The biggest Spec Ops event in Latin America is around the corner, who will win?

Fuerzas Comando is a military exercise consisting of a skills competition between military and police Special Operations teams from the Western Hemisphere. The event will be hosted by Colombia in 2020. Teams from about 20 countries, including the United States, will be taking part in the challenging contest, which promotes military-to-military relationships, increases training knowledge, […]

How the US plans to counter Russia and China in Africa

Abu Bakr al Baghdadi. Qassem Soleimani. War with Iran. The Afghan papers. These are some of the more important topics that have been trending in defense and foreign policy news. Russia and China, conversely, have been conspicuous in their absence. But, arguably, these two countries are the most important long-term threats to U.S. national security. […]

The Pic of the Day: Look at that Pararescueman and his beard

A U.S. Air Force pararescueman assigned to the 82nd Expeditionary Rescue Squadron, deployed in support of Combined Joint Task Force-Horn of Africa (CJTF-HOA), conducts close quarter battle drills in East Africa, May 10, 2019. Pararescue is the only career field in the entire Department of Defence (DoD) dedicated to personnel recovery.  

Could a Spec Ops base in Syria be in danger of being overrun?

The presence of a small, but strategically important, Special Operations base inside Syria might be in jeopardy after Congress raised concerns about its security. Last week, Congress requested the Department of Defence (DoD) and the Director of National Intelligence Retired Vice Admiral Joseph Maguire, a former Navy SEAL, to assess the threat level of the […]

Report: Marine Raider killed by enemy not friendly fire

A Central Command (CENTCOM) investigation has found that a highly decorated Marine Raider, who was killed in Iraq earlier this year, died from enemy and not friendly fire. Gunnery Sergeant Scott A. Koppenhafer, a Marine Raider assigned to the 2nd Marine Special Operations Battalion (2nd MSOB), was killed on August 10 during combat operations in […]

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 Pic of the Day: US Special Forces in Syria

Members of 5th Special Forces Group (A) conducting 50. Cal Weapons training during counter-ISIS operations at Al Tanf Garrison in southern Syria. Surrounded by desert, the Al Tanf base is located near the Iraq-Syria border. It has been used by U.S. Special Operations Forces as a training site for anti-ISIS forces. Its location has made […]

Marine Special Operations Command: We Aren’t SEALs or Green Berets

Everybody wants to know what sets Marine Special Operations Command (MARSOC) apart from the United States Army Special Operations Command (USASOC) and Naval Special Warfare Command (NSWC). It’s a complicated question to answer. What’s more revealing and easier to address is: what traits does MARSOC share with USASOC and NSW? I’d like to focus on […]