The SORO Resistance Pyramid

Origins, Structure, and Modern Implications

If we’ve crossed the line from clandestine to overt, the clock is already ticking. The SORO Pyramid shows how fast.

First developed in the mid-1960s by the U.S. Army’s Special Operations Research Office (SORO), the model distilled two decades of irregular warfare experience into a single framework.

It remains doctrinally significant in the field of Unconventional Warfare (UW) and continues to inform modern military thinking.

This article examines the pyramid’s historical origins and purpose, analyzes its multi-layered structure, and illustrates each stage with real-world examples ranging from the French Resistance of WWII to 21st-century uprisings.

Finally, it explores how the pyramid’s framework can be applied in a preparedness context…enabling individuals, families, and small groups to better anticipate and prepare for social instability or regime collapse.