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Trump appoints Special Forces officer to head Counterterrorism Center

With questions arising over whether the administration is going to downsize or even cut the National Counterterrorism Center (NCTC), the White House fired acting director Russ Travers and sent his deputy Peter Hall back to his parent organization, the National Security Agency.  President Trump on Tuesday appointed Christopher Miller to serve as his next permanent […]

Another Coalition base in Iraq attacked with rockets

Two rockets struck a training base south of Baghdad where U.S.-led coalition troops and NATO trainers are present, Iraq’s military said in a statement on Tuesday. The rockets hit the Basmaya base outside of Baghdad on Monday evening. They impacted near a factory and what was described as agricultural land, but not where any troops […]

A one million dollar shot, Ranger snipers save teammates in Iraq

In 2006, a group of U.S. Army Rangers pursued a high-value target in eastern Iraq. This Ranger, who is now the Command Sergeant Major of 3rd Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment, tells the story of how the quick action of one of his team’s snipers saved his life and others that day. You can read more […]

Al-Qaeda’s bastions of power: Somalia and Yemen

Ever since the 9/11 attacks, the U.S. military and intelligence agencies have been battering al-Qaeda terrorists wherever they have found them. Afghanistan, Iraq, Pakistan, everywhere. What used to be safe havens have now become graveyards. But other bastions have emerged in the meanwhile.  Somalia and Yemen are two of them. Al-Qaeda’s Yemen affiliate was bolstered […]

US strikes back at Iranian proxies behind deadly rocket attack in Iraq

In response to the deadly rockets against a Coalition base in Iraq, the U.S. military conducted targeted strikes against an Iranian-backed militia believed to be behind the attack. According to the Department of Defense (DoD), the airstrikes targeted five weapon storage facilities of the Kata’ib Hezbollah (KH), a Shia paramilitary terror group. KH is believed […]

Compact and Lethal: The Sig Sauer P228, a staple Navy SEAL sidearm

As Naval Special Warfare transitions to the Glock 19, it is important to pay tribute to the legendary Sig Sauer P228. As some people know, SEALs have carried the P226, but on the SWCC side of the house, operators have been carrying the P228 – a smaller and more compact version of the P226. Sig […]

Two Americans, one British soldier killed in Iraq by rocket attack

The American military has confirmed, in a released statement, that a rocket attack on an Iraqi base, where U.S. and coalition troops are based, has killed an American and a British soldier and an American contractor. The three men were killed on Camp Taji base as 18 Katyusha rockets slammed into the base on Wednesday […]

The Video of the Week: The life and deeds of Navy SEAL Charles Keating IV

Chief Special Warfare Operator Charles Keating IV was killed during a firefight with ISIS forces in May 2016. He was part of a quick reaction force (QRF) that was trying to rescue a joint American-Kurdish force that came under attack by scores of ISIS fighters. For his heroism in the battle, SOC Keating received the […]

The Pic of the Day: Special Forces operators learn how to counter IEDs

U.S. Army Special Operation Soldiers with 3rd Special Forces Group (Airborne) conduct counter-improvised explosive device training at Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center (MCAGCC), Twentynine Palms, Calif., Oct. 17, 2019. The Green Berets used the MCAGCC training areas to refine detachment tactics and prepare for combat operations.

Exclusive: Army Special Forces command disbands elite units

Update: SOFREP has learned that the 1st Special Forces Command will retain some CRF-like Direct Action capability, though significantly smaller than the current one. The rationale behind the decision to downsize, however, remains the same: CRFs are too expensive for their utility. In a historic decision for the Special Forces community, the Crisis Response Force […]

The Pic of the Day: Top Special Operations General visits UK

U.S. Army Gen. Richard D. Clarke, United States Special Operations Command commander, learns about a medical simulator 352nd Special Operations Wing Airmen train on at RAF Mildenhall, England, Sept. 12, 2019. The mission of the 352nd SOW, part of Air Force Special Operations Command, is to provide combat-ready, responsive, specialized airpower and combat support to […]

And so it begins, U.S. troops start to withdraw from Afghanistan 

Hardly a week has passed since the conditional peace treaty between the U.S. and the Taliban, and American troops are already leaving the country. Despite evidence that the Taliban have resumed attacks on Afghan government forces, U.S. Defense Secretary Mark Esper has given the order for the United States to begin withdrawing troops from Afghanistan.s. […]