During Swift Response 2024 (May 2024) near Skillingaryd, Sweden, two teams from 10th Special Forces Group (Airborne) of the U.S. Army — commonly known as “Green Berets” — carried out a realistic cyber-enabled mock raid. In the first phase, one Operational Detachment Alpha (ODA) remotely infiltrated the target facility’s Wi-Fi network, disabled its electronic security systems, and enabled a second ODA to physically breach the building. After placing jamming gear to erase digital traces of the operation, the team exited undetected. The event was disclosed publicly by the Army in a news release.
Background: Cyber + Kinetic — The New Special Ops Paradigm
The demonstration underscores a growing trend within U.S. special operations: the blending of traditional direct-action capabilities with cyber warfare and electronic warfare (EW). Historically, special forces focused on human intelligence, direct raids, hostage rescue, and counterterrorism. But as modern warfare becomes increasingly networked — with security cameras, door locks, alarms, and building automation often connected to Wi-Fi or digital systems — the potential to exploit those networks becomes a valuable tactical lever.
By integrating cyber and EW tools with parachute insertion and ground maneuvers, forces like the 10th SFG(A) broaden the toolkit for future conflicts, especially against near-peer adversaries where stealth, speed, and information dominance will matter.
Details of the Mock Raid
- Cyber Infiltration: The first ODA used a remote access device (RAD) to detect Wi-Fi networks emanating from the target building. They cracked the Wi-Fi password, enumerated connected devices, and exploited a target computer within the facility. Through this access they manipulated security cameras, door locks, and other electronic security systems — effectively rendering the building defenseless from a physical intrusion.
- Kinetic Infiltration: With the facility’s electronic defenses neutralized, the second ODA team conducted a military free-fall (MFF) parachute jump, then marched approximately seven miles to reach the target. The weakened security posture allowed them easy access to the building.
- Electronic Cover-Up: Once inside, the team deployed signal-jamming equipment to erase or block any trace of the cyber intrusion or physical presence. According to the Army, the clean withdrawal left no evidence that the building had been breached.
- A Digital “Prank”? A photograph released by the Army shows a laptop inside the building playing (or displaying still from) the 1987 music video Never Gonna Give You Up by Rick Astley — a well-known meme characterizing online pranking (“Rickrolling”). It is unclear whether this was an intentional part of the operation or merely a troop joke.
As one of the ODA commanders (anonymous) asserted: successful covert cyber disruption “allows us to glean critical information in a way that’s undetectable if we do our jobs right.
Strategic Significance: Special Ops for Great Power Competition
The exercise reflects a strategic shift in U.S. special operations posture: moving beyond the counterterrorism focus of the last two decades toward preparing for high-end, multi-domain conflicts. Experts view blending cyber and kinetic capabilities as an enabler for missions such as intelligence collection, sabotage, hostage rescue, or seizure of high-value targets — especially when stealth and surprise matter more than brute force.
As one analyst noted, the use of cyber-physical vulnerabilities — Wi-Fi networks, CCTV, access control systems — combined with conventional Special Forces tradecraft, represents a powerful new “attack surface.”
During a recent panel at the annual SOF-Week convention, Dagvin R.M. Anderson, Director for Joint Force Development at the Pentagon, described such cyber-enabled special operations as part of how elite forces can “create strategic effects” in future conflicts — beyond traditional counterterror operations.
Implications and What’s Next
The successful mock raid during Swift Response 2024 highlights how cyber infiltration might become a core capability within special operations — especially in urban or hardened environments where digital systems control access and security.
However, this evolution also raises questions: in a real-world peer-conflict scenario, would adversaries rely on unsecured Wi-Fi networks and consumer-grade automation sensitive to exploitation? Some cybersecurity analysts argue that such networks are more likely in commercial or non-state facilities than in hardened military infrastructures — potentially limiting the real-world applicability of the tactic.
Still, the exercise demonstrates intent and capability. As adversaries — state and non-state alike — continue to digitize infrastructure, the precedent set by this mock raid suggests that cyber-physical infiltration may play a growing role in future operations, especially those requiring stealth, intelligence gathering, or seizure of critical assets.
For policy makers and defense planners, the take-away may be clear: maintaining rigid cyber hygiene, minimizing reliance on commercial wireless networks for sensitive security systems, and ensuring defensive cyber-electronic warfare readiness must remain priorities.
