In case you missed it: Top headlines from the past week

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 John Ratcliffe (R-TX) has withdrawn from consideration for the soon-to-be-vacant Director of National Intelligence [DNI] post.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 The night when everything went wrong: The exclusive story behind the deaths of Delta Force and SAS operators  […]

When the SAS defied their government to rescue their own: The rest of the story

They started interrogating the policemen and just as quick as the assault, a stroke of luck occurred. They told the SAS that the two men were in a nearby villa. The unit hastily reorganized and moved toward the new objective just a short distance away. The streets remained vacant and the villa seemed unguarded. Again, […]

When terrorists attack, Aussie Commandos are ready

Within mere hours of a group of terrorists hijacking a passenger ferry in Sydney’s Middle Harbour, Australian commandos were already above and beside their target. Six rigid-hulled inflatable boats packed with operators whizzed toward the ship. In the sky, a flock of Blackhawk helicopters circled to fast-rope additional assault teams and provide critical aerial sniper […]

Delta Force Selection: When not to dance

se·lect /səˈlekt/ verb 1.
carefully choose as being the best or most suitable: “he has been selected to take part” Every one of us inherently wants to be selected. “Oh…PICK ME, PICK ME!” We bustled on the school playground forming up for games. Doesn’t it seem like you can hardly just go participate in a thing […]

Report: Delta Force and Special Air Service operators killed by friendly fire, not ISIS

Two coalition commandos who were previously believed to have been killed by an Islamic State improvised explosive device were actually killed by friendly fire, a report reveals. An internal investigation by the British Ministry of Defense (MoD) concludes Delta Force operator Master Sgt. Jonathan Dunbar and Special Air Service (SAS) Sgt. Matt Tonroe were killed […]

Special Operations Command wants to improve SOF forensics

During the 2019 Special Operations Forces Industry Conference that took place earlier in the summer, the U.S. Special Operations Command (SOCOM) offered a rare glimpse into its Sensitive Site Exploitation (SSE) initiatives. In specific, SOCOM is developing a cell phone application that aims to simplify the SSE process. Glen Cullen, SOCOM’s SSE program manager, said […]

The elite Air Force unit that inserts and resupplies Special Operators

One of the primary reasons America’s special operations forces (SOF) are so effective is the first-class support they get from all fronts. Even in the lowest tiers of the SOF structure, the operator-to-support-guy ratio is remarkable, averaging about one operator to every eight support personnel. The higher up within the SOF hierarchy you go, the […]

Delta Force operator awarded Distinguished Service Cross for daring operation in Mali

A Delta Force operator has been awarded the Distinguished Service Cross (DSC), the nation’s second-highest award for valor under fire, for his actions during a terrorist attack in Bamako, Mali in November 2015. During the morning hours of November 20, 2015, approximately a dozen Islamists associated with the terrorist group al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb […]

The Pic of the Day: A little action from the 2019 SOF International Sniper Competition

Competitors in the United States Army Special Operations Command International Sniper Competition engage targets on an obstacle course during a live-fire range event at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, on March 19, 2019. Twenty-one teams took part in the competition where instructors from the United States Army John F. Kennedy Special Warfare Center and School designed […]

The Pic of the Day: Close quarters combat at its best

U.S. Army soldiers assigned to the 10th Special Forces Group Airborne (SFG) conduct close-quarter battle training on the range near Panzer Kaserne, Boeblingen, Germany, May 31, 2019. The 10th SFG was the first Special Forces group to be activated in 1952. Its area of operations (AO) includes Europe and North Africa. However, the relentless tempo […]

Diplomacy with a big stick: New spec ops chief for Africa faces a hard task

Special Operations Command Africa (SOCAFRICA) welcomed its new chief, U.S. Air Force Brig. Gen. Dagvin R.M. Anderson, on June 28th. The departing commander, Air Force Maj. Gen. J. Marcus Hicks, said in a statement: “To the men and women of Special Operations Command Africa, you have accomplished so much with so little, so quickly and […]