Medal of Honor Monday: Salvatore Giunta’s Korengal Valley Stand
Giunta’s story is what valor looks like when it is not polished for the cameras, because in the Korengal he moved into fire again and again for one reason only: to get his people home.
Afghanistan
Medal of Honor Monday: Michael P. Murphy – Protector, SEAL, Legend
He stepped into the open, phone in hand and grit in his teeth, trading the last of his cover for a handful of breaths for his teammates — the kind of small, brutal choice that carves a quiet legend out of an ordinary life.
Pic of the Day: Afghan Taliban Heading to Pakistan Border in American M1117 Guardian Vehicles
We armed a ghost army and when it vanished the keys and the guns stayed, so now our beige beasts roll under a foreign flag toward Pakistan as a seven billion dollar punchline to a war that ended with a mad scramble to the runway.
Morning Brief: Trump to Pay Troops, Pakistani Soldiers Killed in Overnight Border Operation, Hamas Ready to Release 20 Living Hostages
As the Durand Line crackles with Kabul claiming 58 Pakistani dead and Gaza braces for a 20 hostages handover by nightfall, Trump orders the Pentagon to tap R and D cash so U.S. troops still get paid while Washington’s shutdown grinds on. Welcome to Sunday, October 12th, 2025. This is your SOFREP Morning Brief.
Pic of the Day: The REAL Faces of War
War is not glorious; it is the white hot rattle of a MEDEVAC, two blood slick hands locked after an IED blast near Kandahar, and a young sergeant who learns the hard Latin that war is only sweet for those who have not been through it.
The Bolduc Brief: Special Operations Forces and Afghan Local Police Programs
Where we lived with villagers and tied bottom up security to district and provincial governance, VSO and ALP held ground the centralized model could not, and when support was cut the Taliban wasted no time reclaiming the countryside.
Evening Brief: Trump Signs Order to Defend Qatar, US Begins Troop Drawdown in Iraq, Israeli Navy Intercepts Gaza-Bound Flotilla
Trump backs Qatar, US cuts Iraq troops, gov shuts down, Israel stops Gaza flotilla. Here’s what’s making headlines this Wednesday evening.
Why America Lost the War in Afghanistan: A Requiem Essay
We won the battles in Afghanistan and still lost the war because Washington pursued an unsuitable, unfeasible, and unacceptable project to remake a tribal society while Congress abdicated and our generals saluted.
Morning Brief: US Government Shuts Down, Zaporizhzhia Plant Runs on Backup Generators, South Korea to Boost Defense Spending
US shuts down, Pentagon shifts, Russia strikes, Israel faces EU pressure. Your SOFREP intel drop for Wednesday, October 1, 2025.
Marcus Luttrell, Chris Kyle and the Navy SEAL Sniper Course
Marcus Luttrell was the lone survivor of Operation Red Wings, an operation that went sideways, resulting in the loss of 19 servicemembers.
Evening Brief: Trump and Netanyahu Announce Gaza Peace Plan, Russia Warns US on Tomahawk Missiles, Afghanistan Faces Internet Blackout
Trump and Netanyahu push Gaza peace plan, Russia warns on arms, Moldova backs EU path. Here’s what’s making headlines this Monday evening.
Bagram’s New Management Meets an Old Owner
At Bagram, the Taliban lazily read the paper while the almighty hand of Trump reaches for the lease—and the runway remembers how to roar.
