International partnerships are crucial to SOF’s global mission. As the strategic landscape shifts, especially in the Indo-Pacific, these partnerships have become more transactional and focused on mutual interests such as access and influence. This panel will explore how SOF’s partnership approach has evolved since the Global War on Terrorism (GWOT), emphasizing intelligence sharing, joint exercises, and operational integration changes. It will also address challenges in forming long-term alliances and balancing partnership and autonomy in critical regions.