Tag: CENTCOM

It seems like everyone has been trying to exact a pound of flesh in Syria during the long civil war that has lasted nine years. With the Islamic State making inroads into establishing a caliphate in the power vacuum as well as rebels trying to overthrow the government of President Bashar al-Assad, the entire situation […]

At the annual African Union (AU) summit in the Ethiopian capital city of Addis Ababa, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi urged for the formation of a joint military force to combat terrorism and other growing threats on the continent. According to Sisi, the proposal “derives from Egypt’s belief in the importance of forming this force […]

American troops were fired upon in northeastern Syria after civilians attempted to block them at a crossroads. They returned fire and at least one Syrian was killed and another wounded, Syrian state television reported. U.S. military spokesman Myles Caggins said American-led coalition forces were conducting a patrol of eight vehicles near Qamishli and encountered a […]

Fact: The Afghanistan National Army Special Forces (ANASF) is the most overused force in Afghanistan. I have personally worked with several Kandaks (units), and their training, motivation, and ops schedule vary greatly. A Special Forces Captain will often be visiting, building rapport, and convincing their unit commander to do more operations. These Kandak commanders struggle […]

U.S. Army Soldiers of the 1st Battalion, 5th Infantry Regiment (Charger Company), 1st Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division fires an M-249 Squad Automatic Weapon at Al Asad Air Base, Iraq, Feb. 05, 2020. These drills are used to enhance base defense operations to provide better security for U.S. forces in Iraq.

U.S. government officials believe that an American drone strike has killed the leader of al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP). Qasim al-Raymi is believed to have been killed by a CIA drone sometime in January. U.S. officials have been hesitant to confirm his death because of previous instances were High-Value-Targets (HVTs) were pronounced dead only […]

An American aircraft crashed in the Taliban-controlled area of Afghanistan on Monday. Pentagon officials have denied the Taliban reports that the aircraft was shot down. The bodies of two pilots have been recovered by U.S. forces, but additional recovery efforts are being hampered by poor weather.  The aircraft was assigned to the 430th Expeditionary Electronic […]

The pair of MH-60 Blackhawks roared past the target building. One of the birds came into a hover, and operators started fast-roping. Time was of the essence. They were supposed to have hit this target some minutes before. The ISIS cell leader that was inside might have already left. An MH-47 Chinook carrying the blocking […]

Special Forces soldiers from the 7th Special Forces Group (Airborne) received dozens of combat medals, among them three Silver Stars, the nation’s third-highest award for valor under fire, for their actions during a single deployment to Afghanistan. In addition to the three Silver Stars, during the six-month deployment, the 2nd Battalion, 7th SFG operators received […]

President Trump has authorized the deployment of additional troops to the Middle East as tensions with Iran are sky-high following the targeted killing of Major General Qassem Soleimani, the commanding officer of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ (IRGC) Quds Force. In addition to one paratrooper battalion of the 82nd Airborne Division’s Immediate Response Force (IRF), […]

The Air Force has announced the eligibility criteria for the Remote Combat Effects Campaign Medal (RCECM). The RCECM aims to recognize the actions of non-deployable Air Force personnel in ground combat. It is, in fact, tailored to the Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) community, which has been providing key intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance (ISR) and air support […]

A Central Command (CENTCOM) investigation has found that a highly decorated Marine Raider, who was killed in Iraq earlier this year, died from enemy and not friendly fire. Gunnery Sergeant Scott A. Koppenhafer, a Marine Raider assigned to the 2nd Marine Special Operations Battalion (2nd MSOB), was killed on August 10 during combat operations in […]