Category: History

On May 21, 1979, Special Forces had one its true legends take from it prematurely. Arthur “Bull” Simons died at the age of 60 and was buried in Barrancas National Cemetery in Pensacola, Florida. He was one of the best SF commanders to have ever served but never made it to General Officer rank because he lacked […]

The upcoming week at Ft. Bragg and every other military base in the United States will be a hub of activity as the bases prepare for Memorial Day to honor the fallen of all of the United States’ conflicts. But the 3rd Special Forces Group, 3rd SFG(A) is getting a bit of jump on the […]

One of the more interesting meetings SOFREP had this past week at the SOFIC conference was with Lockheed Martin. SOFIC 2017 for those who don’t already know is the Special Operations Command’s industry conference where the best of the best in terms of arms and equipment try to sell their latest gear to the military, […]

The SOFIC Conference is over and the turnout, especially on Tuesday, was heavy. The conference is a fantastic display of weapons, equipment and nice to have gadgets for the Special Operations Forces on not just the United States but others as well. While it is billed as a gathering for US personnel, there was a […]

One of the things that always gets a ton of mileage on social media when discussing Special Operations troops is the attrition rate. Drop in on any of the major sites and the talk of the training attrition rates always comes up. Would-be SOF candidates are always doing the math in their heads, trying to […]

The hits keep coming for the Trump administration. The latest report states former National Security Advisor Mike Flynn blocked a plan to take the Islamic state’s caliphate in Syria at Raqqa using Kurdish forces. This was while receiving more than $500,000 from Turkey to do lobbying for them. The Turks opposed the plan and consider […]

The Russians are supporting the Taliban in northern Afghanistan by sharing intelligence with the former leaders of Afghanistan and also by ferrying in weapons and equipment by helicopter and by boat. The later parts are denied by Russian government officials. The head of the US Central Command, General Joseph Votel had stated earlier this year […]

Most of what we write here at SpecialOperations.com deals with the training side of the house. What you’ll need to do to pass the Selection and Assessment courses and the follow-on training in the qualification courses, with a fair bit of history thrown in. Today isn’t any of that. Although in the past, the history […]

Tampa Bay is hosting the Special Operation Forces Industry Conference (SOFIC) this week and the floor of the marketplace is an impressive place to see. Some of the best manufacturers of weapons and equipment are there with their latest wares and it is a maze of cool gear for the cool guys and a ton […]

The Russian military has been paying attention to the United States use of and training of their Special Operations forces. And if imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, the Russians are giving the US Special Operations Forces a big compliment. The Russian are tailoring the use of their Special Operations Forces as well as […]

The Airborne and Special Operations Museum (ASOM) in Fayetteville, NC will be honoring a very important part of the Special Operations success in recent years by honoring the K-9 heroes of the military. On May 29, the ASOM will pay tribute to the canine members of the Special Operations community with a Memorial Day service […]

During World War II, the OSS (Office of Strategic Services), Special Operations Branch had recruited foreign language speakers who would volunteer for hazardous duty behind enemy lines and parachute into denied territory. The Jedburgh teams were born. Wanted: Volunteers for immediate overseas assignment. Knowledge of French or another European language preferred; Willingness and ability to […]