Category: Military History

Modern warfare, as waged by the US, seems to be mostly about timelines.  In some respects this is necessary, especially in a combined-arms environment.  When you’ve got a lot of moving parts to the operation, to include ground, air, artillery, multiple units moving in the AO at the same time, having time hacks built into […]

In recent times, a fantastic example of specialized aviators exists in Operations Odyssey Dawn and Unified Protector, where a U.S.-led coalition faced down Muammar Gaddafi’s SAMs over Libya. This is an account of one particular mission during Unified Protector, written by a friend of ours still flying the Viper. We have concealed his identity and […]

Recently coming across this vintage film of Navy SEALs in Vietnam, I thought I would share it with everyone on SOFREP.  The national archives describes it as: This film shows Navy SEALs in action in the jungles of Long Phu, Vietnam. SEALs are seen as they marched single file and crouched down in tall brush while […]

Apart from Hitler, perhaps no one typified the evil of Nazism more so than Reinhard Heydrich. Cold, calculating, arrogant and brutal, he is a figure whose hands-on approach to dealing with perceived enemies of Germany made him author of some of the worst crimes ever perpetrated by man. Tall, slender with smooth blond hair and […]

I retired 180-A, Special Operations Technician and spent the majority of my Special Forces time working in Central and South America. I earned a CIB in Operation Desert Storm prior to my retirement in 1992 and was a member of the coveted P.I.G Team, also known as a “Green Light” Team in 7th SFG. I […]

March 3, 1969 was a memorable day for the US Navy (and for Tom Cruise) with the establishment of the famed Fighter Weapons School better known as ‘Top Gun’ at the former Naval Air Station (NAS) Miramar, California. Watch: What is Top Gun? Background: During the early years of the Vietnam War the US suffered […]

Tora Bora. We didn’t get Bin Laden because we couldn’t. WHAT!!! I thought we didn’t get Bin Laden because we mistakenly trusted the Afghans to do what they had promised, and we ignored very competent men on the ground who wanted to commit available US forces to the rear of Tora Bora to block Bin […]

On February 11th 1943, Darby’s 1st Battalion Rangers conducted their first night raid of WWII on a rail town in Southern Tunisia called Sened Station. They did not have the technology or weapons that modern-day Rangers are blessed with, but their willingness, tactical knowledge, and mastery of the night was very similar to the Rangers […]

Nigeria achieved independence from the UK in October, 1960.  It has seen little but strife ever since.  This is in large part due to the fact that the British laid out the boundaries of the most populous country in Africa without regard to anything but geography.  Nigeria might be a country, but it is not […]

It’s hard to do justice where it is deserved especially when it comes to the guys from the WWII era. I would like to tell you about missions that dealt with inserting swimmers in the dark hours of the night in the Pacific behind Japanese lines. You know how it goes, the boat guys insert […]

Humanity may face an energy crisis as the world’s population rapidly grows. Nuclear power plants can generate bountiful, carbon-free electricity, but their solid fuel is problematic, and aging reactors are being shut down. A Cold War-era liquid-fueled reactor design could transform thorium — a radioactive waste from mining — into a practically limitless energy source. […]

After the tragedy that unfolded at Desert One, the attempted Delta Force rescue of American hostages held in Iran in 1980, the Pentagon was forced back to the drawing board.  While it is easy to take for granted the Special Operations infrastructure that we have today, thirty years ago the military was still struggling in […]