For Decades, US Special Operations Units Copied the British, but Now the Tables Are Turning
The British military is taking a cue from the U.S. and modernizing the structure of its special operations units.
parachute regiment
Here there be legends: Major General John Frost, Battle of Arnhem
Major General John Frost is best remembered as the battalion commander of a British airborne infantry battalion during Operation Market Garden. Frost’s battalion was part of the famous “Bridge Too Far” operation. His unit was able to capture one side of the famous and final Arnhem bridge and hold it for several days before being […]
A Shieldmaiden Among Us: Female becomes the first to pass Parachute Regiment selection
The coveted maroon beret of the parachute regiment, better known as the Paras, has long been a symbol of elite warriors. British Army officer captain Rosie Wild, age 28, of 7th Parachute Regiment Royal Horse Artillery, has become the first woman to pass the arduous All Arms Pre-Parachute Selection (AAPPS), also known as P Company, […]
Legendary SAS operator passes away
A legendary Special Air Service (SAS) operator and assault team leader during the famous Iranian Embassy hostage rescue has passed away. Command Sergeant Major Tom MacDonald died at the age of 71 in New Zealand where he had retired to. The SAS operator had a long and illustrious career in the British Army. He first […]
Royal Marines Paras? British military considers controversial merger of 2 elite units
The British Ministry of Defence (MoD) is toying with the controversial idea of merging the elite Parachute Regiment and Royal Marines. This isn’t the first time that a merger between the two elite units has been voiced by senior officials inside the British Ministry of Defence (MoD). Last year, similar reports had been leaked to […]
The legacy continues: The moving story behind a maroon beret
The year 2008 was tough for the Doherty family. It was in 2008 when their oldest son, Private Jeff Doherty, a paratrooper with 2 PARA, was killed by enemy fire during a Taliban ambush in Afghanistan. His brother, Fin Doherty, was only six years old at the time. And yet he made a vow: as […]
The Pic of the Day: British Paras in Afghanistan
British Army soldiers with the 1st Battalion, The Parachute Regiment, wait inside the belly of a Marine Heavy Helicopter Squadron CH-53D Sea Stallion prior to takeoff during a troop extraction mission in support of operations, in southwestern Afghanistan, April 27. Coalition troops traveled to the Helmand River valley to interact with the local populace and […]
Warriors needed: Recruitment crisis forces UK SOF to put up advertisements
Faced with a recruitment crisis, the United Kingdom Special Forces (UKSF) have been forced to put up advertisements to attract fresh blood into their elite ranks. Posted in the British Army magazine Soldier, the advertisement is specifically geared toward the Special Forces Communicator (SFC) career field. The advertisement states that “The Special Forces Communicator is […]
Extreme combat fitness: British Paras ruck over 500 miles
Physical fitness is one of the core pillars of effective soldiering and it has been since time immemorial. Whether it was in ancient Greece where the formidable Spartans and Macedonians developed superb strength to withstand the physical rigors of Hoplite combat, or in Early Middle Ages Scandinavia where the Vikings developed an extraordinary muscular endurance […]
Major changes coming to British Special Forces
The winds of change are blowing fiercely across the geopolitical chessboard, propelling countries to adjust and adapt to remain competitive. Nation-level conflict is once more the focus of Western militaries following decades of counterinsurgency and counterterrorism operations, and special operations forces (SOF) are fighting to remain at the tip of the spear. According to the […]
Bloody Sunday controversy: British Army prosecutes paratrooper for murder of civilians
Almost half a century after the event, the British Public Prosecution Service (PPS) has decided to prosecute a former British paratrooper for the murders of two people during the infamous Bloody Sunday incident in Derry, Northern Ireland. More specifically, Soldier F – for obvious security reasons, the authorities are withholding his full name – is […]
Would you cover 9,518 miles for a cancer-stricken comrade? These men just did
Jordan Brown is a 19-year veteran serving in the Royal Air Force (RAF). He is assigned to the RAF Regiment, a unit that provides soldiering support to the RAF. Airmen serving in the RAF Regiment can perform a variety of roles to include airfield security, Joint Terminal Attack Control (JTAC) support to ground combat units, […]
