Five personality traits of a Special Operator

People are always asking, “What do I need to do to become a Navy SEAL?” Or they say, “Those Rangers are all psychos and mindless killing machines; that’s not for me.” Or, perhaps someone thinks they have what it takes, physically, to be a Special Forces soldier, but they don’t know if they have the […]

Cubic wins contract from SOCOM for satellite and baseband communications

Cubic Corporation announced this week that its Cubic Mission Solutions (CMS) business division was awarded a follow-on, single-award contract from United States Special Operations Command (USSOCOM). The contract is for delivery of Ground Antenna Transmit and Receive (GATR) inflatable satellite communications (SATCOM) terminals and baseband communications equipment in support of Special Operations Forces (SOF) communications requirements. […]

Operation Watchtower: The US invasion of Guadalcanal begins

The first months of World War II went very badly for the Americans. The Japanese had caught the Pacific Fleet in Pearl Harbor flatfooted and at anchor and had put a massive blow on American naval power.  After that, the Japanese had made lightning assaults and had easily taken the Philippines, Wake Island, Guam, Thailand, […]

A coast-to-coast protest in support of justice for Marine Raiders

In a season of peaceful protests and angry riots erupting across the country and in parts of the world in response to the death of George Floyd, one man was quietly taking action for a different cause in a different way. He decided to bring light to a dark corner in our society by taking […]

Valor in Afghanistan: Marine Raiders receive 8 medals for bravery under fire

Last week, several Marine Raiders received awards for their actions during a deployment in Afghanistan. In total, the Raiders, who are assigned to the 2nd Marine Raider Battalion, received eight medals. The team chief of the Marine Special Operations Team (MSOT) that was involved in the action received the Silver Star (the third-highest award for […]

Which Veterans’ organizations deserve your support? 

There is no shortage of veterans organizations that are doing tremendous work for our veterans, military members, and their families. And today, the needs of the vets and their families are more keenly felt than ever before. The question then is “which ones deserve your support?” The short answer is: the vast majority of them […]

The Video of the Week: Special Operations Marines

Activated in 2006, the Marine Forces Special Operations Command (MARSOC) is the latest addition to the formidable Special Operations arsenal of the United States. Operating in small teams (12-14 operators), Marine Raiders are the tip of the spear of the Marine Corps.

You were just involved in a shooting, now dial 911 properly

In my last post-engagement article I wrote extensively about the post-engagement search and assess. If you haven’t read that, I would encourage you to go back and check it out. Not to pat myself on the back but I think it’s about the most thorough treatment of the topic out there. Today I’m going to […]

Marine Raider dies in static-line parachute training accident

On Tuesday, a Marine Raider was killed during a static-line parachute jump while in the U.S. Army’s Basic Airborne Course at Fort Benning, Georgia. Sergeant Wolfgang Weninger was a Critical Skills Operator (CSO) assigned to the Marine Raider Training Center. He was set to graduate from Airborne training on Friday. Marine Special Operations Forces (MARSOC) […]

The fundamentals of search & assess after a firefight

If there’s one technique in the tactical community that divides shooters into camps it’s the post-engagement search and assess. Yes, I’m talking about the, “look left, look right, look rear” after you’ve taken your shots, but before you tac reloads/holster/move/whatever. Some very knowledgeable shooters I know and trainers I’ve trained under recommend this practice. Some […]