Trump Arrives in Paris for Bastille Day, CT Talks

U.S. President Donald Trump will attempt to mend some fences with the French as he arrived in Paris today. Trump a year ago characterized Paris as an unsafe city due to terrorism will mark the French national holiday, Bastille Day, hold counter-terrorism talks with French President Emmanuel Macron and mark the US’ 100th anniversary of […]

Syrian army, militias attack rebels in southeast desert

Syrian troops and Iranian-backed militias launched an assault on Bedouin villages in southeast Syria on Monday to consolidate control of a swathe of desert stretching to the Iraqi border, Western-backed rebels said. The rebels said they came under attack at dawn in a sparsely populated desert area that lies east of the pro-government controlled city […]

US Soldier in Hawaii Caught Passing Classified Data, Drone to ISIS

A senior NCO stationed in the US Army’s Schofield Barracks in Hawaii was arrested this weekend after allegedly attempting to provide military documents and a drone to the ISIS terrorist group. The soldier, an Air Traffic Controller, Sgt. 1st Class Ikaika Kang, 34, was arrested late Saturday night by an FBI SWAT team at the […]

U.S. Army soldier arrested in Hawaii for attempting to assist ISIS

A U.S. Army soldier stationed with the 25th Combat Aviation Brigade, 25th Infantry Division in Hawaii has been arrested on charges of providing material support to the Islamic State, according to a statement provided by the FBI on Monday. Ikaika Kang, 34, a Sergeant First Class and Air Traffic Control Specialist, was taken into custody […]

Pentagon offers tentative congratulation on Iraqi victory in Mosul

Although celebrations within Iraq have been ongoing for more than a week, the Pentagon waited until this Monday, when Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi declared victory, to offer the Iraqi government a tentative congratulation on their victory over the Islamic State in Mosul. “I announce from here the end and the failure and the collapse […]

Why the liberation of Mosul literally means nothing

This is a tough pill to swallow. Since 2003 we’ve seen the troubled city of Mosul in northern Iraq change hands numerous times.  From Saddam, to the coalition, to the government of Iraq (GOI), to ISIS, and now the city appears to be back under the nominal control of GOI, at least on paper.  Many […]

MARSOC Critical Skills Operators Worthy of Their WWII Lineage

The Marine Corps hadn’t had a Special Operations unit since World War II, but all of that changed in 2003 when on June of that year, the Marine Corp and USSOCOM formed Marine Corps Special Operations Command Detachment One (MCSOCOM Det 1) to explore unit level Marine Corps participation in USSOCOM. Prior to this, Marine […]

Pakistan Courting China and Russia as US Ties Weaken

The governments of China and Russia have used the precarious position of Pakistan and its weakening ties to Washington to make serious inroads in their influence. The government of Pakistan, once a considered a key ally in the U.S. war on terrorism, has had to face allegations that it harbors more than a dozen terrorist […]

Iraqi Forces ‘Plant Flag’ On Tigris in Mosul, Face Long Road

The brutal fighting for the Iraqi city of Mosul, once the “caliphate” for the Islamic State is almost at an end. Iraqi forces have broken thru the ISIS lines to reach the Tigris River and have symbolically planted the Iraqi flag there. But the battle is far from done. Even while Iraqi Prime Minister Haider […]

It turns out Trump didn’t give Mattis full control of troop levels in Afghanistan

Last month, President Donald Trump gave Defense Secretary James Mattis complete authority to set troop levels in Afghanistan. But apparently that’s not the case. Shortly after Trump gave Mattis full authority to set troop levels, National Security Adviser Lt. Gen. H.R. McMaster sent a memo around the White House saying that the Pentagon chief had to […]

Rex Tillerson announces U.S. is willing to conduct joint operations with Russia in Syria

The day before President Trump is set to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson issued a statement indicating that the United States is prepared to discuss joint operations with Russia in the embattled state of Syria. Those joint operations, Tillerson explained, could include adherence to no-fly zones, cease-fire observers, and […]

Opinion: Even “Quiet Professionals” Need to Tell Their Stories

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are strictly those of the author’s and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of SOFREP.com nor any of the writers and editors that work for it. I had an interesting conversation the other day with someone I know and it broached the uncomfortable […]