The Pic of the Day: These Marines would respond in case of an emergency in Middle East

U.S. Marines and Sailors with the Maritime Raid Force, 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU), prepare for a reconnaissance and surveillance mission aboard the amphibious assault ship USS Bataan (LHD 5) during Composite Training Unit Exercise (COMPTUEX) in the Atlantic Ocean Oct. 14, 2019. Bataan is underway conducting a COMPTUEX with the Bataan Amphibious Ready Group […]

Behind the scenes at SOFREP — Alex has left the building

Just as I was cutting my teeth on a cartoon series featuring SOFREP’s own storied writer Alex Hollings, he pulls up anchor to move onto another publishing challenge — editor! I affectionately remember the early days of Alex, A-Blast as I call him, working as a young apprentice for SOFREP delivering mail, shining shoes, and […]

The Pic of the Day: Marines brief Middle East expert

U.S. Marines and Sailors give a safety brief to Katherine Zimmerman, resident fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, Yemen and Africa subject matter expert, before she departs the amphibious assault ship USS Bataan (LHD 5) in the Atlantic Ocean Dec. 19, 2019. The Bataan is operating in the Atlantic Ocean in support of naval operations […]

The Pic of the Day: Sailors get ready to repel small enemy crafts

Information Systems Technician 2nd Class Adreiz Prewitt and Fire Controlman 2nd Class Joshua Messengill stand the small-craft attack team watch manning a .50-caliber machine gun aboard the guided-missile destroyer USS Carney (DDG 64) during a Suez Canal transit in route to the Red Sea, Jan. 14. Carney is deployed to the U.S. 5th Fleet area […]

The Pic of the Day: Special Forces operators show Marines how it’s done

A U.S. Army Special Forces team assaults a building during a close-quarters battle demonstration for Marines with Special-Purpose Marine Air-Ground Task Force Crisis Response-Africa in Baumholder, Germany. The ability to rapidly secure buildings allows Special Forces teams to complete a variety of missions ranging from hostage rescue to the suppression of enemy forces in an […]

The Pic of the Day: College baseball players meet Navy SEALs

Members of the San Diego State University baseball team learn about the teamwork utilized by successful Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL (BUD/S) boat crews as part of their visit to Naval Special Warfare (NSW) Center in Coronado, Calif., Jan. 15. The team’s visit was an opportunity for its NCAA Division I athletes to learn from the Naval […]

The Pic of the Day: Iraqi SOF capture ISIS’ Jabba the Hutt

Last week, Mufti Abu Abdul Bari, also known as Shifa al-Nima, was captured by Iraqi Special Operations Forces (ISOF) during an operation in Mosul, Iraq. According to Iraqi media reports, the Islamic State cleric weighs approximately an astounding 254 kilograms (560 pounds) — anyone working on his deadlift PR, here’s your chance. The Iraqi commandos […]

The Video of the Week: Marine Spec Ops, today will be different

Marine Corps Special Operations Command (MARSOC) train, organize, equip and deploy task-organized, scalable and responsive Marine Corps special operations elements worldwide in support of combatant commanders and other agencies. MARSOC is comprised of roughly 2,500 Marines and sailors. The base unit of MARSOC is the fourteen-man Marine Special Operations Team (MSOT). Each 14-man MSOT is […]

The Pic of the Day: It sucks to be you, Marine Raider

A team of Marines a carry zodiac boat to finish the boat build and breakdown event during the U.S. Marine Corps Forces, Special Operations Command Raider Games aboard Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, N.C. The Raider Games was a 10-mile ruck course with 14 events, including rappelling, pistol slow fire, completion of the obstacle course, […]

The Pic of the Day: Preparing for some explosive breaching

U.S. Marines conduct urban breach demolition and explosives training during exercise Fuji Viper 20-2 on Camp Fuji, Japan, Nov. 27, 2019. Fuji Viper is a regularly scheduled training evolution that allows infantry units to maintain their lethality and proficiency in infantry and combined arms tactics. This iteration of the exercise is executed by an activated […]

The Pic of the Day: SWCC dudes doing SWCC stuff

United States Navy Special Warfare Combatant-Craft Crewmen from Naval Special Warfare launch an unmanned aerial system June 20, 2019 during a patrol on the Black Sea as part of Trojan Footprint 2019. Trojan Footprint is an annual U.S. Special Operations Command Europe-led exercise that incorporates Allied and partner special operations forces, this year’s exercise brought […]