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The Pic of the Day: Spec Ops chief visits DoD Warrior Games

Army Gen. Richard D. Clarke, commander, U.S. Special Operations Command, visits Team SOCOM Marine Corps Veteran Gunnery Sgt. Letica Vega after a shooting competition during the 2019 DoD Warrior Games hosted in Tampa, Fla., June 27, 2019. The Warrior Games were established in 2010 as a way to enhance the recovery and rehabilitation of wounded, […]

The Pic of the Day: 7th Special Forces Group operators working those infils

U.S. Army Special Operation Soldiers with 3rd Battalion, 7th Special Forces Group (Airborne) conduct Fast Rope Insertion/Extraction System (FRIES) from a U.S. Marine Corps CH-53E Super Stallion during Integrated Training Exercise 3-19 at Marine Corps Air-Ground Combat Center Twentynine Palms, Calif., April 27, 2019. FRIES training focused on Green Berets ability to rapidly insert on […]

When the SAS defied their government to rescue their own

19 September, 2005. Basra, Iraq. The British soldiers couldn’t believe what they were seeing. Before them, on a TV screen, sat two of their own, faces bloody from beatings, being paraded on Iraqi TV. The announcer read in Arabic that they were being charged with the murder of an Iraqi policeman; they were held in […]

The Video of the Week: Do you have what it takes to join the 75th Ranger Regiment?

Recently, the 75th Ranger Regiment released a recruiting and capabilities video. As the military’s—and arguably the world’s—premier special operations light infantry unit, the 75th Ranger Regiment is an ideal place for competitive and ambitious soldiers to begin their career. Physical grit and mental stamina, however, are necessary not only to pass the Ranger Assessment and […]

The Pic of the Day: Marines on the assault

Marines assess a terrain map during an amphibious assault exercise in Bowen, Australia, July 22, 2019, as part of Talisman Sabre, an exercise between U.S. and Australian troops. Talisman Sabre 19 is a bilateral exercise that provides U.S. and Australian forces realistic and relevant training to strengthen regional security, peace and stability. This year, the […]

‘The Red Sea Diving Resort’: How Hollywood ruined a great spy story

This is a film I was anxiously anticipating since it was based on an amazing – and true – story. Israeli Mossad agents operated a diving resort in Sudan for three years as a front operation while they whisked Ethiopian Jews out of danger and into Israel. “The Red Sea Diving Resort” is directed by […]

The Pic of the Day: One team, one fight for American and Australian commandos

Air Commandos from the U.S. 320th Special Tactics Squadron evacuate a downed pilot with simulated injuries while conducting a personnel recovery (PR) training mission during Talisman Sabre, July 20, 2019. Talisman Sabre is a bilateral exercise that tests the two forces combat training, readiness and interoperability.

Before the AR-15, there was the FN FAL

The Fabrique Nationale Fusil Automatique Leger (Light Automatic Rifle), or FN FAL as it is more commonly known, began life in 1946 when FN and Great Britain created a piston-operated prototype rifle that utilized the German intermediate 7.92x33mm cartridge. This new round was a first attempt at a cartridge that could do the job of […]

SEAL Delivery Vehicles: The SEAL Teams’ secret weapon

Twenty years. That’s how long it took me to realize I’d done something unique, something different. I was young when I started my SEAL career at SEAL Delivery Vehicle Team Two (SDVT-2). I thought all the team guys at real SEAL teams must have known something I didn’t. They must have known there was no […]

The Pic of the Day: The face of the infantryman

A British Royal Marine, who serves with Forty Commando, Royal Marines, walks in formation during a patrol in the field near Stanage Bay, Queensland, Australia, July 17, during Exercise Talisman Sabre 2019. Exercises such as Talisman Sabre offer a uniquely complex and challenging multinational environment for forces to hone their skills.

The Pic of the Day: Cleared hot, British SOF Joint Terminal Attack Controllers in action

RAF Regiment Forward Air Controllers (FACs) with the Air Land Integration Cell guide a Typhoon fighter onto a ground target during an exercise. The RAF Regiment provides Tactical Air Control Parties (TACPs) and FACs to British Army conventional and special operations units. RAF Regiment TACP/FACs are part of the Joint Fires Cell within Support Company, […]