An estimated 752 veterans have put themselves forward as candidates during the contentious 2026 midterm election cycle. This represents a 47% increase in veteran candidates compared with 2024, and includes…
In the leadup to Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF) in 2003, an elite group of special operations forces (SOF) and aviators known as Task Force 20 were training on joint close…
We are excited to welcome former CIA Chief Operating Officer Maura Burns to the SOAA Board of Advisors. She shared insights on key lessons from her 37-year career at the…
Irregular warfare (IW) now has a renewed counter-threat finance (CTF) mandate. In September 2025, Department of Defense Instruction (DODI) 3000.07 on Irregular Warfare explicitly placed support to CTF efforts under…
U.S. Army Special Forces (SF) engineer and intelligence sergeant Rob Kinard has “a tendency to kind of go overboard with stuff,” he admitted, while detailing how he juggles multiple business…
When Master Gunnery Sgt. Chris May left the service after six years in the Marine Corps infantry and 18 years as a Reconnaissance Marine, he never gave much thought to…
When he left the Australian Special Air Service Regiment (SASR), Andrew ‘Horse’ Hudson struggled with isolation and mood changes likely linked to traumatic brain injury. After turning to drug use,…
U.S. Special Operations Command (USSOCOM) regularly hosts partnership exercises with nations worldwide to increase interoperability, build host nation skills, and deepen alliances. These endeavors can range from smaller-scale Joint Combined…
SOAA has been actively involved in advocating against state-level Pharmacy Benefit Manager (PBM) reforms that stand to impact veteran communities. Federal systems, including TRICARE and the Department of Veterans Affairs…
If it weren’t for a weak handshake, former Marine Forces Special Operations Command (MARSOC) enabler Zac Compton may have joined the U.S. Air Force (USAF) to follow in the footsteps…