Benjamin Church and the beginnings of the Rangers in Colonial New England

While the majority of people associated with our Special Operations Forces consider Robert Rogers as the father of the Ranger Regiment, his troops weren’t the true first American Rangers, that distinction, which outside of historians in New England many people don’t know, falls to Benjamin Church. Benjamin Church created the first true Ranger force, circa […]

SOCOM starts testing body armor developed for their TALOS ‘Iron Man’ suit

Way back in 2013, SOCOM Commander Adm. William McRaven announced plans to develop a high-mobility suit of armor that could better protect the first special operators tasked with entering contested spaces. This new suit was to be developed around an exoskeleton that would not only permit a high degree of mobility, but also bolster the […]

Wiping the slate clean: How the US obliterated any chance of an al-Baghdadi shrine

Last Saturday night, approximately 70 special operators hailing from Delta Force’s A Squadron and the 75th Ranger Regiment stormed a compound in the Idlib Province of Northeast Syria with orders to kill or capture ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. The mission has been hailed as a complete success, with no American troops lost and one […]

The Hero that got hurt in the weekend ISIS raid is named Conan — what a good pup!

Earlier today, President Donald Trump released the first image of the military working dog that was injured during Saturday’s dramatic raid that culminated in the death of ISIS leader, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. The dog, whose name the president said remains classified (but is rumored to be Conan), was injured when al-Baghdadi chose to kill himself […]

The Pic of the Day: Moon’s out, goons out

Rangers from the 75th Ranger Regiment while on nighttime operations in Afghanistan. The 75th Ranger Regiment is a Special Operations light infantry unit comprised of specially selected Soldiers. Rangers are four-time volunteers — they volunteered to join the Army, to attend Airborne School, to attend the Ranger Assessment and Selection Program (RASP 1 or RASP […]

Female Airman earns Army Ranger Tab for the first time ever

Army Ranger school is recognized force-wide as perhaps the best leadership school in the United States military. The 61-day course focuses on small unit tactics, building combat leaders under intense mental and physical stresses. Graduates of the intensive program are awarded the Ranger Tab, which is worn on the upper shoulder of the left sleeve […]

Former Navy SEALs break down why they hate this legendary SOCOM rifle

For many of us from the conventional side of the military (or who never served at all) the FN Scar tends to carry with it a certain appeal. As a rifle designed specifically for Special Operations troops (SCAR actually stands for Special Operations Forces Combat Assault Rifle), it’s hard not to look at the jagged angles […]

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 […]

Ranger regiment testing new rucksacks for Airborne Operations

The 75th Ranger Regiment is working with the U.S. Army Operational Test Command’s (OTC) Airborne and Special Operations Test Directorate (ABNSOTD) based at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, to put some new rucksacks through their paces during airborne operations. The Rangers are testing out three different rucksacks that are produced by Mystery Ranch Mountain Backpacks, a […]

How would you rank in the US Army’s new combat fitness test?

The Army is expected to make some final changes to how they’ll grade the new physical training (PT) test. Having been stuck with the same three-event PT test since 1980, the Army spent six years developing a new six-event test that better measures muscular strength, endurance, power, pliability, coordination, speed, agility, cardiovascular endurance, balance, and […]