In the first days of October, the Chinese military sent more than 150 aircraft, including bombers capable of carrying nuclear weapons, into Taiwan's air-defense identification zone, which isn't territorial airspace but is still seen as a provocative move. Amid that Chinese aggression, reports emerged that U.S. Army Special Forces soldiers and Marine Raiders have deployed to … [Read more…]
21st Special Tactics Squadron Commandos receive 90 medals
On July 24, 2020, members of the Air Force’s 21st Special Tactics Squadron, along with their friends and family, joined together for a special awards ceremony. The squadron’s most recent deployment was in 2019. It involved members deploying to three different locations and fighting against six different extremist organizations. Due to the actions of the squadron’s members, … [Read more…]
Special Operations units will be the last line of defense in Afghanistan
As U.S. troops have begun withdrawing from Afghanistan after 19 years of warfare, it looks like U.S. Special Operations units are going to be the last bastion of defense in the country. The agreement between the U.S and the Taliban stipulates that American troops are to be gradually withdrawn from the country within a 14-monthly period. And this has already started, with … [Read more…]
After 19 years of war, U.S. troops begin withdrawing from Afghanistan
The United States has begun the initial, gradual withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan in keeping with the peace agreement signed with the Taliban on Feb. 29. The Pentagon confirmed this despite the political chaos surrounding the Kabul government. Under the peace agreement, U.S. forces will be reduced from 13,000 to 8,600 over the next 135 days said Colonel Sonny Leggett, … [Read more…]
Preparing the Special Forces operator for the Unconventional Warfare environment
The task of the Special Forces Assessment and Selection course is identifying the candidates who are suitable for Special Forces training. And two of the primary functions of Special Forces are UW (Unconventional Warfare) and FID (Foreign Internal Defense). It is important that the schools don’t lose sight of that fact as SOF (Special Operations Forces) has been heavy into … [Read more…]
Winning hearts and minds the Special Air Service way
Read part 2 here “For all their limitations, I don’t believe we could’ve won the war without the firqats,” says Ian Gardiner, a former Royal Marines officer with extensive service to include deployments in Oman, Northern Ireland, and the Falklands. Before we delve into what the firqats, literally meaning a company, were and their operations with the SAS, we must first … [Read more…]
The Winds of Change Blow in Africa: 101st Paratroopers out, Security Forces in
The Pentagon’s decision to replace elements of an infantry brigade of the 101st Airborne with elements of the 1st Security Force Assistance Brigade (SFAB) has long been in the works. This will accomplish two tasks: Firstly, it will provide better continuity in training missions with a unit designed to train foreign troops, thereby freeing up combat infantry units. Secondly, … [Read more…]
Navy SEALs and SWCCs do more than shoot bad guys
When people hear of Navy SEALs or Special Warfare Combatant-Craft Crewmen (SWCC), most think of a scene of guns blazing, cool ass night vision goggles, and fast helicopters and boats slipping through the dark night. In reality, Naval Special Warfare has many different mission sets, including Foreign Internal Defense (FID). FID may not be the sexiest special operations … [Read more…]
Belgian Commandos in Africa: Secretive and highly effective
The deadly ambush in Niger in 2017, which resulted in the deaths of four Americans, revealed to a dumbfounded public the silent war that has been taking place in the Sahel. Aside from U.S. troops, several other countries have a strong presence in the area. Belgium is one of them. And its Special Forces Group appears to have been devastatingly efficient. According to a report … [Read more…]
A volunteer’s perspective on training foreign soldiers
During my time embedded with Kurdish Peshmerga forces, I spent the majority of it in a training and advising role when not conducting combat operations. With this position I have come to acquire a vast amount of experience in what it requires to train soldiers to specific standards. There are basically two routes when it comes to this, you either produce a large amount of … [Read more…]
Op-Ed: Security Forces Assistance Brigades: The death of Special Forces
Over the years, many have lamented the end of Special Forces, foreseeing the destruction of the Green Berets, a slipping of training and selection standards, and plenty of general navel-gazing about how it "use to be." Hell, I remember buying a copy of Soldier of Fortune magazine in the PX at Fort Bragg over a decade ago with a cover story on this topic. When MARSOC (Marine … [Read more…]
Colombian Drug Cartel; Carlito’s Way
(You can read part one here) (Dedication for this article goes to my SOFREP sister Ms. TXAZZ) Correction from part one: the Brigade commander Colonel "Rodriguez," it rather named "Velasquez." I was able to dig up some documents on this subject that I had holed away that allowed me to make the correction. To further clarify, in-country I went by the name Carlitos, and … [Read more…]