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…
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…
Nick Jones understands the impact of service at the tip of the spear. The former Marine Forces Special Operations Command (MARSOC) Raider pushed hard through injury and loss to remain…
U.S. Army Command Sgt. Maj. David Zeek never set out to climb to the highest echelons of the institution when he joined the U.S. Army Reserve in 2004. He was…
From the Battlefield to the Pentagon: Chris Miller on the Future of Special Operations We recently sat down with former Acting Secretary of Defense and our Chairman of the Board…
Last month, we welcomed our new president at SOAA, Jack Barry, a veteran of the U.S. Army’s 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (SOAR). A longtime member of the SOAA ecosystem,…
Our founder, Green Beret Daniel Elkins, started the Special Operations Association of America (SOAA) in 2021 to ensure that the voices of special operations forces (SOF) personnel, whose work is…
For decades, the formula for special operations veterans leaving service has followed a predictable and painful pattern: elite warriors who thrived in structure, mission, and brotherhood find themselves unmoored in…
On April 30, U.S. Navy Admiral Frank Bradley, head of U.S. Special Operations Command (SOCOM), defended requests for an increased budget to the Senate. Bradley argued that SOCOM required additional…