The Pic of the Day: Operators and their horses

U.S Army Special Operations Soldiers with 2nd Battalion, 7th Special Forces Group (Airborne) and U.S. Marine Raiders with Marine Special Operations School ride horseback through Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest during the SOF Horsemanship Course at Marine Corps Mountain Warfare Training Center, Bridgeport, Calif.

Innocent until proven guilty: Will the Marines clean up their JAG Corps?

Following the decision of Admiral Bob Burke, the Vice Chief of Naval Operations, to investigate the Navy Judge Advocate General’s (JAG) Corps’  leadership and performance, the Secretary of the Navy (SECNAV) Richard V. Spencer expanded the investigation to the Marine Corps’ JAG as well. According to a Navy Times article, military attorney Lt. Col. Robert […]

Addicted to SEALs: Overdependence on SOF units is dangerous

It is an undeniable fact that since the twin towers went down on 9/11 the role of Special Operations Forces (SOF) has changed. The gradual change saw SOF shift from their traditional role of supporting conventional forces to that of being supported by conventional units. With increased frequency, conventional elements fulfil secondary tasks during operations […]

Purging the waste: SOCOM commander orders new review of culture and ethics in SOF community

After a rash of high profile incidents involving the U.S. Special Operations community, Gen. Richard Clarke, the head of U.S. Special Operations Command, has ordered a comprehensive review of the culture and ethics in play throughout America’s elite war fighting institutions. Recent incidents have called our culture and ethics into question and threaten the trust placed […]

Women and SOF selection, a former Special Forces instructor speaks out

Sometimes you read things in the news and are thoroughly amazed and awed by some of the fantastic things people think of and make happen. Other times you can read something and be thoroughly amazed and awed for the opposite reasons and wonder, “What the hell are they thinking?” Recently, the Pentagon has resolved to […]

Colombian Special Forces operators win Fuerzas Commando 2019 special ops competition

The Colombian Army Special Operations Forces took home the prestigious top honors at the 15th annual Fuerzas Commando 2019 competition.  Fuerzas Commando is a friendly but spirited competition of special operations military and police units from Central and South America. The competition, which began in 2004, is sponsored by the United States Southern Command (SOUTHCOM) […]

The Pic of the Day: Raiders compete for glory

On June 12, 2019, Marine Raiders carry a combat rubber raiding craft in preparation for the boating portion of the annual Marine Forces Special Operations Command 2019 Marine Raider Competition on Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune in Jacksonville, North Carolina. The competition consisted of six teams of six participants each hailing from 1st Marine Raider […]

Marine Raider graduates from elite French Commando course

A Marine Raider with the U.S. Marine Corps Forces, Special Operations Command (MARSOC) graduated from the arduous French Commando “Moniteur” Training Course. The Marine Critical Skills Operator (CSO)—a gunnery sergeant—was the first Marine Raider to attend the course, and also became the first American to receive the highest distinction of the course for his stellar […]

Adjust target: MARSOC Marines caught running a tactical gear contraband gig

Five Marines from the 3rd Marine Raider Battalion, Marine Special Operations Command (MARSOC), have been arrested for stealing government property worth more than $300,000 and then selling it on the black market. In the span of two years, two separate theft rings run by Marine special operators allegedly stole vehicle parts and tactical gear. The […]

The Pic of the Day: Special operations Marines and their K9s

KEY WEST, Fla. (Nov. 29, 2018) — Marine Raiders from a Marine Corps Forces Special Operations Command (MARSOC) K9 unit conduct over-the-beach-bag (OTB) training in Naval Air Station Key West’s Truman Harbor during MARSOC’s multi-purpose canine handler training. Naval Air Station Key West is a state-of-the-art facility for combat fighter aircraft of all military services, […]

Green Beret killed in training incident last week was also previously in MARSOC

Sgt. 1st Class Nicholas Sheperty died last Wednesday after suffering critical injuries during airborne operations training. Local emergency services personnel declared the 36-year-old Sheperty dead at the scene, and a command investigation into the cause of the incident is underway. “On behalf of the men and women of the West Virginia National Guard, I extend […]