Trump gives old school SEAL admiral top intelligence job

A retired Navy SEAL admiral will hold the nation’s top intelligence position. President Donald Trump decided to give the intelligence keys to Retired Vice Admiral Joseph Maguire and make him Director of National Intelligence (DNI). A highly respected officer among the Special Operations community, the former SEAL has had an admirable career both in the […]

Trump nomination for next intelligence chief backfires

Rep. John Ratcliffe (R-TX) has withdrawn from consideration for the soon-to-be-vacant Director of National Intelligence [DNI] post. Ratcliffe had been nominated by President Trump to replace the soon-leaving Dan Coats.  This withdrawal by Ratcliffe is just the latest instance of a Trump administration nomination going south after the president moved to appoint a key official […]

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 […]

Ammo maker declares war on “trained wildlife,” including dolphins

Ammunition manufacturer Hornady DGS is marketing its brand of super-cavitation bullets designed for subsurface use. In testing, it has been shown that just a few feet of water is generally enough to stop a bullet. This means conventional ammunition is of very limited use to combat divers and other Special Operations teams while conducting sub-surface missions with […]

The WWI hero that pioneered US global intelligence

On the eve of the United States entering World War II, the U.S. was woefully unprepared—both militarily and in the realm of intelligence. The United States did not have a professional intelligence service, but that was about to change. President Franklin D. Roosevelt recognized the need for a professional global intelligence service. He was worried […]

Historical retrospective: The Fulton Extraction System

Many remember the Fulton extraction system from the James Bond movie, “Thunderball,” starring Sean Connery, but the system was actually developed by the CIA for extracting personnel in austere parts of the world. Named after its creator, Robert Fulton, the system was tested by the CIA’s Special Activities Division in the 1950s. A few years back, […]

Special Operations reading list: A few of my favorite hidden gems

I love reading about Special Operations history. It’s amazing what information can be found in published sources if you’re prepared to dig around. There’s a whole hidden history that can only be compiled by doing some deep research and really looking for sources. Thankfully, some former operators penned books that are well worth tracking down. Here […]

How Special Forces operators commemorate their lineage

What a better way to commemorate the 75th anniversary of D-Day then by jumping into Normandy? Green Berets assigned to the 10th Special Forces Group (Airborne) conducted static line and free-fall parachute drops on a drop zone in Normandy, France, last week. The Air Force’s 352nd Special Operations Wing and 86th Airlift Wing provided three […]

No, the CIA did not attack North Korea’s embassy in Spain

Much hand-wringing and melodrama has surrounded the broad daylight break-in that happened at the North Korean embassy in Spain on February 22nd. Adrian Hong Chang and former U.S. Marine Christopher Ahn are accused of breaking into the embassy, holding several North Koreans hostage, and stealing a tranche of computer hard drives and documents. The alleged […]

Psychic Special Forces: Russia claims to be training special operators with psychic powers — we’re not kidding

A report published last month in the Russian Defense Ministry’s official newsletter, Armeisky Sbornik (Army Collection), makes some unusual claims about the special capabilities the Kremlin’s elite soldiers take with them into the fight. While America may tout the extensive training and advanced technology employed by its own elite special operations units, Russia (which struggles […]