SOCOM’s newest helmet for Navy SEALs and SWCC operators has some potential issues

The newest combat helmet to enter service with the U.S. spec ops community might have some issues. The U.S. Special Operations Command (USSOCOM) chose Gentex Corporation to provide the Special Operations Forces Personal Equipment Advanced Requirements (SPEAR) Family of Tactical Headborne Systems (FTHS) — Coxswain Helmet System. The contract, which was signed in early October, […]

Cultural differences between Delta Force and SEAL Team Six

With the death of Osama Bin Laden (OBL) at the hands of some secret squirrel frogmen in Pakistan, there came a nationwide interest in who killed OBL. The phrase “Navy SEALs” was quickly released to the public, whether via the White House or the Department of Defense. But it was those “subject matter experts,” including […]

The Pic of the Day: The Air Force’s Tier 1 SOF unit

Members from the U.S. Air Force 24th Special Tactics Squadron (24th STS), Fort Bragg, complete helo, fast rope, and hoisting training during exercise Advanced Guard, Holloman Air Force Base, N.M., April 14, 2014. Advanced Guard is a multimillion-dollar exercise spanning across the states to train special operators to conduct joint operations. The 24th STS is […]

MP-7: A SEAL Team Six favorite weapon

In 1989, NATO published a set of requirements that requested a new type of firearm with rounds capable of penetrating body armor. Called the Personal Defense weapon, or PDW, it was meant to replace weapons, such as pistols and submachine guns, whose caliber was found wanting against ballistic protection. Several companies went on to design […]

No more half-assing PT: These are the Army’s new combat-oriented fitness standards

The Army’s current Physical Fitness (PT) standard is having its last rounds. Come 2020, the new Army Combat Fitness Test (ACFT) test will take effect. And now the Army has revealed the long-awaited standards for the combat-oriented test. To ace the ACFT, which is tailored for every Military Occupational Specialty (MOS), Soldiers must: Perform a […]

SEAL Master Chief and Medal of Honor recipient retires

After 21 years of illustrious service to the nation, Master Chief Special Warfare Operator (SEAL) Edward Byers Jr. retired on September 19. As a member of the Naval Special Warfare Development Group (DEVGRU) – another designation for SEAL Team 6 – Master Chief Byers participated in a hostage rescue operation in Afghanistan in 2012 that […]

Hypocrisy and Failure: Canned Navy SEALs strike back at their leadership

Two senior Navy SEALs who were fired earlier on September are striking back at their leadership. Commander Edward Mason, the former officer in command of SEAL Team 7, and Command Master Chief Hugh Spangler, the senior enlisted leader of SEAL Team 7, have filed a complaint to the Department of Defence’s Inspector General (IG) against […]

The Pic of the Day: SEALs parachuting into the night

Members assigned to Naval Special Warfare Group TWO conduct military air operations in the United States. U.S. Navy SEALs engage in a continuous training cycle to improve and further specialize skills needed to conduct missions from sea, air and land. Naval Special Warfare Group TWO (NSWG-2), located in Little Creek, VA, is one of the […]

SEALs gone awry? SOF Chaplains might be the answer

As the U.S. Special Operations community is battered by scandal after scandal of misconduct and unprofessionalism, its leadership has been brainstorming solutions to this quandary. The Naval Special Warfare Command (NSWC), from which rank’s most of the scandals have come, has already initiated a back-the-basics directive to be adhered by its subordinate Navy SEAL Teams. […]

Irish Tier 1 SOF unit deploys to Mali

The Irish government decided to deploy its elite counterterrorism unit to Mali as part of the United Nations (U.N.) peacekeeping effort in the region. A team of 14 operators from the Army Ranger Wing (AWG), also known as the Irish Army Rangers, will be attached to the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilisation Mission in Mali […]