Uri's Archive | SOFREP

Uri

Former recon and sniper turned red teams and disruptive digital warfare expert.

Uri 's Archives

A Team Effort – Part 1

by Uri

A red team is, like its name states, a team. This is a great thing since each member brings his...

May 19, 2013 · 26 Comments

In the IDF, 'Lonely Soldier' is a term that describes soldiers serving on active duty who have no family is Israel. These are volunteers that came to serve for 3-5 years. They typically go back to their respective countries upon completion. Most commonly, these are people who immigrated to Israel by themselves. I was one of them. While in Israel, I lived in an apartment building where the majority of people were lonely soldiers. It was located on the outer ring of Jerusalem, surrounded by four Arab villages. My roommates were two recon guys (like me) and one who worked in field intel. All of the other inhabitants were soldiers from various units, with most of them serving a combat role. It was a well known thing, especially to the Arabs in the village. Most of the time we wouldn't be there, but when we were on leave, we would come to the apartment for a little R&R. It was rare that the four of us were there at the same time, but once in a blue moon, it did happen. Each village had, as is customary, its own mosque. When the time for prayer came, the loudspeakers would call out to the faithful. It was OK, we were used to it. However, over the weekend they would make it a point to play the call to prayer very, and I mean VERY, loud. They knew soldiers would be in the building trying to get some sleep - recovering from several weeks in the field. This always annoyed me but there was nothing I could do. On this particular weekend, after an intense seven weeks of non-stop ops, all I wanted was to go to the apartment, sleep, eat, sleep some more and then sleep again. That weekend the four of us were at the apartment and we were all equally tired. We arrived Thursday night and after a small dinner and some beers, we went to sleep. At 0400 we all jumped.... The freaking loudspeakers at all four mosques began their call to prayer at full blast. Fuck.... We spent the remainder of the day trying to rest and every time we would fall asleep, again... The call for prayers, full blast! Over lunch, we all looked at each other and knew this had to stop. We came up with a plan. I know it wasn't nice, but at that point we couldn't care less about political correctness. Here's what we did. After some recon that night, we noticed that the call to prayer wasn't performed by an Imam or some other person with a microphone. It was a tape recorder that used a tape. We figured the four of us, experts in stealthy infils, could sneak in and steal those tapes. However, while we were planning the different infil routes for each village, we all smiled and did something better. We recorded Metallica's 'For Whom the Bell Tolls' on repeat on all four tapes and then waited till midnight. At midnight, each one of us - armed with a Metallica tape - headed to a different village. All dressed in black, we were careful not to be seen. We entered into the buildings and exchanged the tapes. We rallied back to the exfil point, a crossroad not far from the last village and headed back to our apartment. And then we waited... At 0350 we went to the roof with some coffee, opened some field chairs and waited for the show to begin. At 0400 sharp the first "call" came alive, full volume: Make his fight On the hill in the early day Constant chill deep inside ... Take a look To the sky Just before you die It's the last time he will Followed by the next, then the 3rd and 4th joined in. Full volume Metallica! Soon after, we heard sirens headed to the villages. I don't know what happened after that, but we had our own private concert, right there. No kidding, there I was... Metallica call to prayer

No Kidding There I Was… Metallica Call to Prayer

by Uri

In the IDF, ‘Lone Soldier‘ is a term that describes soldiers serving on active duty who have no family in...

May 18, 2013 · 49 Comments

Boston Marathon Attack

by Uri

Terrorists have again cowardly attacked innocent people. Again we’ve seen scenes of explosions, chaos, people wounded and people dead. Having...

April 17, 2013 · 45 Comments

Going in with the IDF

by Uri

This is a video filmed by an embedded journalist during the 2006 war with Hizbollah in Lebanon. The next day,...

March 28, 2013 · 35 Comments

No Kidding There I Was… Combating Terrorists With Heavy Metal

by Uri

So, we were posted in the middle of nowhere near an encampment of a certain jihadi group. We were at...

February 2, 2013 · 31 Comments

Red Teams Support SOF War on Terrorism – Part 2

by Uri

The trip to the infil point was uneventful. The blacked-out Hilux took the rocks on the road pretty well, however...

January 21, 2013 · 41 Comments

Military Cyber Assault Testing Reveals Data Leaks

by Uri

During multiple military cybersecurity assessments last year of both simulated and real-world missions — three of which involved units deployed...

January 18, 2013 · 181 Comments

Red Teams Support SOF in War on Terrorism – Part 1

by Uri

The building was brighter than the sun. It was 0200, but all offices seem to be occupied, at least when...

January 8, 2013 · 50 Comments

The Guardium UGV – The IDF Unmanned Ground Vehicle

by Uri

The IDF is known for its use of technology to help solve life and death problems. One of those technologies...

January 5, 2013 · 24 Comments

Israel’s Shin Bet Allows Sneak Peek at New Cyber Warfare Unit

by Uri

The new unit from Israel internal security agency will protect Israel’s most critical infrastructure against cyber terror attacks. Iran is actively...

December 24, 2012 · 10 Comments

New Uniform for the IDF SOF

by Uri

Israel’s FIBROTEX Technologies Ltd has been awarded a contract to supply its FIGHTEX combat uniform solution for an elite unit...

December 13, 2012 · 34 Comments

Why Does the IDF Have So Many SOF units?

by Uri

A while ago I was on the phone with Jack Murphy talking about the history of the IDF, its ops...

November 28, 2012 · 81 Comments

In Spite Of The Ceasefire, Troops Remain On High Alert In Israel

by Uri

In spite of the ceasefire brokered by Egypt between Israel and Hamas, tensions remain high and with good reason. More...

November 23, 2012 · 109 Comments

Israel At War And Why It Is justified

by Uri

Imagine you and your kids are walking on a busy street. You promised them ice cream and they are smiling...

November 19, 2012 · 639 Comments

No Kidding There I Was…The Explosive Goat

by Uri

Going into some of the most dangerous parts of the West Bank is often a surreal experience. It can be...

November 3, 2012 · 128 Comments