Special Operations News – August 18, 2025
August 18, 2025 SOF News Update 0
NSW Diver Propulsion Device
Curated news, analysis, and commentary about special operations, national security, and conflicts around the world.
Photo / Image: U.S. Naval Special Warfare (NSW) operators transit underwater using a diver propulsion device during joint maritime training with Marine Raiders assigned to U.S. Marine Forces Special Operations Command as part of Exercise Talisman Sabre 25 in Sydney, Australia, July 11. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class David Rowe)
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SOF News
Mike Vining. One retired member of Delta, Mike Vining, is well-known in the SOF community. Mostly because of his splendid reputation in the Army; but also because of the presence of a variety of memes repeatedly posted on social media. Read about it in “The career of Mike Vining, the Internet’s most badass military meme”, We Are The Mighty, August 13, 2025.
Green Berets Teach Air Force Cadets. The U.S. Air Force Academy recently concluded its inaugural Cadet Warfighter Instructor Course (CWIC), an 11-day program held from July 22 to August 1, 2025. This new addition to the Cadet Military Education and Training Plan gives cadet instructors the tools to teach lower-class cadets basic warfighting skills at the individual and small-unit levels. The 10th Special Forces Group provided instructors for the program. “The Cadet Warfighter Instructor Course enhances basic warfighting skills”, DVIDS, August 1, 2025.
PANAMAX-Alpha 2025. Amy Forsythe reports how U.S. SOF are playing a critical role in advising and assisting Panamanian security forces to enhance regional security cooperation. “U.S. Special Operations Forces Train with Panamanian Security Forces During PANAMAX-Alpha 2025”, Medium, August 2025.
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Women in Delta. A less than favorable report on the work environment of women working within one of the nation’s most elite units. The story of Countney Williams, a female who worked at FBNC for Delta in a support role. “My Life Became a Living Hell: One Woman’s Career in Delta Force, the Army’s Most Elite Unit”, by Seth Harp, Politico, August 12, 2025.
https://sof.news/update/20250818/
