This blog is part of a series about the 2025 Special Air Warfare Symposium (SAWS), taking place in Ft. Walton Beach, FL, from 25 – 27 FEB. Read on to learn more about this event.
Global SOF has officially kicked off our first major symposium of 2025–the Special Air Warfare Symposium, which we affectionately call SAWS.
The 2025 event takes place from 25 – 27 February in Fort Walton Beach, Florida. This event is really special to us, as Global SOF and the U.S. Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC) jointly host SAWS.*
With over 1,500 people registered from 23 partner nations, we are thrilled to put on this exciting event for the special operations community.
Learn more on the event website and read on to get a better understanding from our senior leadership about some of the reasons and themes behind SAWS 2025, as well as what happened on Day 1!
Stu’s Views on Why You Can’t Miss This Event
Stu Bradin is the President and CEO of Global SOF
If you have been watching the news you will see that the world is full of conflicts and friction that are consuming bandwidth and resources. It looks like the world is on fire and many people think we are at the beginning of a larger global conflict.
None of the current “hot spots” require large conventional formations so policymakers are looking to Irregular Warfare (IW) as the strategy best suited to confront these threats. With IW seen as the best approach, SOF is now more critical to global security than at any time in our history.
Nations have realized that the forces they need for IW have been traditionally in “supporting” roles, but SOF is now in great demand. Contingency operations are up 150% and forces designated to conduct partner development are being stretched thin. Poor recruitment and retention across the military as well as a flat budget since 2019 means that SOF is facing huge challenges.
The US is using SOF in locations that require investment in time and people, but none of this is new to SOF. After 9/11 the nation asked SOF to focus on terrorists and after 20 years the US is now asking SOF to continue its counter-terrorism mission but also to allocate more resources to developing partner forces in remote and austere locations. Policymakers are asking SOF to do more with less and it is possible, but it will require a shift in mindset and some changes in equipment. Don’t fear because throughout our history, SOF has been the best at adapting to the needs of the nation.
One of the best ways to support these changes and help SOF adapt is through communication and engagement with everyone in the SOF ecosystem – academia, industry, policymakers, military and international partners.
SAWS is a great example of how you can participate in that communication. I’m looking forward to this event because it will help us all move faster.
Daily Themes – From Our AFSOC Co-Sponsors
SAWS is jointly hosted by the U.S. Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC). They’ve divided SAWS into an overall and daily themes to guide our goals and conversations… learn more about each one below!
Overall Theme: Forging the Future: Advancing SOF Aviation for Tomorrow’s Victory
The legacy of Special Operations Forces (SOF) aviation is built not only on historical achievements but also on a strong foundation of innovation. “Forging the Future: Advancing SOF Aviation for Tomorrow’s Victory” highlights the importance of pushing boundaries and pioneering new solutions to stay at the forefront of modernization. It is crucial for SOF to understand the emerging challenges and the qualities necessary to succeed if we are to maintain aviation dominance in the evolving landscape. The focus is on rejecting incremental improvements and instead pursuing transformative capabilities that will provide USSOCOM and the joint force with a strategic advantage in the future.
Day 1: Quiet Professionals: Back to the Basics
Air Commandos are recognized for their extreme competence, unwavering dedication, and laser focus that overcomes any challenge with precision and professionalism of the highest standard. “Quiet Professionals: Back to the Basics” emphasizes the importance of mastering the fundamentals to achieve that commitment of excellence. By sharpening our foundational expertise, we can deliberately and purposefully take greater risks. This focus on the basics ensures Air Commandos are always prepared to perform at the highest standards.
Day 2: Adapting Strategies to Secure our Future
“Adapting Strategies to Secure our Future” focuses on SOF aviation’s commitment to fostering key relationships to increase interoperability, capabilities and capacity for 2030 and beyond. Staying competitive requires agility, adaptability, and strengthening interpersonal relationships among our global networks. SOF aviation must continuously adjust strategies to remain effective in an increasingly dynamic and unpredictable environment.
Day 3: Innovating for Victory!
“Innovating for Victory!” highlights the commitment of SOF aviation to drive change to stay ahead of emerging threats. Although conflict is not inevitable, we continue to move forward with a sense of urgency to ensure we are ready for Great Power Competition. Air Commandos are dedicated to delivering cutting-edge solutions that effectively support the joint force and global partners. By focusing on innovation, we aim to maintain a strategic advantage and enhance operational effectiveness in a rapidly evolving landscape.
* Co-sponsorship of this event does not imply endorsement of GSOF, its services, or its products by the United States Government, the Department of Defense, or the U.S. Air Force Special Operations Command.
Day 1 On the Ground at the Special Air Warfare Symposium
With the foundation laid for the event, the Global SOF team headed to Ft. Walton Beach to bring SAWS to life!
Our team flew, drove, and U-Hauled our way to the Florida panhandle to welcome our special operations aviation community.
Tuesday, 25 FEB was a multi-faceted day, with activities for every type of attendee:
Separating Active Duty Military: Our friends at The Honor Foundation hosted a full day transition seminar to support our servicemembers preparing to leave Active Duty. The seminar focused on finding a meaningful career after military service concludes. The seminar ended with a Fireside Chat on Transition with Mr. Mark Moore, Director of Federal Government and Military Programs from Cornell University.
Military & Government: A big part of the first day of SAWS is the Professional Development Day, or as we call it… Pro-Dev! Pro-Dev day is just for our military and government attendees, giving them an opportunity to hear from speakers and topics that they may not normally have access to.
Pro-Dev day was expertly moderated by GSOF Chief Operating Officer, Ms. Meaghan Keeler, and we were also honored to have participation from Major General Justin R. Hoffman, Deputy Commander of AFSOC.
Other speakers included Ms. Juliet Funt, author of “A Minute to Think,” and Michael Laut, Assistant Professor of Practice, College of Design, North Carolina State University and Founder and CEO of Laut Design.
The Pro-Dev Day speakers covered topics like Disciplined Professionalism, Tactical Design Thinking, and Maximizing Human Performance. The importance of strong leadership was another big recurring theme.
As one speaker said, “Leaders need to be face-to-face with their team and show them they are human.” We are all in on that, and hope we ALL get a lot of that face-to-face time here at SAWS.
Industry Enablers: We made sure to keep our Industry attendees busy, as well! While our exhibitors spent the day perfecting their showcases in the Exhibit Hall, we also had B2B Matchmaking and a first-ever Classified Session on AFSOC’s Requirements.
Although the audience was a bit segmented during the day, in the evening we focused on a very important component of these events: networking!
The Welcome Reception at the Hilton Garden Inn was a hit, with hundreds of attendees filling the ballroom to mingle and prepare for the week.
As one attendee was overheard saying, “these events are great, but these sidebar conversations are where we get the most value.”
We’re glad to hear it, and we hope that the week we have in store with AFSOC is our most valuable SAWS yet.
Thanks for being here…stay tuned for part 2!
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