U.S. Special Operations Command Seeks Recruits with Both Technical Skills and Physical Toughness

U.S. special operations leaders are seeking recruits who combine technical skills with physical toughness as drones and autonomous systems change battlefield conditions. Adm. Frank Bradley, who leads the military's Special Operations Command, said at the annual SOF Week event in Tampa, Florida, last week that new technologies require higher baseline technical knowledge across units.

"We will find ways to develop and field, train and matriculate roboticists through our formations," Bradley said. Gen.

Frank Donovan, head of U.S. Southern Command, said physical standards remain essential even as technical requirements rise. "Cold, hard, and wet dirt still matters, grit matters," Donovan said. "Someone still has to place their foot on a piece of ground to declare victory.

The changes reflect lessons from Ukraine and a broader shift away from counterinsurgency operations toward preparation for potential great-power conflict.