Special Operations News – Jan 5, 2026
January 5, 2026 SOF News Update 0
MH-6X Mission Enhanced Little Birds
Curated news, analysis, and commentary about special operations, national security, and conflicts around the world.
Photo / Image: U.S. Army A/MH-6X Mission Enhanced Little Birds land during Weapons and Tactics Instructor course in Yuma, Arizona. Photo by Zachary M. Ford, DoD, April 4, 2016.
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SOF News
US Army’s Night Stalkers. The 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment is the U.S. military’s premier rotary-wing special operations unit. Created in the 1980s, it has participated in every major and minor conflict ever since. The unit has 4 battalions that fly the AH-6 (attack) and MH-6 (assault/transport) Little Bird; the MH-60 (assault/transport) and MH-60 DAP (attack) Black Hawk; and the MH-47 Chinook (assault/transport). The 160th SOAR just finished up with the infil, exfil, and fires support of Delta Force in Operation Absolute Resolve (SOF News) – the capture of President Maduro of Venezuela. Read more about the 160th in “The Incredible Firepower of the US Army’s Night Stalkers”, by Stavros Atlamazoglou, SANDBOXX, December 26, 2025.
Paper – “Frogmen and Fast Boats: The Future of Irregular Warfare in the Maritime Domain”, Inter Populum, Fall 2025, PDF, 27 pages. This article examines how irregular warfare in the maritime domain can strengthen national defense strategies for smaller states confronting more powerful naval adversaries.
https://interpopulum.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/Frogmen-and-Fast-Boats.pdfStarlinks for Ghostriders. Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC) is looking at the possibility of outfitting its AC-130J Ghostrider with terminals that will improve beyond-line-of-sight satellite communications in support of operational missions. “AFSOC looks to add Starlink terminals to Ghostrider gunships”, DefenseScoop, December 31, 2025.
“The Tribe” and Tradition. On the last Friday of every month, members of the 3rd Special Forces Group (Airborne) observe a tradition where fallen members are remembered. Read more in “The Tribe that Carries the Fallen Forward”, DVIDS, December 30, 2025.
https://sof.news/update/20260105/
