) is proud to announce it has been awarded a contract by U.S. Special Operations Command (SOCOM) for the Combat Assault Rifle (CAR) program. Following a rigorous competitive evaluation, a select-fire variant of the SOLGW MK1 rifle with an 11.5-inch barrel was chosen to equip America’s most elite warfighters.

SOCOM’s evaluation demanded the highest standards of small arms performance, including extensive trials for durability, precision, reliability, and environmental resilience. The SOLGW rifle endured extreme conditions—heat, cold, dust, mud, and salt exposure—while maintaining consistent function and accuracy.

The MK1 selected by SOCOM is the result of a multi-year development effort, building upon SOLGW’s extensive experience producing ultra-reliable rifles trusted by law enforcement and civilian shooters. Every component was analyzed and refined to maximize reliability, shootability, and durability, ensuring the platform can perform anywhere in the world.

“This is an incredible honor for Sons of Liberty Gun Works and something I dreamed about when I was building my first rifles in my garage,” said Mike Mihalski, Founder of SOLGW. “Our mission has always been to build the world’s finest fighting rifles for those who go into harm’s way. To have SOCOM select our rifle after such demanding trials is the ultimate validation of that mission.”

CEO Nate Horvath added: “I am incredibly proud of our team for their effort on this project, and excited to officially share the news. The MK1 has already seen strong adoption in the commercial and law enforcement markets, where its performance advantages are immediately clear. While this milestone is significant, our team remains focused on delivering reliable, high-quality, performance-driven fighting rifles to all ofour customers. The future of the MK1 family is bright, and there is more to come.”

See why agencies like San Antonio PD, Utah Highway Patrol, Alabama Department of Law Enforcement, St. John’s Parish Sheriff’s Office and USMS Fugitive Task Forces are picking SOLGW by visiting www.sonsoflibertygw.com

Posted in Advertiser, Black Rifle, Contracts, Press Release, SOF | 19 Comments »

SOFWERX – Low-Cost Thermal EO/IR FPV Cameras Assessment Event

Wednesday, November 19th, 2025

SOFWERX, in collaboration with USSOCOM Program Executive-Special Operation Forces Warrior (PEO-SW), will host an Assessment Event (AE) 27-29 January 2026 to evaluate low-cost First Person View (FPV) Small Unmanned Aircraft System (sUAS) (Group 1) Thermal and EO/IR cameras. Primary focus is fixed mounted cameras with low SWaP and secondary focus is gimballed payload with IR Pointer.

Current fielded camera systems are high cost or low quality making it uneconomical for consumable FPV drones to operate, or ineffective in training and the battlefield due to lower quality. USSOCOM requires lower cost camera units to bring down the overall cost of the Group 1 UAS program.

Primary objective is to field and deploy low-cost/low-SWaP Thermal and EO/IR cameras that can integrate onto current and future Group 1 sUAS FPV drones. Secondary objective is to find a low-SWaP gimballed Thermal and EO/IR with a Class 3B IR Pointer.

Submit NLT 12 December 2025 11:59 PM ET

Visit events.sofwerx.org/eoirfpv-cameras for more information.

Posted in Drone, Optics, SOF | No Comments »

SOFWERX To Host Hardware Enabled AI Acceleration Event

Monday, November 17th, 2025

SOFWERX, in collaboration with USSOCOM J24 Intelligence Data Science Team (IDST), will host an Assessment Event (AE) 06-08 January 2026, to determine the best solution to upgrade a remote location with high-performance Graphics Processing Unit (GPU) servers to support large language model (LLM) workloads for up to 100+ concurrent users.

The U.S. Government’s data science portfolio is rapidly expanding its reliance on largescale AI workloads, especially LLMs and highspeed inference pipelines. To sustain this growth and to maintain a strategic edge, the program requires cutting-edge GPU acceleration, capable of delivering the throughput and memory bandwidth needed for state-of-the-art training, finetuning, and deployment. Advanced GPUs will provide a high-performance, energy efficient, and?future ready?foundation for advanced AI workloads, while ensuring low response times, reliability, and room for future growth.

