Category: Expert Analysis

It is well-known fact inside our Special Operations Forces that being in one of the many units in the United States SOF has more to do with the operators being ‘special’ and not just the gear that they use to get the job done. But frequently the public gets wrapped around the ax handle with […]

The tactical training and survival corners of the internet tend to intersect at the retail counter, where a lot of the same gear you already have in your drawers at home gets painted tri-color camouflage and marketed to you as something you never realized you needed in your go-bag, bug-out-bag, get-home-bag, or pack lunch for cheerleader […]

Read Part 9 Here American Special Forces would be providing direct action and strategic reconnaissance support to the Korean Special Forces during the war, however, they would not be sending infiltrators into North Korea. Instead, they would be aiding and assisting their partner forces. The Americans perceived “the war as being initiated by the North. Our biggest […]

Featured image: Well’s Fargo safe placed at Ground Zero of an above-ground nuclear blast effects experiment. Photo courtesy of Center for Land Use Interpretation Some vets say that transition from military to civilian life is like stepping from one war zone to another. I don’t think that at all. It only bids me pray tell […]

Here at SOFREP.com we delve into myriad issues beyond news and information on U.S. Special Operations Forces (SOF) and intelligence agencies.  The topics covered range from everyday carry (EDC) to how to survive a mass shooting.  We touch on nearly everything in between, as well, from personal security and weapons to everyday tactical thinking. We want […]

Read Part 8 HERE Without a parent command, Randall and his team sergeant could determine how the Det could best serve Korean Special Forces and the U.S. military presence on the peninsula. They also deployed to Australia, Hawaii, Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia, the Philippines, and Japan to support other military exercises. Much like Detachment A in […]

When it comes to choosing the stuff you keep strapped to you on a daily basis, there are a number of things you need to take into account: the environments you’re normally in, the laws in your particular state and county, weight, mobility, and perhaps most important of all – comfort.  It may sound awfully […]

The word veteran means a lot of things to a lot of different people. Growing up, I never gave much thought to what makes an individual a veteran. As a kid, I simply thought it applied to anyone who spent time in the military. In my mid-twenties I enlisted in the U.S. Army and was […]

Read Part 4 HERE The harbor area was buzzing with guys preparing their little camp areas. In addition to your own space, there was also a patrol space to prepare, as well as other areas as directed by the drill sergeants. To further complicate things, there was a permanent sentry position being manned on each aspect, along […]

The Special Operations community is always under the spotlight even though they themselves would rather remain in the shadows as the “Quiet Professionals” but because of their nature, the public and the government are fascinated by them. As a result, too many times, people in government with no operational experience, nor any idea what it […]

Allow your intrepid author to begin with this caveat: Neither I nor any other former SEAL, Ranger, Marine Raider, Special Forces guy, or CIA officer has his or her shit totally together all the time. I am not here to fool you into believing that. Lots of us do have our shit together a good deal of […]

The men of 1st Platoon, Bravo Company, 3rd Marine Recon Battalion first escaped death in the form of a U-shaped ambush by Taliban forces late in the afternoon on June 6, 2011. Then, they escaped death again, this time from a 500-pound GBU-54 laser-guided bomb dropped 34 meters from their position about an hour after they requested supporting […]