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 […]

German woodcarver becomes honorary Green Beret

Special Forces have a very tight select group of members and it isn’t often that an outsider is accepted as one of their own. Very few have been given the honor of becoming an honorary Green Beret. A German woodcarver, who has been supporting the members of the 10th Special Forces Group in Europe for […]

Special Warfare Museum to close permanently

In January, the John F. Kennedy Special Warfare Museum closed in order to conduct a complete inventory. The Museum announced that once it reopened it would fall under the U.S. Army Special Operations Command and expand to include all of the ARSOF Regiments. Therefore it would also include Civil Affairs and Psychological Operations. Let the […]

Senior Officer Who Approved Niger Ambush Mission Gets Denied General rank

Following the deadly 2017 Niger ambush that resulted in the loss of four U.S. Special Forces troops, Colonel Bradley D. Moses, who approved the ill-fated mission, has been permanently removed from the promotion list to Brigadier General, highlighting the ongoing scrutiny and accountability faced by officers involved in the operation.

Special Operations Warrior Foundation: A noble cause worth supporting

One of the constant reminders of the cost of endless wars is the human toll they exact. This is not just confined to soldiers, sailors, airmen, and marines, but to their families too. Every time a warrior is either killed or seriously wounded in battle, his or her family is left to pick up the […]