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JEThe next fight won’t look like the last one. It won’t be massed divisions on open battlefields. It will be small, well-equipped, intelligent networks executing precise actions at decisive moments, often powered by predictive analysis and backed by nation-states or terrorist organizations. From SOF Week, Fran Racioppi sat down with retired Colonel Stu Bradin to define what that future threat really looks like. Before 9/11, America’s strategic focus leaned toward space capabilities and the Indo-Pacific. Then the attacks forced an immediate pivot to ground combat in the Middle East. Special Operations Forces led that fight, despite critics claiming they weren’t built for near-peer competition. In reality, SOF has spent decades countering surrogate warfare from Russia, China, and other adversaries operating in the gray space between peace and open conflict. From man-hunting networks to unconventional warfare, the specialized community has long been engaged in the kind of competition that defines today’s environment.
Having built NATO’s Special Operations Headquarters and later founded the Global Special Operations Forces Foundation (GSOF), Bradin argues that disconnected allies and stovepiped intelligence are vulnerabilities the next threat will exploit. The answer isn’t bigger formations. It’s tighter networks, faster innovation, and a globally connected SOF enterprise ready to adapt at speed. This episode is about defining the next fight before it defines us, and ensuring Special Operations is armed, aligned, and prepared to win it.
Watch, listen, or read our conversation with Stu Bradin from SOF Week. Episode 174.
#SpecialOperations #SOF #NationalSecurity #GSOF #FutureWarfare
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