Smaller, easier, smarter: what special operators want from AI
AI agents are coming to a special operations mission near you—if they can fit in the pack.
Patrick Tucker | May 24, 2026
TAMPA, Florida—U.S. special operators want AI tools that offer the power of giant data centers out on the disconnected front lines.
SOF units already use generative AI “heavily” for things like resource allocation and force deployment, and are “delving” into its use for tactical operations, said Rob McClintock, the program manager for intelligence for the program executive office for digital applications.
But today’s tools typically run in the cloud, connected to massive data centers. Operators need them to work in remote locations beyond reach of networks. Physical proximity to the “tactical edge” enables faster use of mission-critical data and faster decision-making, officials at the Global SOF Foundation’s SOF Week event here said this week.
So Special Operations Command is looking for frameworks that extend the power of cloud computing much closer to where data is collected and used—a concept sometimes called “fog computing.”
https://www.defenseone.com/technology/2026/05/smaller-easier-smarter-what-special-operations-forces-need-ai-now/413748/
