Based on trends in the geostrategic environment, advances in technologies that allow SOF greater maneuver and capabilities in extreme environments, and the evolving role of the DOD as part of national security, what might SOF’s new roles and missions be, as part of the Joint Force, in novel operational environments? Such environments could include: the polar regions and approaches; areas of extreme heat and humidity too severe for normal human tolerance; the open ocean, to include all layers of the pelagic zone, the seabed, and resource exploitation platforms; and outer space, to include cislunar and lunar orbits. What might operations in these extreme environments look like? And what capabilities would be needed to sustain operations there?
- Bedard, Maj. Alexander F., "Medical Support for Manned Military Space Missions: A Role for an Existing Medical Service, or a New Approach for the Final Frontier?" ACSC paper, 2018.
- Blain, Maj. Aaron P., "Beyond Bunker Busting: Airpower in the Underworld," GCPME thesis, 2023, 44 pgs.
- Hanson, Col. Matthew et al, "Medical Support in a Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear Contested Environment," collected Air University student work, published as an AU Press Fairchild Paper, 2021, 106 pgs.
- McComb, Maj. Benjamin A., "The First Hour: How to Protect Service Members and Press the Fight after a Nuclear Strike," AFGC thesis, 2024, 42 pgs.
- O'Connor, Maj. Robin E., "Changing U.S. Foreign Policy Climate for a Warmer Arctic: Examining the Utility of UNCLOS in Pursuit of Arctic Objectives," AFGC thesis, 2025, 56 pgs.
- O'Connor highlights that rapidly melting summer sea ice is opening the Arctic to new operations, particularly commercial shipping routes and offshore oil and gas extraction. To sustain operations, project power, and ensure freedom of navigation in this novel environment, O'Connor highlights the critical capability needed: icebreakers. She points out a severe "icebreaker gap" between the U.S. and its adversaries; Russia currently maintains a fleet of 41 icebreaking vessels, while all other Arctic nations combined possess only 33. To close this gap and sustain operations in the extreme polar environment, she notes the Trump administration's directive to acquire a new polar security fleet, recently announcing plans to order 48 new icebreakers.
- Raudy, Maj. Kristine Anne Laughlin, "Extreme Heat and Military Operations: Evaluating Health Risks and Mitigation Strategies," AFGC thesis, 2025, 60 pgs.
- Raudy highlights that climate change is pushing the boundaries of human physiological tolerance, with heat waves occurring 2.8 times more frequently and DOD personnel facing austere deployments where temperatures can exceed 120°F. To sustain operations in these novel, extreme-heat environments, she predicts that shifting to nighttime operations will need to become the standard, requiring extensive pre-deployment training with night-vision goggles. Furthermore, she outlines the specific capabilities needed to survive these environments, including portable Arm Immersion Cooling Systems (AICS), wearable biometric sensors, heat-resistant building materials and advanced HVAC microgrids, and the use of robotic systems to execute tasks that would otherwise endanger human personnel.