So it begins...

At SOF Week 2025 in Tampa, Florida, Stu Bradin, President and CEO of the Global SOF Foundation (GSOF), emphasized the increasing operational demands on special operations forces (SOF) in light of growing global tensions. Nations face simultaneous threats from state actors such as China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea, placing SOF at the forefront as the preferred force for rapid deployment and strategic response.

Bradin praised the size and diversity of this year's event—which featured high-ranking representatives from the Department of Defense, international delegations, and nearly 1,000 exhibitors—as unique in the world. He emphasized the importance of industry engagement through initiatives such as live capability demonstrations and the new “Accelerator Alley,” which is designed to quickly get new technologies into the hands of operators. “It's not a nice extra — it's a must,” Bradin said of industry and international cooperation. “We need to bring them into the game and make them operational.”