The Video of the Week: The shadowy world of Finland’s SOF

The Video of the Week: The shadowy world of Finland’s SOF

FINSOF consist of professional capabilities and reserve units. SOF reserve units keep up and develop their military skills regularly. Reserve units can be called up rapidly in order to complement FINSOF capability. In this video, reservists with the Utti Jaeger Regiment put their close quarter battle (CQB) skills through a refresher. The Utti Jaeger Regiment […]

Ranger killed by secretive Afghan SOF unit

Ranger killed by secretive Afghan SOF unit

On November 2018, a Ranger was killed during a raid against al-Qaida fighters in Afghanistan. Sergeant Leandro Jasso, a team leader serving at the 2nd Ranger Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment, was mortally wounded during room-clearing operations in the Kash Rod district, Nimruz province. At the time of the incident, the Army had announced that Sgt. […]

What F-35? Turkey scoffs US and goes for Russian Su-57

What F-35? Turkey scoffs US and goes for Russian Su-57

Only weeks after Russia announced that it would be giving its dying fifth generation fighter a new lease on life (in the form of plans to actually produce 76 of the aircraft), Russian President Vladimir Putin has been spotted peddling the fighter to Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. This sales pitch has been seen by […]

The Pic of the Day: The enablers that allow Air Commandos to rock-and-roll

The Pic of the Day: The enablers that allow Air Commandos to rock-and-roll

A United States Air Force logistics readiness Airman rolls a fuel hose during a forward arming and refueling point mission with USAFE aircraft during Operation Rapid Forge at Ämari Air Base, Estonia, July 18, 2019. Operation Rapid Forge involves NATO territories in order to enhance readiness and improve interoperability between U.S. allies and partners in […]

The Pic of the Day: NATO’s best snipers

The Pic of the Day: NATO’s best snipers

July 21, 2019 – U.S. Army Spc. Kristofer Encinas, a sniper, and Alex Stoyonovich, a sniper team spotter, with 1st Squadron, 91st Cavalry Regiment, engage a target prior to clearing a building during the European Best Sniper Team Competition at the Grafenwoehr Training Area in Germany. The European Best Sniper Team Competition is a U.S. […]

New Russian stealth drone: Threat or liability?

New Russian stealth drone: Threat or liability?

In January, NEWSREP covered leaked images of Russia’s “stealth” combat drone, the Su-70 Okhotnik-B, in an effort to assess the validity of Russia’s claims regarding the platform. At the time, it seemed clear that the aircraft likely had the power required to carry some serious firepower (thanks to what appears to be a fourth generation, […]

American and EU commandos assess the regional SOF command concept

American and EU commandos assess the regional SOF command concept

Frequent and realistic exercises that test war-fighters on symmetric and asymmetric war scenarios are the best way to prepare a force for a possible conflict. Force preparedness is crucial with the near-peer threats of China and Russia becoming ever more pronounced as the American military and its NATO allies shift their gaze from counterterrorism and […]

Victory for Trump as UK and France pledge to increase troops in Syria

Victory for Trump as UK and France pledge to increase troops in Syria

The magazine Foreign Policy (FP) is reporting the United Kingdom, France and some Baltic and Balkan states have agreed to increase special forces elements in Syria. It comes as a major victory for the Trump administration after it decided to pull troops out of Syria. Officially, the U.K. and France do not acknowledge having any […]

The Pic of the Day: Firing away in Ukraine

The Pic of the Day: Firing away in Ukraine

U.S. soldiers conduct a fire coordination exercise with Ukrainian troops in Yavoriv, Ukraine, on July 2, 2019. The U.S. military and its NATO partners have been conducting training exercises with the Ukrainian military with increased frequency in the last few years, a result of Russia’s undeclared war in the Donbas region of eastern Ukraine.

The Pic of the Day: One last brief before the assault

The Pic of the Day: One last brief before the assault

A 173rd Airborne Brigade Paratrooper gives directions to his troops while participating in Exercise Immediate Response at Pocek Training Area, Slovenia, on May 15, 2019. Exercise Immediate Response is a multinational exercise co-led by Croatian Armed Forces, Slovenian Armed Forces, and U.S. Army Europe.

US Army officer convicted of murdering Afghan civilians to receive an appeal

US Army officer convicted of murdering Afghan civilians to receive an appeal

Having previously gotten nowhere with their appeals to the military, the attorneys for former Army 1st Lt. Clint Lorance will soon have their appeal heard by a civilian federal court in Kansas. Lorance was convicted by a military court-martial of murdering two unarmed Afghan civilians on July 2, 2012. Lorance’s platoon, part of the 82nd […]