GSOF Symposium Europe, Rome, 6-8 October. A look to the future

From October 6 to 8, 2026, the Rome Cavalieri Waldorf Astoria hosted the 10th edition of the GSOF Symposium Europe, a conference and exhibition organized by the Global SOF Foundation. Centred on the theme “Bridging the gap between strategy and the battlefield,” the event brought together over 1,000 participants from more than 30 nations (all NATO countries and the different partnerships of the Alliance) to address a key question: how to more rapidly translate operational requirements and technological innovation into capabilities that are truly available to SF/SOF

Throughout the three-day event, presentations and panel discussions focused on four recurring themes: the evolution of security scenarios, the integration of military components, interoperability, and the deployment of emerging technologies. Alongside these, the discussion also explored the speed at which institutions, the research sector, and industry can transform an operational requirement into a functional, available capability.

The first day of the GSOF Symposium featured a highlight: an address by Admiral Frank Mitchell (“Mitch”) Bradley, who since October 2025 serves as Commander-in-Chief of Special Operations Command – one of the most important combatant commands in the US military structure. After the initial recall of his time as an exchange officer working with Italian naval Special Forces (COMSUBIN), Admiral Bradley – a SEAL – outlined the strengths of the US approach to special military operations now, and in the future perspectives. Under US doctrine, these operations are broad in scope, encompassing all activities that fall outside the remit of conventional commands. Admiral Bradley emphasized that the relationship with allies and partners is fundamental – a crucial point given the strong fears of a “decoupling” between the two sides of the Atlantic within NATO. The theme of relationships with allies – primarily NATO members, but also, in a broader context, other nations friendly to Washington worldwide – remained a central thread throughout the address by the top US official for global special operations. The centrality of these alliances stems from the recognition that the US, despite its formidable military, technical, industrial, and economic capabilities, cannot single-handedly confront the threats posed by hostile powers (whether state or non-state actors), terrorist movements, and unofficial – yet no less dangerous – challenges that constantly emerge in new forms. Admiral Bradley noted that these increasingly multifaceted and insidious threats require not only cooperation among allies but also the involvement of civilian entities and industrial collaboration, which has to change and be more rapid into providing and proposing systems in weeks and no more months, or worst, in years as it was and it is today. This particular theme – alongside the management of AI, termed ‘superintelligence’ in the latest Trumpian narrative – remains central, as it is still under development and has the potential to elevate inter-allied special operations capabilities to a level far surpassing current ones.

The second day of the GSOF Symposium Rome saw the highest level of participation with the political and military leadership of Italy attending it.

The Italian Defence Minister Guido Crosetto was among the prominent figures invited to the opening proceedings and institutional discussion sessions of the GSOF Symposium Rome. His presence was considered pivotal due to an intense diplomatic and military period for Italy, marked by his meeting in Rome with EU High Representative Kaja Kallas, just before the GSOF Symposium, and the impetus Crosetto provided for the creation of the new Centro Interforze per l’Addestramento e il Contrasto alla Minaccia Ibrida, a joint-service centre aimed at to train and fight hybrid threat, a key complement of the future challenges which the SF/SOF of NATO and partner countries may face. After the political statement, Crosetto confirmed the commitment of Rome in the defence build-up programme and support to Ukraine, despite the state finance budget problems.

The Italian Chief of Defence, General Luciano Portolano, delivered the keynote address, highlighting the role of Italian Special Forces within NATO’s integrated defence framework and the need for a faster procurement model focused on technological innovation overcoming the military bureaucracy. Giving the increasing global competition on the field, rivalries now are below the threshold of open conflict, in the so-called grey-zone, where threats do not announce themselves, and the response must be rapid, determined and discreet at the same time. In this context, Special Operations Forces become an indispensable tool, deployed to translate political directives into real and rapid actions, operating in a wide operations spectrum, from hybrid warfare and deep strike capabilities to counter-terrorism. These are the key elements of the ongoing reform at the Ministry of Defence, where the role of the SF will be enhanced and the COFS, Italy’s Special Operations Forces Command, will report directly to the Chief of the Defence and political authorities with the ambitious aims to move those from the mere identification of strategic requirements to a projection tool of highly specialized forces within hours. Regarding a critical point, the ad hoc procurement policies for Special Forces – the Chief of Defence addressed the companies present in the audience, directly asking for innovation, dialogue between producers and users, and rapid industrial processes, underlining that these capacities should be built and ready in due and advanced time. In his closing remarks, the Gen. Portolano thanked the personnel – the key strategic element of the Special Forces – saying that no algorithm can decide the outcome of a conflict in place of a human being, hence the need of SF with high qualified and daring personnel supported by the edge technology. He recalled the fact that behind every structure, every procedure, and every technology, there are people who have chosen to serve in silence, accepting risks that most of their fellow citizens will never know.

