SOF Week 2025: Global threats and industry opportunities in focus (video)
Stu Bradin, President and CEO of the Global SOF Foundation (GSOF).
At SOF Week 2025 in Tampa, Florida, Stu Bradin, President and CEO of the Global SOF Foundation (GSOF), underscored the increasing operational demands placed on special operations forces (SOF) as global tensions mount.
Nations are grappling with simultaneous threats from state actors such as China, Russia, Iran and North Korea, pushing SOF to the forefront as the preferred force for rapid deployment and strategic response.
Bradin praised the scale and diversity of this year’s gathering – featuring senior defence leaders, international delegations and nearly 1,000 exhibitors – as unmatched anywhere in the world. He highlighted the importance of industry engagement through initiatives like live capability demonstrations and the new ‘Accelerator Alley’, designed to fast-track emerging technologies into the hands of operators.
“It’s not a nice-to-have—it’s a must-have,” Bradin said of industry and international cooperation. “We’ve got to have them in the game, ready to go.”
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