US Intelligence Chief Warns of Deteriorating Security in Afghanistan

For the Trump Administration, facing a question whether to increase the US troop levels in Afghanistan, this can’t be good news. US National Intelligence Director Dan Coats said on Thursday that even if the US and its allies increase their military aid to the war-torn country, the security situation there is still likely to deteriorate. […]

Special Operations Forces Focus on Advisory Role Paying Off

For the past decade plus, Special Operations Forces have been utilized heavily on the Direct Action, (DA) side of operations including Counter-Terrorism (CT) in the wars in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Syria. But the pendulum is swinging back toward the traditional advisory role of SOF as the allies in Syria, Iraq, and in Afghanistan begin to […]

Merkel won’t commit Germany to adding troops in Afghanistan, NATO offers explanation for countries not paying their share

German Chancellor Angela Merkel addressed questions pertaining to the ongoing fight against Islamic Extremists in Afghanistan on Thursday, in which she suggested that Germany would not be the nation to provide additional troops to the fight. Appearing in a joint press conference with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg who would later address NATO spending, Merkel […]

United States focusing on the wrong enemy in Afghanistan?

The US and their Afghan allies have been hammering the Islamic State offshoot in recent weeks including dropping the MOAB (Mother of all Bombs) recently on tunnel strongholds where the terrorist group has been hiding. But according to an OPED in the New York Times, the US may be focusing on the wrong enemy and […]

United States Focusing on the Wrong Enemy in Afghanistan?

The US and their Afghan allies have been hammering the Islamic State offshoot in recent weeks including dropping the MOAB (Mother of all Bombs) recently on tunnel strongholds where the terrorist group has been hiding. But according to an OPED in the New York Times, the US may be focusing on the wrong enemy and […]

What are we even doing in Afghanistan?

What the heck are we doing in Afghanistan right now? I ask this very important question because President Donald Trump’s senior advisers are proposing sending thousands of additional US troops there so they can “start winning” again, according to one official who spoke with The Washington Post. That would be great if the word “winning” could […]

The Golden Age of Special Operations, but is the OpTempo too high?

The United States’ Special Operations Forces are seemingly everywhere and that perception is not far off. In 2016, they were deployed to 138 countries around the globe or about 70 percent of the world. From battlefields in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Syria, to Somalia and West Africa, to advising counter-narcotics units in the Andean Ridge, working […]

U.S. poised to expand military effort against Taliban in Afghanistan

President Trump’s most senior military and foreign policy advisers have proposed a major shift in strategy in Afghanistan that would effectively put the United States back on a war footing with the Taliban. The new plan, which still needs the approval of the president, calls for expanding the U.S. military role as part of a […]

Pentagon confirms head of ISIS-K killed in April 27th raid

The Pentagon confirmed on Sunday that the target of the April 27th joint raid conducted by Army Rangers and Afghan commandos against ISIS-K in Afghanistan was indeed killed at the scene.  Two Army Rangers, Sergeant Joshua P. Rodgers, 22, of Bloomington, Illinois, and Sergeant Cameron H. Thomas, 23, of Kettering, Ohio, were also killed in […]

Special Operations Chief: ‘We are not a panacea’

The head of U.S. Special Operations Command (USSOCOM), General Raymond “Tony” Thomas III, testified before the Senate Armed Services Committee on May 4, 2017, and informed lawmakers and the public that the country’s elite special operations forces could not solve all of the world’s problems. “We are not a panacea,” said the Army General, former […]

U.S. Army approves $5,000 bonus for NCOs to stand up new train advise brigade

The United States Army is offering mid-level Non-Commissioned Officers $5,000 bonuses as an incentive to grow a new training and advising brigade the Army sees as critical to 21st century operations, the Associated Press reports. Long a staple of Army Special Forces and other special operations forces, advising and training foreign militias, paramilitaries, and professional […]