The Special Operations Association of America (SOAA) helps Special Operations Forces (SOF) and their families get care, keep serving, and be heard in Washington. Founded in 2021, we represent the whole SOF community: every branch, in uniform and out, and their families.
Special operators are the people America sends first–Green Berets, Navy SEALs, Marine Raiders, Army Rangers, Air Force special operators, and other elements of USSOCOM, as well as the Intelligence Community. They take on the military’s most demanding missions, and they don’t talk about what they did.
There are over 45,000 veteran organizations. SOAA is the premier organization focusing on the whole special operations community. We do two things:
- We support operators and their families. That means testing and care for the hidden damages of war, helping them with transition, cultivating a community that continues after the uniform comes off, and we step in when Americans or allies are trapped abroad. Learn more.
- We speak on their behalf, and we bring operators to Congress, the Pentagon, and the White House to share what they’re seeing on the ground (the Ground Truth). We push for the laws and rules they need, from care and benefits to the equipment and standards that keep the force ready. Learn more.
SOAA has a unique capability. Our network has helped bring over 5,000 people to safety across multiple conflict zones. We have helped deliver hundreds of tons of medical equipment, humanitarian aid, and lifesaving training to war-torn nations. We exist to stand in the gap.
We live by a few things: Operators are not victims. They are not a cause or a charity. We are not a social club. We work Republicans and Democrats or anyone who wants our community strong and well-cared for. We hold the country to the promise it makes to those who serve. America sends our people first; they should be heard and looked after. When this happens our country is stronger.
Our History: SOAA was started in 2021 by Daniel Elkins, a Green Beret and special operations combat veteran who spent years working on veterans policy in Washington. He kept seeing the same gap: what happens on the ground rarely reaches the people who decide, and no group in Washington made special operations its only focus. When Kabul fell, SOAA’s network, working with partners, helped bring nearly 5,000 people to safety, while the team held 200-plus meetings with congressional offices that fall on the evacuation and visas for Afghan allies. That work put SOAA on the map. It’s still how we work: people first, then policy.
Transparency: SOAA is a 501(c)(19) and the SOAA Foundation a 501(c)(3) veterans nonprofit. We are a membership association based in Ashburn, Virginia. Our IRS Form 990s and annual reports are posted here.
Find information on SOAA’s IRS 990 here:
SOAA IRS 990 for 2024 | SOAA IRS 990 for 2025