Why do you put such a premium on rucking in Special Operations?

We frequently get a lot of questions about the Selection part of the training pipeline, what the candidates for the various Special Operations units in the SOF umbrella must pass. Selection, as we say is just the first step, but it is a continuous process and never really ends. Candidates during Selection will be assessed […]

Mortus Discriminatus: The day I almost died in Iraq

The year was just shy of 2008, it was two weeks until Christmas and I was a month into the winter rotation in Mosul, Iraq with the 5th Special Forces Group. My team and I were a part of a unit known as A/1/5 CIF, or the Commanders In-extremis Force, and we were young. A/1/5 was […]

The Pic of the Day: Ruck-running toward Ranger School

Senior Airman Brandon Gore, 180th Fighter Wing, completes a 12-mile march with a 35-pound rucksack and weapon August 16, 2019, in Columbus, Ohio. Gore and three other Ohio Air National Guard Airmen were attempting to meet all the physical requirements necessary to attend the U.S. Army ranger school.

The Video of the Week: A day in the life of a Spec Ops Ranger

A day in the life of U.S. Army Rangers assigned to 2nd Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment, as they hone the skills needed to succeed in the world of Special Operations. Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Washington, August 2019. The 75th Ranger Regiment is the US Army’s premier airborne light infantry unit.  Specializing in raids and airfield seizures, […]

75th Ranger Regiment wins first place in yet another competition

Not content with the reputation of being the premier Special Operations light infantry unit in the U.S. military – and arguably in the world – the 75th Ranger Regiment keeps winning competitions to erase any cloud of doubt about its capabilities. Recently, the Army held its annual Ammunition Transfer Holding Point (ATHP) Team of the […]

The Pic of the Day: Rangers getting second place? Ha, good one!

Team from the 75th Ranger Regiment, Fort Benning, Ga., kneels out of range after connecting an ammunition package to a UH-60 Black Hawk for sling load Sept. 11 during the Army Ammunition Transfer Holding Point Team of the Year competition at Fort Pickett, Va. Teams prepared munitions for transport by configuring, inspecting, and ensuring the […]

The Pic of the Day: Moon’s out, goons out

Rangers from the 75th Ranger Regiment while on nighttime operations in Afghanistan. The 75th Ranger Regiment is a Special Operations light infantry unit comprised of specially selected Soldiers. Rangers are four-time volunteers — they volunteered to join the Army, to attend Airborne School, to attend the Ranger Assessment and Selection Program (RASP 1 or RASP […]

The Pic of the Day: Marine Raiders and their K-9s

Military working dog handlers with the U.S. Army Rangers and U.S. Marine Corps Forces Special Operations Command multipurpose canine handlers fast-rope from a U.S. Navy MH-60 Seahawk helicopter during a multipurpose canine subject matter expert exchange hosted by 1st Marine Raider Battalion, MARSOC, on Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, California, July 24, 2019. The purpose […]

Army reveals new shooting standards

With an eye toward becoming a more combat effective force, the Army has updated its small-arms training and standards. From hard-charging airborne infantrymen to cooks to mechanics to admin Soldiers, the new shooting standards are aimed at making every Soldier, not just a better shooter but also more tactically savvy. Covered in the 800-page Training […]

We need you: Army offers close to $100K reenlistment bonuses

In yet another attempt to ensure operational readiness, the Army is offering significant bonuses to qualified personnel in order to reenlist. Under its selective retention bonus program, which is set to commence on the second week of September, the Army is offering monetary bonuses that can reach up to $81,000. But the new bonuses are […]

It just won’t end: Another Special Forces operator killed in Afghanistan

In what turned out to be an awful month for the Special Forces community, the Pentagon released the name of yet another Green Beret killed in action in Afghanistan on August 29. Sergeant First Class Dustin Ard was killed by small-arms fire during a joint operation with Afghan Special Operations Forces (SOF). The U.S. Special […]

Ranger killed by secretive Afghan SOF unit

On November 2018, a Ranger was killed during a raid against al-Qaida fighters in Afghanistan. Sergeant Leandro Jasso, a team leader serving at the 2nd Ranger Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment, was mortally wounded during room-clearing operations in the Kash Rod district, Nimruz province. At the time of the incident, the Army had announced that Sgt. […]