Their Service. Their Sacrifice. Our Commitment.

In an era marked by complexity, ambiguity, and persistent threats in the gray zone of conflict, the modern Special Forces operator must be more than a warrior, he must be an Enlightened Warrior. Drawing from the philosophical legacy of the Enlightenment and thinkers such as Locke, Kant, and Camus, the Special Forces soldier embodies a rare fusion of tactician, strategist, philosopher, and statesman. This essay argues that Enlightenment values, especially reason, critical thinking, and the pursuit of human dignity, are not only relevant but essential to the modern Special Forces (SF) practitioner, particularly within the realms of irregular warfare, unconventional warfare, and political warfare.

With the conclusion of Operation Rising Lion, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu iterated that Israel has accomplished its strategic operational goals, in particular, rolling back the Iranian threat in terms of both its nuclear weapons program and ballistic missiles. The accuracy of the conduct of the military operation by the Israeli air force, military intelligence, and Mossad, and the intense focus in the opening stage of the operation, particularly the decapitation of the Iranian military chain of command, inflicted a strategic and humiliating defeat on Iran.