Direct Action

Air Force continues to pound Al-Shabaab targets in Somalia

The United States conducted an airstrike on February 17 on an al-Shabaab compound in Somalia. The official statement from AFRICOM didn’t report on any casualties but did state that no civilians were injured in the airstrike.  However, the Horn of Africa Observer (HAO) reported that three al-Shabab members were killed in the U.S. airstrike. The […]

William Darby, Army SOF legend and old school badass

William Orlando Darby is one of the icons of the Army’s Special Operations community. He organized, trained, and led the first of the Army’s Ranger Battalions during World War II. He fought in North Africa, Sicily, and mainland Italy. Later, as the Assistant Division Commander of the 10th Mountain Division, he was killed in action […]

Convenience or lack of money? Marine Raiders relocate to the East Coast

In a historic move, the Marine Forces Special Operations Command (MARSOC) has decided to move all of its subordinate units to the East Coast. The 1st Raider Battalion and 1st Marine Raider Support Battalion, both of which are currently located at Camp Pendleton, California, will relocate to Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, by the September 2022. […]

Breaking: American troops in Syria clash with locals in a village

American troops were fired upon in northeastern Syria after civilians attempted to block them at a crossroads. They returned fire and at least one Syrian was killed and another wounded, Syrian state television reported. U.S. military spokesman Myles Caggins said American-led coalition forces were conducting a patrol of eight vehicles near Qamishli and encountered a […]

The Fusion Analyst: An intro to all source intelligence and analysis

“Every great magic trick consists of three parts or acts. The first part is called “The Pledge.” The magician shows you something ordinary: a deck of cards, a bird or a man. He shows you this object. Perhaps he asks you to inspect it to see if it is indeed real, unaltered, normal. But of […]

The Pic of the Day: Rangers assault village

U.S. Army Rangers from 75th Ranger Regiment simulate clearing a village alley in support of the Army Marketing Research Group’s “Warriors Wanted” campaign at Fort Campbell, Ky.

SAS operator who singlehandedly stopped terrorist attack recognized

The Special Air Service (SAS) operator who responded to and stopped a terrorist attack in Nairobi, Kenya, in January will receive the Conspicuous Gallantry Cross (CGC). The CGC is Britain’s second-highest military award for valor in combat and second only to the Victoria Cross. On January 16, four terrorists associated with the al-Shabaab terrorist group […]

The Video of the Week: Just another day at the 75th Ranger Regiment

Rangers assigned to the 2nd Ranger Battalion while conducting task force training in August 2019 at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Washington. The 75th Ranger Regiment is comprised of five battalions: The 1st Ranger Battalion is based at Fort Benning, Georgia. The 2nd Ranger Battalion is based at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Washington. The 3rd Ranger Battalion is […]

Welcome to the big league: Ukrainian SOF unit operationally greenlighted by US & NATO

A Ukrainian Special Operations unit has become the first-ever non-NATO unit to pass the Alliance’s arduous SOF certification process. The 140th Special Operations Forces Center (140th SOFC) is now eligible to deploy and operate under the umbrella of NATO’s Response Force, the NRF. Being a SOF unit, however, means that if it were to be called, […]

Ranger killed by secretive Afghan SOF unit

On November 2018, a Ranger was killed during a raid against al-Qaida fighters in Afghanistan. Sergeant Leandro Jasso, a team leader serving at the 2nd Ranger Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment, was mortally wounded during room-clearing operations in the Kash Rod district, Nimruz province. At the time of the incident, the Army had announced that Sgt. […]