• Ranger recalls the invasion of Grenada

    Stephen Trujillo was a combat medic with the 2d Ranger Battalion during the invasion of Grenada. He was decorated with the Silver Star for gallantry in action, and was cited by President Reagan during the 1984 State of the Union Address. Trujillo later served in Special Forces, and with DEA Operation Snowcap. The following excerpt is from a forthcoming book about Operation Urgent Fury and life in the Rangers. – The Daily Beast

  • Intrigue and assassinations in Tajikistan

    As the United States and their North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) allies have ended combat operations and pursued a path of withdrawal in Afghanistan, problems that have wracked the South Asian country have increased in intensity. A recent surge of anti-government forces into key areas in Northern Afghanistan, to include the Taliban and other groups, has once again brought the consequences of a failed state in Afghanistan into stark relief. – Foreign Intrigue

  • SOFREP flashback: CIA and JSOC join forces to fight ISIS in Syria

    According to a September 1, 2015, story in the Washington Post that should surprise no one with even a passing knowledge of U.S. counterterrorism efforts over the last fifteen years, it appears the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and the military’s Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC) are using unmanned aerial vehicles to target and kill Syrian-based leaders of the Islamic terrorist group Islamic State (ISIS, also known as ISIL and IS). – SOFREP.com

  • Obama mulls sending troops closer to Syria…


    President Obama’s most senior national security advisers have recommended measures that would move U.S. troops closer to the front lines in Iraq and Syria, officials said, a sign of mounting White House dissatisfaction with progress against the Islamic State and a renewed Pentagon push to expand military involvement in long-running conflicts overseas. – The Washington Post

  • Fear the Russian bear? Russian fighter jets only at 80% capacity in Syria due to poor maintenance and logistics.


    WASHINGTON – Russian warplanes sent to Syria to back the regime of Bashar Assad are breaking down at a rapid rate that appears to be affecting their ability to strike targets, according to a senior Defense official. Nearly one-third of Russian attack planes and half of its transport aircraft are grounded at any time as the harsh, desert conditions take a toll on equipment and crews, said the official who was not authorized to speak publicly about sensitive intelligence matters. – USA Today

[Featured image: EUROPEAN PRESSPHOTO AGENCY]