On May 5th, more than 20,000 people will converge in downtown Tampa for the annual Special Operations Forces Week—known simply as SOF Week. The “human terrain” has long been the SOF community’s greatest asset. And this year, that formula is operating at an unprecedented scale.

• 1,940 applications for 260 one-on-one meetings with SOCOM acquisition leaders
• 820 unique companies exhibiting, with over 40% new to the event
• 66 countries officially attending
• 1,101 meeting requests from industry to partner nations
• 13 countries funded by the Global SOF Foundation (GSOF) to ensure international participation

But General Bryan P. Fenton doesn’t define power through numbers. He defines it through partnerships, “In our DNA is partnering. SOF is known as a premier partner force.”

As Commander of U.S. Special Operations Command (SOCOM), Fenton oversees a global force built not just on capabilities, but on relationships—small teams operating in over 80 countries, leading coalition efforts, shaping terrain, and deterring escalation through trusted partnerships, not aggressive posturing.

As he told the Senate Armed Services Committee earlier this month, “Once you get trust, you can do everything—build partner capacity, develop capabilities, and bring together folks who otherwise may not be together.”

This is exactly why SOF Week exists. Where warfighters, industry leaders, policy makers, tech innovators and international allies do more than discuss the future—they build the relationships that will shape it.

One of those industry leaders—Jon “BigDogg” Rhone—is a retired Air Force Colonel and the current SAIC C5SIR Integration Lead. He speaks about SOF Week through the lens of people and perspective.

“To me, one of the most important aspects of the SOF Week experience is listening to other people and their perspectives. Garnering multiple perspectives is a decision advantage for mission relevance and warfighting capabilities.”

Perspective Taking

In his interview with SOFcast, General Fenton talks about the need for both theory and practice in connection to education and training of the formation. As Rhone highlights “decision advantage” being a takeaway from SOF Week, how might we justify its value? Especially in a sector where any advantage is considered a win.

In her 2023 article—Understanding the Adversary: Strategic Empathy and Perspective Taking in National Security—Army War College Professor, Dr. Allison Abbe, posits that a cognitive component of perspective taking is a critical skill for practitioners. Through the aperture of SOF personnel and industry capabilities, Fenton and Rhone might find this relevant to their collective mission pursuit.

What if “perspective-taking” was a conscious skill that people focused on cultivating and practicing? Not only at SOF Week, but across the enterprise.

It’s not soft skills talk—it’s strategic literacy. Through her research, Dr. Abbe explores how perspective-taking is foundational to cultural competence and mission success. This approach and skill enables warfighters to understand allies before partnering—and adversaries before confronting.

Current Challenges

SOCOM has not received a real dollar increase in funding since 2019. That has resulted in a 14% erosion in buying power—nearly $1 billion lost—despite being asked to take on more global missions, operate in contested environments, and lead influence operations in the cognitive domain.

In his transcript from the Senate hearing, Fenton provided context on SOF value, “The Nation gets all of this for less than 2% of the DoD budget and 3% of its force. SOF provide an outsized return on investment to the nation.”

This mismatch between mission and resources is what makes SOF Week not just relevant—but urgent. If SOF is expected to lead in irregular warfare, its connective tissue—the places where relationships are built and coordinated—must be prioritized accordingly, and with an obvious sense of urgency.

People and Proximity

In the stewardship of SOF Week is the Global SOF Foundation (GSOF). Leading an event of this magnitude is no small task—managed by a formidable team of 32 full-time staff and over 1,400 support personnel. As SOF Week has expanded in scale and scope, its complexity has only created more opportunity.

“Yes, the numbers continue to increase, and the demand far exceeds the supply,” says Chelsea Hamashin, Vice President of Marketing and Events at GSOF. “Being headquartered in Tampa affords us the opportunity to be strategic partners of SOF Week while also understanding SOF community needs for global security.”

What makes SOF Week unique isn’t just the scale and scope. It’s the proximity, the people, and the perspective.

It’s the warfighters, policy leaders, international allies, tech innovators, and acquisition specialists—many of whom would never otherwise share the same room—who come together with one shared purpose, to build something no single institution can create alone. Trust.

There is no other gathering like SOF Week. Because there is no other force like SOF—one that operates globally, builds coalitions intentionally, and engages with the world not through declarations, but through presence.

SOF Week doesn’t just showcase the future of warfare. It shapes it. And in a world where advantage often comes down to relationships, understanding, and trust—SOF Week remains the place where tomorrow’s decisions are forged today.

“SOF is a national advantage for the nation.” — General Bryan Fenton

Chad Williamson is a military veteran and is currently pursuing his graduate degree in national security policy. He lives on Capitol Hill with his wife, Dr. Heather Williamson, and their two chocolate labs, Demmi and Ferg.

This article was originally published by RealClearDefense and made available via RealClearWire.