European SOF Operators on why it’s hard to serve
Only in recent years has the European SOF community began standing up their own separate commands, such as Norway in 2014 and Denmark, which is in the process of this today.
Europe
The Pic of the Day: 10th Special Forces Group in Europe
A U.S. Soldier assigned to 10th Special Forces Group (Airborne) fires his rifle during a live-fire exercise at the 7th Army Training Command, Grafenwoehr Training Area, Germany, Nov. 8, 2019.
Battle of Vienna, Poland saves Europe
Vienna had been under siege for two months at the beginning of September of 1683. Count Ernst Rüdiger von Starhemberg, the garrison commander, had declared to the Ottoman Turks who had asked for his surrender that he would “fight to the last drop of blood.” And blood was running out fast in Vienna those days: […]
Not quite James Bond: Another ring of Russian spies and assassins exposed in Europe
In March of last year, a 66-year-old man named Sergei Skripal was the target of an alleged Russian assassination attempt on UK soil. Skripal, a former Russian military intelligence officer turned asset for the MI6, and his daughter were both exposed to a Soviet-era nerve agent called Novichock. The nerve agent very nearly killed them […]
Dry run for WWIII: US Army to deploy 20,000 troops to Europe
Ever since Russia’s military annexation of Crimea in 2014, the United States military has increased its presence and overall readiness throughout Eastern Europe. However, despite the presence of some 17,000 American troops on the continent, defense officials have repeatedly called for additional support, pointing out that NATO forces throughout the region are too sparse to […]
Fleet protection and counterterrorism: European task force to deploy outside Iran
On July 19th the British-flagged tanker Stena Impero sailing in Omani waters through the Hormuz Strait was captured by the Iranian Revolutionary Guards. The move came nearly two weeks after British Royal Marines Commandos seized an Iranian supertanker, near Gibraltar, believed to be carrying oil to Syria in contravention of European Union sanctions. Britain responded […]
When seconds matter: American and European SOF medics hone their craft
Treating a wounded comrade while under fire is one of the tougher aspects of war-fighting. Enemy fire and adverse battlefield conditions add to the existing stress of a medical emergency. The wounded’s life is in the balance and there’s no room for error. That is the reason why medics undergo long intellectually, emotionally, and mentally […]
Op-Ed: The European Council president is worried about tech giants ruling the world. Here’s what you can do to fight them.
In a Reuters article from May 1, 2019, European Council President Donald Tusk warned of the rising power of tech giants such as Google, Apple, Facebook, and Amazon. According to Reuters, “In the East, we see the rise of those capable of controlling everyone’s behavior, and in the West we’ve seen the rise of an […]
European Allies form a new regional special operations command to counter Russia
In an unanticipated but promising move, five European countries will establish a new Regional Special Operations Component Command (R-SOCC) according to NATO standards. According to NATO, defense ministers of Croatia, Hungary, Slovakia, and Slovenia signed a Letter of Intent (LOI) in February 2019 to create a common Special Operations Command. Austria, a partner nation, will […]
The Pic of the Day: US sends nuclear-capable bombers to Europe
A B-52 Stratofortress deployed from Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana, lands on the flight line at RAF Fairford, England, March 14, 2019. The B-52s are deployed to support U.S. Strategic Command’s Bomber Task Force in Europe. Learn more about what the B-52 is capable of in the video below:
Political leaders propose the adoption of a shared European Union aircraft carrier
In an unanticipated development, Germany has proposed that the European Union (EU) adopt a shared EU aircraft carrier. Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer, the successor of Angela Merkel in the leadership of the governing Christian Democratic Union and the next chancellor of Germany, said that, concerning European defense, “The next step could be to start on the symbolic […]
The Pic of the Day: US Army leads planning efforts for European defense drills
RHINE ORDNANCE BARRACKS, Germany – The U.S. Army Europe Rehearsal of Concept Drill for support during the summer exercises took place March 8, 2019 in Kaiserslautern, Germany. Allied and partner nations joined U.S. Army Europe logisticians to synchronize planning efforts for the five exercises that will take place in the Black Sea and Balkan regions […]