The goal of this assessment is to acquire, deliver, and install/deploy advanced GPU hardware that will add a high bandwidth, energy efficient GPU capability that is immediately ready to power LLM inference, finetuning, and Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) workloads.
The GPUs must be delivered as part of a complete, rack-mounted server solution suitable for immediate deployment in the data center at a remote site. The server must include all necessary hardware to operate the GPUs safely and efficiently, including redundant power supplies, appropriate power cables, connectors, and any transfer switches required to support high-availability operation.

High-speed Peripheral Component Interconnect express-based (PCIe-based) network connectivity must be included, with all necessary cables and interconnects to support GPU-to-GPU communication within the server and connectivity to the site’s broader network. This includes GPU bridges (NVLink or equivalent), network cables, and any peripheral connections required for remote management and monitoring. Storage and memory subsystems must be pre-installed and connected, providing sufficient RAM and Non-Volatile Memory express (NVMe) SSD storage to support large AI models and high-throughput workloads.

Servers must be pre-configured or delivered with the ability to quickly install necessary software, including firmware, drivers, and GPU libraries, so that the system can be operational for AI workloads immediately upon installation. All components, cabling, and connections must conform to enterprise data center standards and integrate seamlessly with the site’s existing power, cooling, and network infrastructure. Vendors must provide a turnkey solution that minimizes on-site assembly, configuration, and troubleshooting, ensuring the server is ready for immediate use with minimal IT intervention.

The solution must support deployment to two networks, within air-gapped or otherwise strictly isolated environments. The server(s) and all GPUs shall be physically and logically isolated from each other, and any non-approved networks (no dual-homed network connections).

Submit NLT 09 December 2025 11:59 PM ET

U.S. Citizens Only

To learn more, visit events.sofwerx.org/hardware-enabled-ai-acceleration.

Posted in AI / ML, SOF | No Comments »

Australian Special Air Service (1973)

Sunday, November 9th, 2025

Martin Walsh at PLATATAC was given this old 16mm film canister several years ago by an old friend Doug Knight of the Australian Commando Assn. It’s now available on YouTube.

Posted in History, International, SOF | 1 Comment »

Colonel Mark Hamilton Assumes Command of 1st Special Operations Wing

Friday, October 10th, 2025

U.S. Air Force Col. Mark L. Hamilton assumed command of the 1st Special Operations Wing from Col. Patrick T. Dierig during a change of command ceremony at Hurlburt Field, Florida, Oct. 6, 2025.

Presiding officer, Lt. Gen. Michael Conley, commander of Air Force Special Operations Command, praised Col. Dierig’s leadership of the 1 SOW and cast a vision for continued mission readiness and innovation under Col. Hamilton.

“Col. Hamilton’s proven leadership is just what the 1 SOW needs to ensure our Air Commandos remain ready to answer the Nation’s call,” said Lt. Gen. Conley. “I can think of no better leader to take the reins of this remarkable wing and continue its long legacy of excellence. We have a lot of work ahead and must continue to maximize Air Commando attributes of boldness, valor, and ingenuity to ensure that when called…we win.”

As commander of the 1 SOW with 20 years of Air Force service, Col. Hamilton will be responsible for preparing special operations forces for worldwide missions in support of joint and coalition objectives. The 1 SOW at Hurlburt Field is one of six Air Force active duty special operations wings which fall under AFSOC. Hurlburt Field employs more than 7,600 military and approximately 1,700 civilian personnel.

“To the Air Commandos of the 1st Special Operations Wing—I am proud of your accomplishments…but even more impressed by your professionalism, grit and selfless service,” said Col. Hamilton. “I am deeply humbled to assume command of this extraordinary organization, and I am eager to get after our mission together.”

Previously, Col. Hamilton served as the 1 SOW’s Deputy Commander of Operations, where he was responsible for employing manned and remotely piloted fixed-wing aircraft, including the AC-130J Ghostrider, MC-130J Commando II and MQ-9 Reaper. He also served as the primary operations advisor to Col. Dierig.

