Air Force Special Operations Command Areas of Interest

The document outlines the 2022-2023 areas of interest for the United States Air Force Special Operations Command, focusing on key operational capabilities such as aircraft maintenance training, artificial intelligence for threat identification, and battlefield trauma care. It highlights the need for advanced technologies in communications, situational awareness, and multi-intelligence data fusion to enhance mission effectiveness in various environments, including austere and contested locations. Additionally, it emphasizes the importance of personnel training and support systems to sustain operations while adapting to evolving threats and challenges.

The “2025-2026 AFSOC Areas of Interest” document outlines key technological and operational priorities for Air Force Special Operations Forces (AFSOC). These areas span a wide range of capabilities, including advanced antenna apertures, assault zone operations, battlefield trauma care, beyond line-of-sight communications without SATCOM, and collaborative autonomous threat identification. The document emphasizes the need for enhanced situational awareness through common operational and intelligence pictures, complex targeting capabilities, and cost-effective, low-signature airstrike options. Cybersecurity monitoring, force health protection, and forward-deployed CBRN decontamination are also critical. AFSOC is focusing on full-spectrum threat warning, global sensing, human system integration, and independent air mobility and strike capabilities. Other key interests include IO/Cyber proficiency, low visibility communications, mission networking, multi-INT data correlation, and operational preparation of the environment training. Personnel protective equipment, precision navigation and timing, runway-independent operations, scalable weapons effects, and SOF support in austere environments round out the listed priorities. The overarching theme is to enhance operational effectiveness, resilience, and adaptability in contested and denied environments.

The 2024-2025 AFSOC Areas of Interest document outlines key operational priorities for the Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC). These areas encompass a wide range of capabilities crucial for modern military operations, including advanced antenna systems for diverse electromagnetic spectrum operations, precision assault zone control, and immediate battlefield trauma care. The document emphasizes maintaining data connectivity beyond line of sight, collaborative threat identification in contested environments, and fusing intelligence for comprehensive battlespace awareness. Other critical areas include complex targeting, cost-effective and low-signature airstrikes for special operations forces (SOF), and robust cybersecurity monitoring for aircraft. Additionally, the priorities cover force health protection, forward-deployed CBRN decontamination, full-spectrum threat warning, enhanced global sensing, and human system integration. The document also highlights independent SOF air mobility and airstrike capabilities in non-permissive environments, advanced information operations and cyber capabilities, low-visibility communications, and efficient mission networking. Finally, it addresses multi-intelligence data fusion, operational preparation of the environment training, personnel protective equipment, precise navigation, runway-independent air mobility, scalable weapons effects, situational awareness, SOF support in austere environments, and specialized SERE training. These focus areas collectively aim to enhance AFSOC's ability to operate effectively in complex and contested global scenarios.