April 24, 2026 Integrated Deterrence What specific operational, fiscal, and legal authorities does SOF require to effectively execute its role in global and theater-level integrated deterrence, including campaigning, engagement, irregular warfare, and nuclear deterrence support?
April 24, 2026 SOF’s Relationship with Space and Cyber / Space Operations Forces and SOF How must Special Operations Forces formally integrate with space and cyber components to establish a mutually supporting SOF-Space-Cyber Triad, mitigate electromagnetic vulnerabilities, and potentially redefine the concept of an "operator" to include missions supporting U.S. interests in
April 24, 2026 SOF Talent Management, Sustainability, and Repetitive Assignments How must the Special Operations Enterprise adapt its talent management, retention strategies, and force sustainability programs to develop resilient personnel equipped for strategic competition and support to resistance, while reconciling conflicting service and combatant command priorities
April 24, 2026 Modernizing Professional Military Education and SOF Learning Pathways through Emerging Technologies How must the defense enterprise, particularly the Joint Special Operations University, leverage emerging technologies like artificial intelligence and quantum computing to modernize professional military education, personalize learning pathways, and cultivate the specialized critical thinkers
April 23, 2026 Implementation, Absorption Capacity, and Bridging the Gap from Innovation to Sustainment How must the United States Air Force analyze the People's Liberation Army's capability absorption capacity while reforming its own Category Management frameworks and DOTMLPF integration to bridge the innovation "Valley of Death" and accelerate fielding at scale?
April 23, 2026 Intelligence Production in Agile Combat Employment How can Large Language Models and other AI tools be leveraged to automate and scale the production of intelligence products, using the 363rd ISRW as a test case, to meet the rapid demands of Agile Combat Employment?
April 23, 2026 Next-Generation Missile Operators Given the potential changes in the future strategic environment, what impact would this have on the development of missileers? Should current developmental programs remain the same for Sentinel operators? (20 AF)
April 23, 2026 PLA Meteorological Challenges and Dependencies What are the meteorological challenges and dependencies that a PLA combined arms assault on Taiwan would face? (557 WW)
April 23, 2026 Organizing SOF for Irregular Warfare: Networks, TSOC Restructuring, and Collaboration How must the Special Operations Enterprise restructure its global networks, Theater Special Operations Commands, and interagency liaisons to effectively integrate allied strategies and the space-SOF-cyber triad for transregional irregular warfare and Support to Resistance and Resilience?
April 23, 2026 Support to Resistance and Resilience Approaches to Preventing or Deterring Aggression How can SOF develop a comprehensive framework for assessing, planning, and implementing support to resilience and resistance, incorporating human-centric strategies, measurable metrics, and lessons from past conflicts to effectively deter aggression and navigate complex civil-military dynamics?