This is Venezuela’s Moment Roberto Patiño | November 26, 2024 “Venezuelan democracy and human rights activist Patiño is a social entrepreneur and a former leader in the Venezuelan student democracy movement. He is the founder of the organizations Mi Convive and Alimenta La Solidaridad that work in 240 vulnerable communities empowering thousands of women volunteers to feed thousands of children. … Read more
In early 2026, Venezuela remains a hybrid threat to the Western Hemisphere. The recent US capture of its strongman Nicolás Maduro Moros has not changed that basic reality. Authoritarian rule, criminal markets, migration pressures, and external influences undermine maritime security, finances, and regional stability. International reports document systematic repression, selective prosecution, and a largely hollowed-out separation of powers.[1] Electoral processes … Read more
Access National Security News HERE. Access Korean News HERE. National Security News: 1. William P. Yarborough and the Birth of the American Paratrooper Image 2. PODCAST: Rob Thelen on the US Army IWar Initiative 3. With Military Action on Hold, the U.S. Puts New Sanctions on Iran 4. Trump Was Told Attack on Iran Wouldn’t Guarantee Collapse of Regime 5. … Read more
Michael McNair’s “The Bridge at the Center of the Pentagon” argues that Elbridge Colby, now serving as Under Secretary of Defense for Policy, is not improvising U.S. defense strategy but implementing the framework he laid out in his own 2021 book, The Strategy of Denial. McNair emphasizes that Colby’s framework treats preventing Chinese regional hegemony as “the non-negotiable core interest … Read more
Take a look at “America’s Special Forces Are Caught Up in the AI Craze,” by Stavros Atlamazoglou at The National Interest. Stavros Atlamazoglou writes that “Special Operations Command hopes that AI can help during night raids—when it can quickly process information extracted from target sites, allowing for faster subsequent raids.” USSOCOM seeks to integrate artificial intelligence into sensitive site exploitation … Read more
Access SOF News HERE. William P. Yarborough and the Birth of the American Paratrooper Image January 15, 2026 Moon Mullins History 0 https://sof.news/history/birth-of-the-american-paratrooper-image/ In the nascent days of America’s airborne forces (1940–1942), Lieutenant William P. Yarborough, a young officer with remarkable foresight, recognized a fundamental truth: forging an elite military force requires more than tactics and training; it demands a unique identity. This … Read more
(Editor’s Note: This is the first in a series of essays coordinated with the National Center for Narrative Intelligence (NCNI). (https://nationalcenterfornarrativeintelligence.org)) NATO’s Chief Scientist has done the hard work. The report on Cognitive Warfare is clear, sober, and useful. It treats cognitive warfare as a fight for cognitive superiority, waged through synchronized military and non-military action across the continuum of … Read more
Wargaming remains a cornerstone of military planning, enabling commanders to test courses of action (COAs), anticipate adversary responses, and refine operational designs under compressed timelines. As articulated in Joint Publication (JP) 5-0, Joint Planning, wargaming synchronizes warfighting functions through action-reaction-counteraction cycles, exposing vulnerabilities and optimizing resource allocation. Yet, traditional analog methods—reliant on manual adjudication and static maps—constrain iteration and depth, … Read more
#235 Rob Thelen on the US Army IWar Initiative is a published by The Information Professionals Association. “The Cognitive Crucible is a forum that presents different perspectives and emerging thought leadership related to the information environment. The opinions expressed by guests are their own, and do not necessarily reflect the views of or endorsement by the Information Professionals Association. During … Read more
Ivelaw Lloyd Griffith, Challenged Sovereignty: The Impact of Drugs, Crime, Terrorism, and Cyber Threats in the Caribbean. Champaign: University of Illinois Press, 2024. [ISBN: 978-0252087776, Paper, 336 pages] Challenged Sovereignty written by Ivelaw Lloyd Griffith is a critical study of security issues plaguing the sovereign states of the Caribbean. Griffith is a Fellow with the Caribbean Policy Consortium and Global … Read more
