Women & standards in Special Operations and Special Mission units

SOFREP recently published an exclusive piece covering the journey of the first female candidate set to graduate the Special Forces Qualification Course and earn her coveted green beret — an amazing achievement. Similarly, recent years have seen the services open their previously male-exclusive roles, including the opportunity to attend Ranger School and others, to women […]

The Special Operations argument for a Civil Affairs tab

Symbols are important. Civilizations, organizations, corporations, and even an individual’s identity are built on and around symbols. They communicate values, demonstrate principles, express aspirations, declare intentions, assert purpose, affirm origins, and galvanize solidarity. Symbols are powerful because they instill pride, evoke camaraderie, and spur individuals to strive harder in their pursuits. The proud graduates of […]

Naval Special Warfare continues to pump out operators

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a huge impact on the way that the U.S. military does business. Naval Special Warfare has not been immune to these changes. As previously discussed on SOFREP, on March 16, The Naval Special Warfare (NSW) Basic Training Command (BTC) put a hold on BUD/S classes that were in the 1st […]

75th Ranger Regiment permanently activates new battalion

Earlier this month, the 75th Army Ranger Regiment permanently activated its newest battalion. The Ranger Military Intelligence Battalion (RHIB) is now one of the five battalions of the 75th Ranger Regiment, the other being three infantry battalions (1/75, 2/75, 3/75) and a Special Troops Battalion. According to the 75th Ranger Regiment, the RHIB’s mission is […]

The Iranian commando who became an American Green Beret

The first time Changiz Lahidji joined a Special Forces unit, his loyalty was to Reza Pahlavi, the Shah of Iran. But he found himself guarding lavish parties in the middle of the desert, protecting the opulent ruler of Imperial Iran and his guests. It wasn’t exactly the life of adventure that John Wayne movies led […]

37 years ago, the Special Forces Regiment got its Tab

SF troops come from humble and austere beginnings. The original Special Forces troops were formed on Smoke Bomb Hill in 1952. Special Forces were created as former members of the OSS (Office of Strategic Services) were assigned with paratroopers and Rangers, with a sprinkling of former members of the Army’s 1st Special Service Force, to […]

Intruder shot and killed while trying to enter Navy SEAL training compound in Alaska

On Saturday, June 13, an intruder was shot and killed after entering the Naval Special Warfare (NSW) Detachment Kodiak’s compound in Alaska. The reports are preliminary and detailed information is murky at best. Jason Vinburg, age 30, was mortally wounded during the incident. He illegally gained access to the compound and attempted to enter a […]

Marine Raider dies in static-line parachute training accident

On Tuesday, a Marine Raider was killed during a static-line parachute jump while in the U.S. Army’s Basic Airborne Course at Fort Benning, Georgia. Sergeant Wolfgang Weninger was a Critical Skills Operator (CSO) assigned to the Marine Raider Training Center. He was set to graduate from Airborne training on Friday. Marine Special Operations Forces (MARSOC) […]

Special Operations units to receive new dune buggy

Polaris’s government and defense business has been awarded a potential seven-year, $109 million contract from the General Services Administration (GSA) to build a light tactical all-terrain vehicle for the U.S. Special Operations Command (SOCOM). This follow-on contract is for the Polaris MRZR Alpha, a new light tactical vehicle. The seven-year contract has a value of […]

Feed the Rangers: America’s elite left without enough food

Feed the Rangers. It’s hard to imagine that one of the U.S. military’s premier Special Operations units would fail to sufficiently feed its troops during an extraordinary time. And yet that’s exactly what is been happening in the 1st Battalion, 75th Regiment, which is based at Hunter Army Airfield, Georgia. Last week, approximately 300 Rangers […]