US Airstrikes Kill 27 al-Shabab Militants in Somalia

United States military airstrikes in northern Somalia have killed at least 27 members of the militant al-Shabab organization according to military officials. The several drone strikes against the militants are the second strike the U.S. has conducted in the past week. The statement issued Monday by the U.S. Africa Command said it assesses that no […]

SOCOM needs Google’s artificial intelligence — here’s why

Earlier this month, Google employees made a stir in Silicon Valley when a number of them chose to resign from their positions in protest after their company agreed to work with the Defense Department on a new artificial intelligence initiative. Overwhelmingly, the media presented this gesture as an ethical stand — with tech professionals doing […]

US: Artillery Strike Kills 50 Taliban Insurgent Leaders

A U.S. military spokesman said on Tuesday that the US-led coalition launched an artillery strike on a meeting of insurgent leaders, killing 50 Taliban commanders in the southern province of Helmand. The attack on a meeting of commanders in the district of Musa Qala in Helmand, one of the heartlands of the Taliban insurgency, was […]

Green Beret Robert Anspach is Still MIA in Vietnam

There are still men missing in action from the war in Vietnam and for the family of Green Beret MSG Robert Anspach, there is no closure, no grave to visit on Memorial Day, only questions as to when will their husband and father ever come home. Army Sgt. Robert Anspach will forever be 33. Fifty-one […]

SOCOM’s TALOS ‘Iron Man’ suit will be delayed another year

Way back in 2013, SOCOM Commander Adm. William McRaven announced plans to develop a high-mobility suit of armor that could better protect the first special operators tasked with entering contested spaces. This new suit was to be developed around an exoskeleton that not only permitted a high degree of mobility, but also bolstered the operator’s […]

United States Cyber Command: The new functional combatant command

The Department of Defense recently added the United States Cyber Command to its list of combatant commands. This is a direct response to the growing number of threats found in the cyber realm, from both state actors as well as independent ones. The program was initially meant to be defensive in nature, but it will […]

21st Century Warfare: SOCOM places fake news, social media in its crosshairs

As tensions between global powers once again come to the forefront of the national security discussion, the United States finds itself facing not only traditional threats, but entirely new kinds of warfare borne out of rapidly advancing social technologies. Perception management, manipulation and propaganda have always played a vital role in warfare, but the advent […]

The Special Forces Branch is Created April 9, 1987

Today’s USSOCOM (United States Special Operations Command) operates in nearly 100 countries a day as Special Operations troops from all of the combined services do their part in defending U.S. interests abroad. Special Operations troops are taking on the lion’s share of the fighting in Syria, Iraq, and Afghanistan as they are an integral part […]

OSS Operation Greenup, The Most Daring, Successful Mission of WWII

Last week we posted a story on the OSS (Office of Strategic Services) and how after 73 years they were finally recognized as a group and were honored with a Congressional Gold Medal. OSS was the forerunner to both the Special Operations Command of the military, OSS Jedburgh and Operation Groups were the units that […]

SOCOM budget expected to grow by almost $2 billion by 2019

Senior officials from the United States’ Special Operations Command addressed lawmakers on Capitol Hill on Friday to discuss funding and expectations for the nation’s special operations forces in the years to come. Special operations forces played an integral role as part of the joint force in the destruction of ISIS’ physical caliphate in Syria and […]

Russia Says IS Making Afghanistan “Resting Place” For Terrorism

Russia’s Ambassador to Pakistan had strong words against the rise of the Islamic State in Afghanistan, stating that the terror group is turning northern Afghanistan into a “resting base” of international terrorism and a “bridgehead” for establishing its destructive caliphate in the region. The “international wing of Daesh” is spearheading the effort of terrorists spilling […]