SOF Tips: Speed up your recovery after the 12-mile rucksack march

This piece is meant to help prospective candidates prepare for SOF selection with their 12-mile rucksack march. And hopefully for those that followed it and conducted it, (it was a cold 40 degree, rainy morning here), followed our normal rucksack marching tips. Wearing the correct boots and socks, having the correct and comfortable clothes on […]

Operation Urgent Fury: The US invades Grenada on this day in 1983

On this day in 1983, members of the 1st and 2nd Ranger Battalions, 82nd Airborne Division, Marine Corps 8th Marine Regiment, US Army Delta Force and Navy SEAL commandos invaded the island nation of Grenada. The small island, located about 100 miles north of Venezuela, was under strife after Prime Minister Maurice Bishop was placed […]

SOF Selection ‘Tip of the Day’: Say goodbye to shin splints when rucking

When attempting to pass the various Selection courses in the military, we tend to lean towards the physical preparation but speak about the courses being mostly mental in nature. Well, the two definitely go hand-in-hand as the more physically prepared you are, the more confident you will be when tackling the next obstacle in your […]

SOF Tips: Rucking trails in deep snow? Try something new and go snowshoeing

We publish a daily workout regimen that we post for all of the aspiring Special Operations candidates to properly prepare themselves physically for the various Selection courses. And Sunday was supposed to be a long rucksack march. But Mother Nature decided to throw us all a curve here in the Northeast. Our first major winter […]

Special Warfare Operator: The Air Force’s new SOF job opens up

The Air Force’s new Special Operations career field is about to launch. After years of planning and much deliberation, the long-awaited Special Warfare (SW) career field opens up on October 31. The Special Warfare (1Z) career field will now encompass four Air Force Specialty Codes (AFSCs), which is the nomenclature that the Air Force utilizes […]

On this day in 1944, 800 Gypsy children are gassed at Auschwitz

During the Holocaust, it wasn’t just the Jews who suffered at the hands at the Nazis although they bore the brunt of the racism and extermination at the hands of the Germans and their allies during World War II. The Gypsies were also persecuted during the reign of Hitler and his henchmen. The Nazis at […]

Pararescueman assigned to Tier 1 unit dies in training

On Tuesday, 8 October a Pararescueman (PJ) was killed during mountain rescue training in Boise, Idaho. Technical Sergeant Peter Kraines, 33, was assigned to the 24th Special Tactics Squadron, 24th Special Operations Wing (24th SOW). In a press release, U.S. Air Force Colonel Matthew Allen, the commanding officer of the 24th SOW, said that “this […]

Navy SEAL acquitted of murdering ISIS prisoner files for clemency

The legal adventures of Special Warfare Operator Chief Eddie Gallagher are far from over. Last year, the Navy SEAL was accused of obstruction of justice, attempted homicide, and murdering a teenage Islamic State detainee in Mosul, Iraq, during a combat deployment in 2017, among other things. After a legal saga that lasted for almost a […]

US Military’s working dogs are the worst nightmare for the enemy

Cry havoc… Since the time of Greece and the Roman Empire, the dog has been a valued and trusted member of the military. The Romans used a breed of Mastiff that is now extinct. Then, they covered their canines in armor with spiked collars and used them to wreak havoc on their enemies. The use […]

What Makes a Successful Special Operation Forces Candidate?

“…We are what we repeatedly do, Excellence then is not an act but a habit” Aristotle One of the biggest questions we get here at SpecialOperations.com and over at SOFREP for the aspiring SOF candidates is, “What do I have to do to get Selected?” It is a legitimate question if a bit simplistic. There […]