Afghanistan

According to figures released by the Air Forces Central Command, the U.S. dropped more bombs over Afghanistan in 2019 than any other year since 2010. Combined, fighter, attack and unmanned aircraft dropped 7,423 bombs in 2019, which exceeds 2018’s 7,362. By contrast, 2010 saw 5,101 bombs released over the country at a time when the […]

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 […]

A Ranger medic who helped to save the lives of six of his comrades during a firefight from hell has been recognized as the USO Soldier of the year. Sergeant Ty Able, a combat medic assigned to 1st Ranger Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment, was part of a Ranger assault force that was going after a […]

Looking back, I didn’t have a clue what being Special Operations actually meant. I started my career in the Canadian Forces as a combat engineer. Out of all the careers I could have chosen, I chose to enlist as a human mine detector. Frankly, I settled for this trade because infantry seemed too hardcore at […]

The MH-47G Chinook helicopter fleet, one of the most important aviation assets of the U.S. Special Operations Command (SOCOM), is getting a new countermeasure system aimed at improving its survivability on the battlefield. More specifically, the MH-47Gs are being outfitted with the AN/AAQ-24 LAIRCM. This enhancement is a Directional Infrared Counter Measures (DIRCM) system that […]

In a move reminiscent of the early stages of Operation Iraqi Freedom, the U.S. Army has compiled a new deck of cards. This time around, however, the deck doesn’t include the top-men of the Baathist party and Iraqi military and intelligence apparatus, but the more important weapons systems in the Iranian arsenal. According to the […]

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 […]

The U.S. Army is setting up another showdown over a pardon issued by President Trump to Major Matt Golsteyn. The Washington Post was the first to report, citing two different sources on the condition of anonymity within the Army, that Lieutenant General Francis M. Beaudette, the commander of U.S. Army Special Operations Command (USASOC), had […]

As tensions with Iran remain high, the Pentagon and NATO have paused the training of Iraqi police and military units over concerns of insider attacks. Military officials are concerned that fighters from the Popular Mobilization Units (PMUs), Shia militant groups and Iranian proxies, might have infiltrated the ranks of the Iraqi police and military. (Historically, […]

U.S. Army soldiers assigned to the Combined Joint Special Operations Task Force-Afghanistan watch the Afghanistan countryside from the tail of an aircraft after delivering bundles containing care packages, Christmas stockings and mail to soldiers stationed at a remote base in eastern Afghanistan.

An Australian Special Air Service Regiment (SASR) operator and the most decorated Australian soldier alive has sued three newspapers for defamation over war crimes allegations. Corporal Ben Roberts-Smith is suing The Sydney Morning Herald, The Canberra Times and The Age for accusing him of war crimes. The Australian Federal Police (AFP) is investigating Cpl. Roberts-Smith and […]

Details are sketchy right now, but the Pentagon has acknowledged that an American soldier was killed on Monday in Afghanistan. The Taliban have already taken credit for a roadside bombing in northern Kunduz province, where they claim the attack took place. They also tweeted a picture of the killed soldier’s ID card. The Pentagon doesn’t […]