As the outgoing 1 SOW commander with over 24 years of service, Col Dierig leaves behind oversight of Hurlburt Field’s base support for the wing’s 24 squadrons, as well as more than 40 tenant units, including Headquarters Air Force Special Operations Command.

“I’ve always said that to be a good Airman, be a good person,” said Col. Dierig. “Looking around this room, I see a room full of good people and good Air Commandos. I’m proud to have played a small role in this wing’s excellence and proud of the unwavering professionalism you’ve all demonstrated during my command. I have full confidence that Col. Hamilton is the exact right leader to guide this high-performing wing forward.”

Story by 2nd Lt Daniel White, 1st Special Operations Wing

Posted in Air Force, Guest Post, SOF | Comments Off on Colonel Mark Hamilton Assumes Command of 1st Special Operations Wing

FN Delivers Weapon System Test Samples to DoD’s Irregular Warfare Technical Support Directorate

Wednesday, October 8th, 2025

McLean, VA — October 8, 2025) FN America, LLC is pleased to announce that it has delivered test and evaluation samples of two all-new weapon systems – LICC-IWS and LICC-AMG – along with ammunition as part of a long-term development contract with the Department of Defense’s Irregular Warfare Technical Support Directorate (IWTSD). FN also conducted new equipment training (NET) and armorer’s training for both systems to demonstrate maintenance at the unit level.

FN America developed the weapon systems with feedback from individual operators, based on the U.S. Government goal of providing overmatch against near-peer threats. The systems were recently assigned National Stock Numbers (NSN), simplifying the acquisition process.

The LICC-IWS program is comprised of the 6.5×43 LICC (Lightweight Intermediate Caliber Cartridge) ammunition, the LICC-IWS (Individual Weapon System) with FN® IPC (Improved Performance Carbine), purpose-built magazine and signature suppressor. The LICC-AMG is based on the success of the prototype LICC ammunition and LICC-IWS system and is comprised of the LICC-AMG (Assault Machine Gun) belt-fed machine gun, signature suppressor, family of common ammunition, and lightweight links. Multiple users will test the operational samples , providing critical feedback to aid FN and IWTSD in the final development of the systems.

“FN’s ultimate goal is to advance from development into production and field a final solution that provides operators a system that is easier to operate, more accurate and more effective than anything available today,” said Mark Cherpes, President and CEO for FN America. “After this test and evaluation phase, our plan is to take user feedback, fine-tune the systems and move into low-rate initial production.”

LICC Weapon Systems and Ammunition

FN designed the LICC-IWS individual weapon system to improve lethality, accuracy, durability, balance and handling over the M4A1. The improved performance derives from a new 6.5×43 LICC lightweight ammunition , based on the U.S. Army Marksmanship Unit’s .264 USA; a 25-round purpose-built, polymer magazine; a signature suppressor, and the FN IPC. The FN IPC features a completely new architecture, well-suited to meet the challenging program requirements and address the feedback from operators who have contributed since the beginning of the program.

The LICC-IWS IPC handles much like an M4A1 but with key improvements to deliver a fully ambidextrous platform with unique takedown method and highly adjustable buttstock, which allows for user-selectable left- or right-hand side fold capability. It operates from a robust long-stroke gas piston system and features multiple buffers that reduce felt recoil, resulting in an extremely soft shooting weapon.

Additionally, it features a unique self-regulating gas system with on-off capability, and newly patented bullet technology developed from efforts to mature the 6.5×43 cartridge, that greatly improve system reliability and accuracy.

The LICC-IWS has been developed and is being tested in three different barrel-length models – a 12.5” Close Quarters Battle option, a 14.5” Carbine option and an 18.0” Designated Marksmanship Rifle option (RECCE).

