Frag Out! Magazine
Issue link: https://fragout.uberflip.com/i/1446249
The Global SOF Foundation is working to support interna- tional cooperation for the development of special opera- tions forces worldwide and tailoring the SOF capabilities to the current requirements when neutralizing the omnipres- ent threat. One of the tools to do that comes in a form of symposia organized in the United States of America and Europe. GSOF Symposium Europe is an annual event held in several different locations in Europe. In 2020 the event was to take place in Warsaw, however, the COVID-19 pan- demic became a stumbling block, and the symposium took place with one year delay. The previous editions of the symposium in Europe were held in Vilnius (2016), Bucha- rest (2017), Madrid (2018), and Brussels (2019). In 2022 the GSOF Symposium will be taking place in Budapest. The assumption behind the GSOF Symposium is to create an experience exchange platform between Allied SOF, track the trends in technology, weapon systems, and evolution of the SOF equipment, and predict the trends in SOF develop- ment. Representatives of the host-country SOF always part- ner up with the organizers of the event. This year's edition was Fco-organized by the Polish Ministry of Defence and the Polish SOF Component Command. During numerous presentations and discussion panels, problems related to contemporary threats, and hybrid warfare were discussed, along with the potential ways one could counteract these threats. This includes tightening of cooperation among the NATO allies on the eastern flank, and the necessity to fur- ther develop the SOF potential. The speakers and guests included Div. Gen. Piotr Błazeusz, Deputy Chief of General Staff, Div. Gen. Sławomir Drumowicz, SOF Component Com- mander, Commander of the Slovak SOF (Veliteľstvo Síl pre špeciálne operácie – VeSŠO), Brig. general Branislav Ben- ka, Hungarian SOF commander (HUNSOF) Div. Gen. Tamás Sándor, Deputy US SOCOM Commander, vice-admiral Tim- othy Szymanski, and Ukrainian SOF commander, General Major Hryhoriy Halahan. GSOF Symposium Europe also served as an occasion to showcase the latest offerings when it comes to SOF inven- tory - and the offer was broad, ranging from firearms and in- dividual pieces of kit, communication and observation sys- tems, to aircraft - even though the latter were demonstrated solely via the means of folders or presentations. Some of the most interesting proposals have been outlined below. www.fragoutmag.com