GSOF SAWS 2026: Event Highlights and Key Takeaways

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I recently attended the Global SOF Foundation SAWS Symposium which was phenomenal across the board. Overall, the event was extremely productive and valuable from both a strategic and relationship standpoint. 

Event Overview  SAWS 2026

I had the opportunity to reconnect with several long-standing customers and friends still serving across AFSOC and 7th Group, meet with several key operational and acquisition stakeholders, and spend time with both existing and potential industry partners discussing areas for collaboration and future support to the customer. The conversations were productive and aligned well with where we are positioning Halo and Elsight more broadly within SOF.

Beyond individual engagements, the sessions themselves provided a very clear and consistent signal regarding where SOCOM, AFSOC, and the broader Joint Force are heading operationally and technologically. Across aviation, ISR, acquisition, logistics, and future force design discussions, several themes emerged repeatedly, loss of connectivity being consistently highlighted as a primary reason missions degrade in contested environments.

Six Key Strategic Observations from SAWS

1. Distributed Operations Are Now the Baseline

• Future SOF operations are expected to be increasingly distributed, decentralized, and executed by smaller teams operating independently.
• Platforms, sensors, and aircraft are increasingly viewed as nodes within a larger operational network rather than standalone capabilities.
• Maintaining connectivity and shared awareness across dispersed forces is becoming foundational to mission success.

2. Organic ISR and Edge Decision-Making

• ISR capabilities are moving from centralized assets toward organic, tactical ISR at the squad and platoon level.
• This shift increases decision speed but introduces challenges around redundancy, data reliability, and operator trust.
• Persistent ISR now depends as much on integration and connectivity as it does on sensor capability.

3. Connectivity and Integration as Primary Friction 

• Across multiple panels, interoperability and integration challenges were consistently identified as major operational friction.
• Reliable communications and resilient data pathways are increasingly viewed as enabling infrastructure rather than supporting capabilities.
• Systems that integrate easily into existing architectures and reduce operator burden are strongly preferred.

4. Speed of Innovation and Rapid Fielding

• SOCOM and Air Force leadership continue to emphasize rapid experimentation, iterative development, and faster fielding timelines.
• Traditional acquisition timelines are viewed as misaligned with current operational and technological realities.
• Technical experimentation, SOFWERX, and early industry engagement remain key pathways for capability adoption. 

5. Logistics and Sustainment in a Drone-Dominated Ops

• The proliferation of unmanned systems is significantly changing logistics models.
• Future environments are expected to be congested and contested, with logistics and sustainment becoming operational vulnerabilities.
• Solutions that reduce logistical burden and enable scalable deployment are increasingly valued.

6. People First, Technology as an Enabler

• Consistent with SOF principles, leadership reinforced that technology must reduce friction and improve operator effectiveness rather than increase complexity.
• Reliability and ease of use continue to outweigh technical novelty. 

Engagement Summary: Meetings & Connections

In addition to session attendance, the event was highly valuable from an engagement perspective. I had the opportunity to:

• Reconnect with multiple operational customers across AFSOC and 7th Group.
• Meet with several new and existing industry partners to discuss collaboration opportunities aligned to current customer problems.
• Conduct productive discussions around potential teaming and integration approaches moving forward.
• Reinforce Elsight’s positioning as a capability that directly supports distributed and resilient operations.

These conversations were particularly valuable in validating that the operational problems being discussed by leadership align closely with the capability gaps we are addressing.

Implications and Opportunities for Elsight

Several consistent themes across AFSOC, SOCOM acquisition, ISR, and logistics discussions directly align with Elsight’s current focus areas and reinforce where we have opportunity moving forward.

1. Resilient Connectivity as Enabling Infrastructure

• Distributed operations and organic ISR require persistent connectivity across air, ground, and unmanned systems.
• Leadership repeatedly emphasized the operational risk created by single-path communications in contested environments.
• This aligns directly with Halo’s role as a multi-bearer connectivity layer enabling resilient communications when traditional RF or infrastructure-dependent solutions degrade.

2. Edge Processing and Video/Data Flow

• Increased ISR at the tactical edge is driving demand for faster processing and dissemination of video and sensor data.
• The shift toward operator-level ISR creates opportunity for solutions that enable efficient transport and prioritization of video and mission data from edge platforms.
• Continued development around video handling and edge-based processing aligns with this emerging requirement. 

3. AI and Automation Supporting Decision Speed

• Multiple sessions highlighted the need to reduce cognitive burden on operators while increasing decision speed.
• Automation and AI-driven workflows are viewed as enablers when they simplify operations rather than introduce complexity.
• Opportunities exist to integrate automation capabilities that improve link management, data prioritization, and mission continuity.

4. Resilience in GPS-Denied / Contested Environments

• Discussions around contested environments, autonomy, and ISR persistence reinforced growing concern around PNT reliability.
• Solutions that maintain operational effectiveness despite degraded navigation or communications environments are increasingly relevant.
• Continued exploration of resilient PNT-related capabilities aligns with future operational needs discussed during the event.

Overall Assessment & Strategic Summary

SAWS reinforced that SOF leadership is moving toward a future defined by distributed operations, persistent ISR at the edge, rapid capability integration, resilient connectivity across platforms and partners, and the need for multi-path or resilient connectivity as enabling infrastructure. The consistency of these themes across multiple senior leaders and panels was notable.

From an Elsight perspective, Halo aligns to that requirement. The direction being communicated aligns well with our focus on enabling resilient, multi-path connectivity and supporting operators in contested and degraded environments. The event provided strong confirmation that the problems Halo is designed to solve continue to grow in importance across SOF.

Conclusion: Priorities & Next Steps

Overall, SAWS thoughtfully curated and filled with meaningful dialogue at every level. The consistency of vision across senior leaders, combined with the openness of discussions throughout the panels and networking sessions, made it a truly valuable experience. It was clear that this was more than just a conference, it was a gathering of a community actively shaping the future of SOF operations.

SAWS was both professionally rewarding and genuinely inspiring. I’m grateful for the opportunity to have attended and look forward to participating again in the future as these important conversations continue to evolve.

Ryan Garay

Ryan Garay serves as Head of U.S. Government & Special Programs at Elsight. His background in Special Forces derives from his decade of serving in the US Green Berets.

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