高级特种作战领导人讨论合作伙伴关系、联盟的价值

Senior military special operations forces leaders from the U.S., Sweden and the Philippines participated in a morning panel today about the importance of SOF partnerships and alliances, as part of Special Operations Forces Week 2026 in Tampa, Florida.

During the one-hour conversation, the four participants discussed how building trust through international alliances enhances collective readiness and interoperability, making it a prerequisite for mission success in contested environments.

"I think the most important thing is to continue to build trust between partners within the alliance, [and] also between partners," Swedish army Brig. Gen. Rickard Johansson, commander of Sweden's special operations forces, replied after the panel was asked what the international SOF community needs to focus on most to ensure that alliances are stronger, truly integrated and capable of meeting the challenges of an increasingly complex and contested world.

"And we will continue to do that, because that is the bottom line for all activities that we are supposed to do: build trust," Johansson added.

Air Force Maj. Gen. Claude K. Tudor Jr., commander of U.S. Special Operations Command Africa, concurred with Johansson's assessment, noting that his command has to monitor 53 countries on the African continent, so strong relationships with those countries' SOF elements are vital.

"Any day that ends in a 'y,' you know, there could be crisis out there. And so, as we continue to go through that — in order for us to have the placement and access that we need without building huge infrastructure all over the place — it's critical to have those relationships," Tudor said, adding that such relationships are "very, very critical."

The panel also discussed the need to build trust and develop strong working relationships with partners and allies to enable joint interoperability of advanced warfighting technologies.