“Initial test firing results from the U.S. Army Marksmanship Unit and other operators show that the accuracy of the LICC-IWS is consistently two times better than the M4A1,” said Jim Williams, Vice President, Military Programs for FN America. “Additionally, the LICC-IWS handles like the M4A1, yet remains soft shooting when firing the new 6.5×43 lightweight ammunition.”

Adapted from the FN Evolys®, the select-fire LICC-AMG is a shoulder-fired, belt-fed lightweight weapon system chambered in 6.5×43 LICC with a continuous monolithic top rail and an innovative side feed featuring a lightweight metallic link. In prototype testing, the AMG was more accurate than the FN MK 48 in full auto mode. Overall, the AMG demonstrated improved performance in lethality, accuracy, durability, balance and handling over the FN M249 and FN MK 46/MK 48 machine guns.

“Creating totally unique weapon systems around a specific caliber is in FN’s DNA,” said John Bungard, Sr. Director, Military Development Programs for FN America, LLC. “As our team worked on the LICC-IWS program, quickly followed by LICC-AMG, we were able to leverage our decades of engineering expertise across multiple weapons and ammunition platforms to come up with the ideal solution for today’s global threats.”

FN’s LICC-IWS and LICC-AMG submissions are ground-floor development efforts based on the IWTSD concept and FN’s unique 6.5x43mm LICC caliber developed with input from the U.S. Army Marksmanship Unit, IWTSD and individual operators. A family of lightweight, stainless steel cased 6.5×43 caliber ammunition was designed to reduce the carried weight of the system by 20% compared to equivalent brass cartridges, while achieving improved results in accuracy, range and performance over current fielded 5.56 ammunition, including M855A1 (5.56x45mm).

Irregular Warfare Technical Support Directorate (IWTSD)

The IWTSD exists to identify and develop capabilities for the Department of Defense (DoD) to conduct irregular warfare against all adversaries, including Great Power competitors and non-state actors. The IWTSD delivers those capabilities to DoD components and interagency partners through rapid research and development, advanced studies and technical innovation, and provision of support to U.S. military operations. In addition, the IWTSD directly manages bilateral agreements with five partner countries: Australia, Canada, Israel, Singapore and the United Kingdom.

“FN is excited to partner with the IWTSD to begin final testing and evaluation of the new LICC IWS and AMG systems,” said Bungard. “We cannot wait to get additional user feedback, fine-tune the systems and begin production of what promises to be the next groundbreaking FN platform.”

NSNs Assigned to Select Variants

Three variants of the LICC-IWS have been assigned national stock numbers (NSNs) and are available for requisition by Army, Navy, Marine, Air Force and SOCOM elements and activities. The three variants currently available for request are a 12.5” Close Quarters Battle option, a 14.5” Carbine option and an 18.0” Designated Marksmanship Rifle option, along with two suppressors supporting the system. The NSNs are:

NSN 1005-01-729-0039, FN IMPROVED PERFORMANCE CARBINE 12.5 IN CQB WITH BII*

NSN 1005-01-729-0052, FN IMPROVED PERFORMANCE CARBINE 14.5 IN CQB WITH BII*

NSN 1005-01-729-0046, FN IMPROVED PERFORMANCE CARBINE 18.12 IN REECE (sic) WITH BII*

NSN 1005-01-728-9868, SUPPRESSOR, FLOW 264 FOR IMPROVED PERFORMANCE CARBINE

NSN 1005-01-728-9874, SUPPRESSOR, FLOW 7.62 FOR IMPROVED PERFORMANCE CARBINE

*Basic Issue Items

FN and the U.S. Military

Throughout its history, FN has been one of the largest suppliers of small arms to the U.S. military and continues to develop innovative, future technology. The company currently holds contracts for the FN® M240 and its variants, the FN® M249 lightweight machine gun; the FN® MK 46, MK 48, MK 17 and MK 20 SSR for USSOCOM and various other contracts.

For more information about FN’s military product line or current U.S. military contracts, please visit www.FNAmerica.com.

Posted in Contracts, Press Release, SOF | 62 Comments »