Jack Murphy

About the author

Jack served as a Sniper and Team Leader in 3rd Ranger Battalion and as a Senior Weapons Sergeant on a Military Free Fall team in 5th Special Forces Group. Having left the military in 2010, he graduated from Columbia with a BA in political science. Murphy is the author of Reflexive Fire, Target Deck, Direct Action, and Gray Matter Splatter. His memoir, "Murphy's Law" is due for a 2019 release and can be pre-ordered now.

Special Forces: Then and Now, part 2

1st SOW has the MC130, which is their troop carrier aircraft, and which also has the capability to pluck a single individual out of an open field without landing, using a device called the Fulton Recovery System, aka the Skyhook. This gizmo has been around for years. In fact James Bond used it at the […]

SAS/SBS: Hostage Rescue Track Record

While controversy and many unanswered questions continue to surround this weeks failed hostage rescue mission by Britain’s SBS in Nigeria, it may be useful to take a look back at the over all track record that both the SBS and SAS have had with these types of missions.  A huge thanks to SOFREP reader Chris […]

Rangers Conduct Airfield Seizure Training

The Eastern Oregon Regional Airport will come under assault Monday by an elite military team supported by an array of specialized aircraft. Don’t be alarmed. They’re on our side. And it’s only a drill. The 2nd Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment, a U.S. Army unit stationed at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Washington, returns Monday through Thursday to […]

The Mac Man: Gordon B. Ingram and His Submachine Guns

There is a small but growing genre out there that exists in the intersection between history, mechanical engineering, and the intrigue that often surrounds the world of small arms weapons manufacturing. Let’s be honest with ourselves for a moment, as current and former Soldiers and Law Enforcement Officers, there is a tremendous amount of misinformation, […]

JSOC, Hostage Rescue Track Record

In the wake of the failed hostage rescue mission conducted by the British SBS in Nigeria, it may also prove useful to take a look back at JSOC hostage rescue missions as well.  Special thanks to SOFREP reader Chris for his hard work in compiling this information for us. The successful rescue of Jessica Buchanan […]

The Green Beret Foundation

“This should have been done 50 years ago,” Brig. Gen Edward M. Reeder, Jr. told an applauding audience at the first Green Beret Foundation gala fundraiser in San Antonio, Texas during the summer. As the guest speaker, the U.S. Army Special Forces Commanding General told stunning stories of incredible valor by today’s Green Berets, the […]

Sergeant First Class Frederic N. Moses, RIP

Since last night I’ve been following up on the shooting that occurred on the 15th which left one Special Forces Soldier dead and a police officer injured.  This stuff tears us up inside because this story just goes from bad to worse and I suspect that some serious repercussions are coming down the line and […]

Special Forces: Then and Now, part 1

A while back a friend asked me what the differences are, between the Special Forces of my day, and this generation of Green Berets. After careful thought I have decided that the spirit is virtually identical, the mission and organization are basically the same, and everything else is a lot different. The spirit of Special […]

NEWS: 5th Special Forces Group Soldier Charged with Homicide

Initial information that I’ve gotten is that this 5th Group soldier shot the guy who was cheating with his wife, the police got called in, he shoots one and takes the rest hostage.  Clarksville Police Department surrounds the place and fires tear gas into the apartment until he surrenders.  Developing… CLARKSVILLE, TENN.— A Clarksville man […]

Three SOF Phrases That I Hate

The military is full of professional jargon and SOF is certainly no exception.  With the growing interest in Special Operations, I hear a lot of terminology used to describe us that makes me cringe.  The worst part is that some of these terms are thrown around so often that they become an institution in and […]

Special Forces still grinding away at corrupt Afghan officials…

From David Axe, writing for AOL: In Afghanistan formal institutions such as banks, police and courts are under-developed, but traditional bodies – the non-binding shura councils and the decision-making jirga groups, for example – are highly refined and widely-respected. It would be quicker and more lasting to embed reform efforts in the shura and jirga, […]

A look at future battlefields with the IDF

‘%EMBED1%’ As the GWOT continues to wind down for a large swath of the US Military, the Special Operations community defense planners and military leaders are sure to have their eye on the next conflict that America could be facing.  While I’m the first to point out that there is a lot of hype going […]