Access National Security News HERE. Access Korean News HERE. National Security News: 1. Information Warfare: The Army’s Continuous Transformation in Action 2. Information Advantage in the Indo-Pacific 3. China’s Propaganda Playbook for Targeting Rivals 4. State Department to Pause Visa Processing for 75 Countries 5. Strategic Importance of Greenland 6. Beijing looks for social workers for posts on disputed South China Sea islands 7. Trump’s Military Buildup … Read more
Check out this panel discussion from the Center for Strategic and International Studies! If you want sharp takes on oil, security ties, sanctions pressure, and the limits of the so-called “CRInK” alignment—this is a great video to watch. Nicolas Maduro was a key ally of the so-called CRINK countries (China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea) in Latin America. But President … Read more
Access SOF News HERE. Strategic Importance of Greenland January 14, 2026 SOF News Defense 0 https://sof.news/defense/strategic-importance-of-greenland/ Greenland is located at the northern edge of the Arctic Circle and occupies a highly strategic geographic location. Its high latitude provides for early warning of missile launches from adversaries like Russia. Greenland forms the western component of the Greenland-Iceland-United-Kingdom (GUIK) Gap, a critical maritime chokepoint for … Read more
Access SOF News HERE. Information Advantage in the Indo-Pacific January 13, 2026 Guest Information Operations 0 By Priya Batchu. The 1st Theater Information Advantage Detachment (TIAD) originated at Fort Shafter, Hawaii, on November 7, 2025. The 65-soldier Unit reflects the Army’s aim to operate in the information and cognitive domains. The purpose of the 1st TIAD is to enable the U.S. Army … Read more
Editors’ Note: This article is the second in a series of IWar transformation papers meant to address initial changes and momentum in this historic transformation. This article is intended to inform Small Wars Journal readers and contribute to an ongoing professional discussion on the Army’s emerging approach to information warfare. It establishes context for developments that may be discussed publicly … Read more
Introduction Fire-support systems are struggling to keep pace with modern maneuver. Ground forces move quickly to survive, but artillery and aviation often cannot reposition fast enough to match that speed. Artillery delivers strong effects, yet its firing signatures are detected quickly, and counter-battery fire often arrives before guns can relocate. Attack helicopters were once expected to provide mobile firepower. Still, … Read more
Introduction Marshal Nikolai Ogarkov was major figure of the Soviet military; he was promoted to Marshal of the Soviet Union in 1977 and was Chief of the General Staff of the USSR between 1977 and 1984. Ogarkov’s concept of nonlinear warfare (очаговый бой) is rooted in the acknowledgment that surveillance and long-range strike capabilities have become sophisticated enough to make … Read more
Episode Description Guests Robert Burrell and John Collison join Dave Brown to discuss this comprehensive volume which provides the first canon for SOF, interagency, and conventional forces to understand irregular warfare, and the emerging areas of Resilience and Resistance within international competition, and deterrence. The book highlights the asymmetric strategies of adversaries to subvert the international order, including the … Read more
“Marines and land forces aviation in joint operations on the Azov coast” (photo courtesy Ukraine’s Ministry of Defense Flickr). Take a look at this chapter-by-chapter collection of lessons learned from the US Army War College’s Integrated Research Project on the 2023 Russia-Ukraine War! A Long, Hard Year: Russia-Ukraine War Lessons Learned 2023, edited by John Nagl and Michael Hackett (US … Read more
Access National Security News HERE. Access Korean News HERE. National Security News: 1. Information Advantage in the Indo-Pacific to Fight Digital Guerrilla Warfare and State-Sponsored Disinformation 2. Trump Tells Iranian Protesters ‘Help Is On Its Way’ 3. U.S. Blows Up China’s Latin America Ambitions With Maduro Ouster 4. U.S. to Unveil Gaza Governance Plan Despite Concerns Over Hamas 5. Trump Renews Threat on Greenland Before … Read more