8th SOF & Worldwide Operations Symposium

The Special Operations & Irregular Warfare summit is now, SOF & Worldwide Operations Symposium. In line with National Defense Strategy, DoD is working to institutionalize its approach to Irregular Warfare across the entire Department to meet the demands of an evolving and increasingly complex security environment. While IW remains a core element of Special Operations, the modern great power competition requires the SOF strategy to focus on peer and near-peer adversaries global scale and use of information and intermediary operations.

This educational Symposium will bring together senior DoD officials, military leaders, academia, and solution providers to explore the growing challenges facing the global special operations community in the era of Great Power Competition. The return to a multipolar global environment will require new tactics, materiel, and ways of thinking in order to maintain American dominance and global influence.

The 2019 Symposium will highlight some of the important efforts currently underway to counter enemy efforts to undermine regional stability and US influence across the globe. Major powers such as China, Russia, and Iran do not want to challenge the U.S. to a conventional fight so they are focusing their efforts on proxy wars and information operations to degrade stability and the rule of law in regions where they wish to spread their influence and power. To counter these efforts United States must utilize capabilities from across the government, both hard and soft power.

This symposium will feature senior level discussions that emphasize the critical need for the rapid acquisition and development of capabilities across the joint force in support of National Defense Strategies in the era of Great Power Competition. This program will allow for open and honest dialogue to solve the nation’s most difficult strategic challenges