The second day of GSOF has also seen an important debate on the future of the European security and transatlantic relationship. The panel included two key personalities: Mario Mauro, Former Italian Minister of Defence and MEP, currently European Coordinator for the Baltic Sea – Black Sea – Aegean Sea (BBA) European Transport Corridor (under the DG for Mobility and Transport, DG MOVE) of the European Commission and US Army Lieutenant General Richard E. Angle, Commander of Allied Special Operations Forces Command of NATO and Special Operations US European Command, the discussion being moderated by Major General (ret) Ivan Caruso, former Commanding General of the Italian Army Special Forces Command.

According to speakers, the current situation, the future scene, the NATO/EU relationship, which some superficial observers see as antagonistic, will see the two entities fully cooperating within the framework of their institutional differences.

However, critical voices were also heard; Mauro expressed concern that the apparent fraying of relations across the Atlantic could herald further global instability, inviting external stakeholders to challenge the Western security and economic solidity and solidarity. As Admiral Bradley noted in another session of the symposium, this erosion appears to exist more in some rhetoric than in concrete reality, this while the General Angle emphasized that NATO remains a vital entity and a security provider for an expanded community of states. The Atlantic Alliance official responsible for special operations highlighted the command’s role as a central clearinghouse and hub for information, intelligence, and the development of training and operational modules for allied and partner nations, underlining the existence and values of a network of forces, structures, open to academia, NGOs, states entities, which work for the synchronization, action and reaction.

Mauro illustrated the work of the body that he is leading, and how much it is important to improve the network of logistic and transport, especially now, under the constant pressure of Russia against the states included in this EU dedicated architecture. As an example, he mentioned the case of the ‘Suwalki corridor’ where the two organizations work tirelessly in order to reduce the threat and improve the operational and logistic bottleneck between allies and partners, both NATO and EU member states. Paradoxically, the problem of the compatibilities appears to be more between the states than within the organizations, stuck among the problem of sharing sensitive information, jurisdictions and domestic laws, where some states are members of NATO only and not of the EU, others are formally allied but divided by profound differences and rivalries.

Answering to a question by General Caruso, the issue of the compatibilities, Gen. Angle emphasized them from a different perspective, stressing that NATO knows the Russian approach and weakness since the short conflicts in Georgia and Crimea; also, he underlined that the Alliance with its policies and choices works to erode the capacity of Russia citing the allied efforts against the ‘shadow fleet’, which violate the international sanctions. These operations, Gen. Angle said, reduce the capacity of Moscow to threat Ukraine and indirectly Europe and the West.

However, the new threats and the technological quantum jump that we are witnessing require a greater engagement at all levels and by all allied nations.

Aside to the debates, the Global SOF Symposium Europe 2026 complemented the conference program also hosted a very important exhibition area, providing opportunities for direct engagement among military personnel, institutions, the research sector, and the industry. Participants included companies such as L3 Harris, Leonardo, Lockheed Martin, ELT, MBDA, BAE Systems, SIG Sauer, AeroVironment, General Dynamics Mission Systems, Elettronica Marittima, Teledyne, alongside firms specializing in unmanned systems, tactical communications, surveillance, electronic warfare, and operational equipment like Harmattan, Cellebrite, Cyberdife, Neros, LiveDrop, Osint Combine, Bison Sky-Watch, VigilInt, Legion, Taiga, RedCat, Gentex, Aimpoint, Fortem, Rhode&Schwarz, Suex, Plath, Backbone, Imsar, Cognyte, Intellitronika, Stauder Technologies, TrellisWare Technologies.

Particularly significant was the presence of demonstration stands from various Italian SF/SOF units: the 9th Parachute Assault Regiment “Col Moschin,” the 185th Parachute Reconnaissance and Target Acquisition Regiment “Folgore” (RRAO), the 4th Alpine Parachute Regiment “Ranger,” the 17th Special Operations Wing of the Italian Air Force, the Operational Raiders Group (GOI) of the Italian Navy, the 1st Carabinieri Parachute Regiment “Tuscania,” and the Special Intervention Group (GIS) of the Carabinieri.

The GSOF Symposium Europe 2026 confirmed that operational values move into putting together people, doctrine, and technology, equipment. For SF/SOF sector, the innovation remains a key element, passing through the availability of ever more advanced, sophisticated and expendable systems to adapt those to the constantly operational landscape and strategic direction from the countries politico-military leaderships.

The GSOF Symposium Rome’s outcomes will be duly assessed and analysed in the perspective of the next one, already planned to be held in Stockholm next year.

Photo courtesy US Dow/DVIDS and Bundeswehr