Terrorism and the Copycat Effect, What Should be Reported?

A recent study by some university professors in Australia has come up with startling conclusions. The more the media covers terrorism and specific acts of terror, the more it tends to inspire copycat terror attacks. Is this the plan by terrorists in the first place or the psychological phenomenon known as the Werther effect? Either […]

Contractors Taking Over in Afghanistan: The Story That Refuses to Die

Opinion – The administration of President Trump, when not engaging in a 7th grade Twitter War with King Jong Un from North Korea,  has invested long-term in Afghanistan. Right or wrong isn’t the topic here but the manner in which the United States decides to prosecute the war. A couple of the President’s advisers, including […]

Colombian Rebel Group ELN Admits to Killing Russian Hostage

Despite agreeing to a peace treaty with the government which would put an end to more than fifty years of war, the killings continue in Colombia. The second largest guerrilla organization, the ELN guerrilla group, said a Russian-Armenian citizen it held hostage for six months was killed in April while trying to escape. One of […]

Ally of Merkel Cites Thousands of Cyber Attacks From Russian IP

Despite Russia’s insistence that they are not trying to influence foreign elections, German political party members are claiming that their website has been hit with thousands of cyber-attacks. The vice chairman of German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s Christian Democratic Union says that their website has been hit with thousands of cyber-attacks before Sunday’s televised election debate. […]

Army General’s Text to an Enlisted Soldier’s Wife Prompts Investigation

The Army is investigating Major General Joseph Harrington, the commander of US forces in Africa for reportedly sending dozens of messages to the wife of an enlisted soldier under his command. Gen. Harrington’s alleged Facebook messages, many of whom are suggestive, range from flattering to flirty and include a request to the woman that she delete […]

Thousands of Military Contractor Files Left Unsecured Online

Veterans and active duty members near separation from the service including intelligence personnel who were seeking employment had their personal information including their resumes left unsecured and available for public consumption. Thousands of files were in the open until being discovered earlier this year. TigerSwan, a North Carolina-based private security firm had files dating back […]

National Preparedness Month, Death, Taxes and Disasters, SOF is Ready

President Trump has declared September 2017, as National Preparedness Month, and this is a good time with the devastation of Tropical Storm Harvey that we all develop personal plans on what to do in our family if a disaster strikes. Some of our SOFREP brethren in the LoadOut Room will be writing about how we […]

Military Parts Dealer Found Guilty of Stealing Army Equipment

John Roberts, of Clarksville, Tennessee, a military equipment dealer was found guilty of conspiracy to steal and sell government property, two counts of violating the Arms Export Control Act and 10 counts of wire fraud. Prosecutors said that he schemed with active duty soldiers at Ft. Campbell, KY to steal sensitive military material to sell […]

Pentagon Has Sent 6000 Troops to the Houston Area in Harvey Support

According to the Defense Department, with unprecedented rains and severe damage due to Tropical Storm Harvey, the US military has deployed more than 6,000 active-duty troops to support ongoing disaster relief efforts. There are reportedly another 1,100 more troops ready to deploy once given the order. US Northern Command, which commands active duty personnel in […]

Book Review, American Guerrilla: The Forgotten Heroics of Russell W. Volckmann

Unless you’re a Special Operations soldier or avid reading buff of guerrilla warfare, chances are that you’ve never heard much of Russell W. Volckmann. But American Guerrilla, The Forgotten Heroics of Russell W. Volckmann should be required reading for prospective Special Operations troops as well as current operators (although I dislike that term). The book […]

U.S. Confirms Higher Number of Troops in Afghanistan

The United States and the Pentagon have disclosed there are significantly more troops in Afghanistan than previously reported. Just a week after President Trump released a new strategy to end the war after 16 years, this report shows that the numbers of US troops to be much higher than previously thought. According to Pentagon officials, there are […]

U.S. Airstrikes Block Road and Strand ISIS Fighters in Syria

The United States condemned an “agreement between Lebanese Hezbollah and ISIS” allowing hundreds of ISIS fighters and their families to be bused through Syrian territory controlled by President Assad to an area on the Iraq border.  Later, US-led coalition aircraft bombed a road and vehicles in Syria on Wednesday in an effort to prevent those […]