Stavros Atlamazoglou

Barcelona—Everyone saw it coming. Failing to respond to Madrid’s ultimatum, Catalonia is set to lose its autonomy. Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy will meet his cabinet on Saturday to decide which measures of Article 155 will be enforced.  Rajoy is attending an EU meeting in Brussels, and that’s why the cabinet won’t meet today. But, […]

London—The United Kingdom Special Forces (UKSF) is set to lose some of its organic aviation capability. The British Ministry of Defence (MoD) has announced that the 657 Squadron of the Army Air Corps (AAC) will be disbanded in 2018.  Under this development, the SAS, SBS, and their support elements will be down a flight of […]

Barcelona—Catalonia’s moment of truth nears. Tomorrow ends the second deadline that the Spanish government has given to Catalan President Carles Puigdemont to clarify last Tuesday’s independence declaration. In the October 1st referendum, 90% of participants voted for independence.  But the turnout was just 43%.   Then, on October 10th, Puigdemont declared independence in front of a packed […]

Vienna—The ballots have been sealed. The conservative ÖVP won the Austrian legislative election with 32%.  The socialist SPÖ, with 26.9% and right-wing FPÖ, with 26%, contest for second place.  Final results will be announced on Thursday. But it matters not since the ÖVP and FPÖ will be most likely forming a right-leaning coalition with Sebastian […]

Madrid—The Catalonia crisis has reached its peak. On Tuesday, the Catalan Parliament signed a unilateral declaration of independence.  It came in the wake of an illegal and highly contentious referendum in which 90% of voters chose independence, but the turnout was just 43%. Catalan President Carles Puigdemont, however, suspended the implementation of the declaration for the […]

Barcelona—Parlament de Catalunya This afternoon, Carles Puigdemont, the Catalan President, will announce his plan for the wealthy region’s future. In the wake of the controversial referendum that has split Catalans, he’s expected to either declare a unilateral declaration of independence or some sort of smooth secession from Spain. In the October 1st plebiscite, 90% of […]

Imagine an urban counterinsurgency in a sectarian setting.  Probably your bottom pick of conflict, as the Iraq adventure continues to show. Now imagine an army on the ropes and devoid of actionable intelligence. The ancient Sun Tzu might have been the first to wed intel and victory, but his concept still rang true in Northern […]

“El peixos grossos sempre es menjaran els minuts.”  If your Catalan is as bad as mine, it means “Men are like fish; the great ones devour the small.” A proverb that describes how a lot—but not all—of Catalans feel about their place in Spain. On October 1st, the Catalan government held an illegal independence referendum. […]

Captured by the IRA or a blown cover. These were the ultimate sins. In case an operator was compromised, it was either a different Detachment and location or the conventional army. So, the three-week Induction Phase, when fresh operators were paired with seasoned ones, was crucial.  The veterans drove their new colleagues through their AO, […]

Camp Two was a different pudding. Not to say that the physical or mental pressure eased.  But now it was selection by training as opposed to Camp One’s selection by torture. Nestled in rural Wales, Camp Two resembled an operational Detachment base.  There was a bar, a TV room, lecture rooms, ranges, etc. Women and […]

Read Part I here. “From time to time, there is a requirement for men and women to volunteer to undertake special duties of a hazardous nature in Northern Ireland. Selection and training for the special duties is both rigorous and arduous. For further details, see defense council instructions…” Divine words for anyone stranded in a […]

You’ve heard about the Special Air Service (SAS).  Perhaps you’ve heard about their maritime brethren, the Special Boat Service (SBS).  Chances are, however, you haven’t heard about their youngest sibling, the Special Reconnaissance Regiment (SRR). And for a good reason.  Created in 2005, this shadowy unit is the equivalent of America’s Intelligence Support Activity (ISA), […]