Since President Trump’s November 9th tweet announcing the firing of former Secretary of Defense Mark Esper, the Pentagon has been under scrutiny. SOFREP learned from sources inside the White House that Esper and others had been running a shadow war in Syria and lying to the president and the American people about the number of U.S. troops on the ground there. 

Acting SecDef, Christopher Miller, in a press conference, which reaffirmed POTUS’s promise to bring the troops home, said that he would oversee a troop drawdown in Afghanistan and Iraq to 2,500 troops each by January 15th, 2021. This came in the midst of reports that President Trump had met with his cabinet to discuss striking Iranian nuclear sites before the end of his term in office. 

The report was bookended by another announcement from SecDef Miller wherein he stated that the civilian leadership of SOF would report directly to him. We reported on the move which came under fire from critics who view it as a strongarm gesture to centralize control of the military inside the White House. 

In the wake of these announcements came fresh violence in both Iraq and Afghanistan: an attack on Baghdad’s Green Zone left one dead and four injured, while rockets hit scores of locations inside Afghanistan’s capital, leaving at least eight dead and many more injured.

This week, we brought you several reports from inside the military. The Navy SEAL Foundation donated $50,000 to a first-of-its-kind psychedelics research aimed at treating PTSD. SOFREP Staff Writer John Black brought you a personal guide to transitioning out of the military. We took a look at the new MK22 Sniper Rifle making its way to SOCOM; reported on a deadly surge in COVID-19 cases at a Veterans Home; and updated you on the murder case brought against a young Marine.     

This week we welcomed a new contributor, Hunter Lu, who brought two reports on China: The first covered China’s billion-dollar film industry and how it’s proliferating Chinese propaganda through streaming services like Netflix; the second was a look at Operation Fox Hunt, China’s clandestine mission to repatriate Chinese fugitive through coercion and threats. Be sure to check them out. 

This week on SOFREP Radio we went back in time to WWII with journalist and author Kevin Maurer. Kevin’s new book Rock Force jumps headlong into the battle for Corregidor. Don’t miss our full review of the book and our talk with the acclaimed author.

SOFREP Gear man Travis Pike brought us another great gear review this week. This time he took on the Gerber Key Note, a tiny but mighty piece of EDC gear.  

What’s in store for next week? None of us knows. But, as always, we’ll be here to bring you the stories you won’t find anywhere else with insights and analysis from people who have actually been there. 

In the meantime,

Stay frosty

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