Special Operations Forces Week 2026

Latest in Special Operations Forces Week 2026

MK24 Mid-Range Gas Gun
Guns

The special ops replacement for the MK17 SCAR-H will fire 7.62 and 6.5mm ammo

By Jeff Schogol, Nicholas Slayton

Posted on May 26, 2026

U.S. Army Spc. Riley Bowling, a mortarman assigned to 2nd Battalion, 35th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Mobile Brigade, 25th Infantry Division, conducts security measures around her Scorpion Light Mobile Mortar System during a counter landing life-fire exercise as part of Exercise Balikatan 2026 in Laoag City, Philippines, May 3, 2026. Balikatan is a longstanding annual exercise between the Armed Forces of the Philippines and U.S. military that represents the strength of our alliance, improves our capable combined force, and demonstrates our commitment to regional peace and prosperity. (U.S. Army photo by Spc. Hunter Carpenter)
Artillery

This GPS-guided mortar system is meant to automate the call for fire

By Jeff Schogol

Posted on May 21, 2026

The Polaris MRZR Alpha 6x6 is designed to fit inside transports like the MV-22B Osprey, allowing it to be transported to places other vehicles can't reach.
Vehicles

This 6-wheeled dune-buggy could be how troops get resupplied in the future

By Jeff Schogol

Posted on May 20, 2026

A photo of Anduril's EagleEye system.
Tech & Tactics

The battery for this next-gen headset is built into the ballistic plate

By Patty Nieberg

Posted on May 20, 2026

A U.S. Marine with Maritime Special Purpose Force, 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit, operates a drone during a simulated raid exercise as part of the Marine Expeditionary Unit Exercise at the Tier 1 Group compound near Memphis, Tennessee, Jan. 16, 2025. MEUEX is the 22nd MEU's first large-scale exercise as a composited Marine Air-Ground Task Force, focusing on split operations with consolidated command and control to enhance readiness for its upcoming deployment. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Sgt. Tanner Bernat)
Tactics

AI in special operations will always have ‘a human in the loop,’ top officer says

By Matt White, Jeff Schogol

Posted on May 20, 2026

A US marine from Regimental Combat Team-8 walks between accommodation tents at Forward Operating Base Delaram in Helmand province, southern Afghanistan on April 4, 2011. Around 140,000 foreign troops are deployed in Afghanistan within the UN-mandated, NATO-led, International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) and the US-led coalition Operation Enduring Freedom, which overthrew the Taliban in late 2001. AFP PHOTO/Peter PARKS (Photo credit should read PETER PARKS/AFP via Getty Images)
Drones

Drones could mean the end of sprawling bases seen during Iraq and Afghanistan Wars

By Jeff Schogol

Posted on May 19, 2026

A joint special forces team move together out of a U.S. Air Force CV-22 Osprey Feb. 26, 2018, at Melrose Training Range, New Mexico. At Emerald Warrior, the largest joint and combined special operations exercise, U.S. Special Operations Command forces train to respond to various threats across the spectrum of conflict. (U.S. Air Force photo/Senior Airman Clayton Cupit)
Training

Special operators need to be ‘lethal but also technically fluent,’ commander says

By Jeff Schogol

Posted on May 19, 2026

An OA-1K Skyraider II comes in for a landing on a dirt path July 10 on the Eglin Air Force Base, Florida range. The new Air Force Special Operations Command aircraft continues developmental testing with the 96th Test Wing and the U.S. Special Operations Command at Eglin. (Courtesy image)
Aircraft

Air Force now has 18 of its new Skyraider II ‘Swiss Army Knife’ aircraft, official says

By Jeff Schogol

Posted on May 19, 2026

An Army Ranger assigned to 3rd Ranger Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment, conducts a squad live fire exercise at Fort Benning, Georgia, May 13, 2025.
Tactics

SOCOM wants to move fast on new tech: ‘We’re not building aircraft carriers here’

By Jeff Schogol

Posted on May 18, 2026

Spc. Brandon Mack, a small unmanned aircraft system operator assigned to 1st Battalion, 8th Cavalry Regiment, 2nd Armored Combat Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division, looks through his SMASH 2000L optic, a counter-sUAS tracking scope developed by SMARTSHOOTER, during rotation 26-02 at the National Training Center, Fort Irwin, California, Nov. 2, 2025. The rotation marks the first armored Transforming in Contact (TiC) 2.0 combat training center rotation, where new concepts and emerging capabilities were tested in realistic, contested scenarios. (U.S. Army photo by Spc. Julian A. Winston)
Army

Army orders rifle-mounted smart scopes to down small drones

By Jeff Schogol

Posted on May 15, 2026

Air Force HH-60
Air Force

Air Force rescue units awarded rare Presidential Unit Citation

By Jeff Schogol

Posted on May 12, 2026

Members of the U.S. Coast Guard Maritime Security Response Team (MSRT) West patrol waterways in the San Francisco Bay, Oct. 9, 2025. MSRT’s primary mission is to provide specialized maritime law enforcement and counterterrorism capabilities in support of Homeland Security and Defense Readiness operations. (U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 3rd Class Joel LaVallee)
Coast Guard

Coast Guard wants more fast boats and boarding parties as demand soars

By Kyle Rempfer

Posted on May 11, 2026

A U.S. Air Force F-16C Fighting Falcon, assigned to the 55th Expeditionary Fighter Squadron, lands on a runway within the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility, April 12, 2025. The F-16 is a multi-role fighter aircraft spearheading the coalition’s defense and deterrence mission through continuous, rapid developments while maintaining combat air superiority within the CENTCOM AOR. (U.S. Air Force Photo by Senior Airman Erin Dunkleberger)  
Air Force

Six F-16 pilots awarded Distinguished Flying Crosses for Operation Midnight Hammer

By Nicholas Slayton

Posted on May 10, 2026

The LOCUST directed-energy system was deployed to the southern border earlier this year, and tested at White Sands Missile Range. AeroVironment Inc. photo.
United States

Pentagon names five bases that will get anti-drone energy weapons

By Nicholas Slayton

Posted on May 8, 2026

The Marine Corps is considering creating an Infantry Scout primary military occupation specialty, or PMOS, for infantry Marines.
Marine Corps

Marines may create new Infantry Scout career field

By Jeff Schogol

Posted on May 5, 2026

Green Beret's assigned to the 1st Special Forces Group (Airborne) conduct security for a routine training exercise in which 1st SFG (A) teams train in simulated real-world combat scenarios at Okinawa, Japan, March 21, 2026. 1st SFG (A) conducts special operations throughout the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command areas of responsibility, in order to support command objectives and U.S. national interests. The group maintains and employs units of action to execute the full spectrum of special operations at a moment's notice with allies, partners, and the joint force. Committed to excellence and pursuit of tactical mastery, the group aims to uphold the legacy as the Indo-Pacific’s preferred, and most lethal special operations entity. (U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Javen Owens)
Tech & Tactics

Special Operations Command lays out high-tech wish list

By Nicholas Slayton

Posted on Apr 26, 2026