SOF soldiers around the globe have one thing in common: they always make do with whatever resources they have available. In Greece, we have been hit hard by the world economic crisis, and the money needed for a Fast Rope Insertion Extraction System (FRIES) was simply not available.

A staff sergeant from the Special Paratroopers section designed a cheaper alternative for a fraction of what the FRIES system costs. Staff Sergeant Ε.Κ (below) continued the tradition of SOF soldiers by improvising a solution with what he had at hand. Αccording to Savvas Vlassis, the first use of the system took place in October, 2011. In June, 2012, men of the 19th Special Forces group used the system while training with the Special Paratroopers section (bottom).

Staff Sergeant Ε.Κ.

19th special forces group in training using the system

Images courtesy of Savvas Vlassis