Addicted to SEALs: Overdependence on SOF units is dangerous

It is an undeniable fact that since the twin towers went down on 9/11 the role of Special Operations Forces (SOF) has changed. The gradual change saw SOF shift from their traditional role of supporting conventional forces to that of being supported by conventional units. With increased frequency, conventional elements fulfil secondary tasks during operations […]

SEAL Team 6: Naval Special Warfare’s elite

The public description of Naval Special Warfare’s Development Group for years has reflected its name. An organization whose primary purpose was to develop tactics and strategies supporting operations from the sea, air or land. This was the accepted description of DEVGRU. Naval Special Warfare Development Group was tasked with the management and testing of both […]

Breaking the Air Force: Ethical hackers unlock America’s fastest fighter jet

The F-15 is a legendary air superiority platform with an unscathed combat record and the title for fastest fighter jet in the U.S. arsenal. It, along with a limited number of F-22 Raptors, represent America’s dog fighting force, as these two aircraft are the only platforms built to fill the primary role of air-to-air interceptors. […]

When the SAS defied their government to rescue their own: The rest of the story

They started interrogating the policemen and just as quick as the assault, a stroke of luck occurred. They told the SAS that the two men were in a nearby villa. The unit hastily reorganized and moved toward the new objective just a short distance away. The streets remained vacant and the villa seemed unguarded. Again, […]

When the SAS defied their government to rescue their own

19 September, 2005. Basra, Iraq. The British soldiers couldn’t believe what they were seeing. Before them, on a TV screen, sat two of their own, faces bloody from beatings, being paraded on Iraqi TV. The announcer read in Arabic that they were being charged with the murder of an Iraqi policeman; they were held in […]

Fleet protection and counterterrorism: European task force to deploy outside Iran

On July 19th the British-flagged tanker Stena Impero sailing in Omani waters through the Hormuz Strait was captured by the Iranian Revolutionary Guards. The move came nearly two weeks after British Royal Marines Commandos seized an Iranian supertanker, near Gibraltar, believed to be carrying oil to Syria in contravention of European Union sanctions. Britain responded […]

Invade Iran? Not any time soon

Many hawks in Washington are wondering why the United States hasn’t already responded with military force against Iran in the Middle East. The Iranians are increasingly bellicose in Syria and in the Persian Gulf. They’ve seized oil tankers and sabotaged others with mines in international waters. Most importantly, they’ve openly violated the uranium enrichment and […]

Forget China and Russia, terrorists are still a major threat

It is an undeniable fact that the U.S. military has been gradually shifting its focus from counterterrorism and counterinsurgency operations to near-peer threats, such as China and Russia. Navy SEALs have been practicing with increased frequency in the Pacific in anticipation of a potential conflict with the former. Special Forces teams are rotating more frequently […]

Iranian Revolutionary Guard commandos storm British tanker

Last week, commandos of Iran’s Navy of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps stormed two British tankers that were sailing in the Strait of Hormuz. The aggressive seizure of the two ships was in response to the previous detainment of an Iranian tanker by British Royal Marines. That ship was illegally carrying oil to Syria in […]

USS Boxer downs Iranian drone in Strait of Hormuz

The USS Boxer downed an Iranian drone earlier this week while operating in the Strait of Hormuz, according to reports. The USS Boxer’s commanding officer, Captain (O-6) Ron Dowdell, issued a statement on the vessel’s Facebook page reassuring loved ones back home that all sailors aboard were safe. “I wanted to take just a moment […]

Breaking: Royal Marines storm Iranian supertanker bound for Syria

Troops from the Royal Marines 42 Commando unit boarded the Iranian tanker Grace 1 using light speedboats today. The Royal Marines rappelled from a helicopter onto the deck while approximately 16 police officers from Gibraltar were also involved in the operation. Luckily no shots were fired and the ship is secure at the moment. Gibraltarian […]