Recon

The legendary U-2 spy plane is still in use today — and about to get a big upgrade

The Lockheed U-2, which often goes by the name “Dragon Lady” is among the most legendary U.S. military aircraft. The development of the high altitude reconnaissance aircraft was a technological triumph of the era, and sightings of the mysterious craft being tested around locations like “Area 51” in Nevada undoubtedly informed crackpot theories about flying […]

Marine Recon: Surviving war only to battle invisible injuries at home

Editor’s note: This article was originally published by SOFREP.com on April 24, 2017. This updated version of the article is being published due to the recent news that now-Colonel Homiak has been selected as the Commander of the Marine Raider Support Group based in Camp Lejeune, North Carolina. All accounts in this article are based on […]

The commander who was willing to sacrifice our own for the ‘greater good’

Editor’s note: This article was originally published by SOFREP.com on June 13, 2016. A week prior to the article’s publication, the author reached out to Travis Homiak directly via DoD email to ask for comment on information in this article only to be redirected to the Marine Corps Public Affairs Office. A follow-up request was made […]

Stay Tooned: Do you even beard bro?

Beards are alright; you’ll notice I have one in almost every picture or at the very least a little scruff. Lord knows I hate shaving (which is, mostly, why I have one) and my wife says I look like a scary man-child with a shaved face. Beards are really cool when you’re in the military, mostly […]

One can of Red Bull did over $100,000 in damage to a Special Operations intelligence plane

Recently released details pertaining to an in-flight incident aboard special operations intelligence aircraft last month shows that an exploded can of the energy drink Red Bull resulted in extensive damage to the cockpit systems of the plane, prompting the crew to divert back to base. An MC-12W Liberty intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance aircraft assigned to […]

“The Detail” — A short film about Marine Raiders welcoming their brother home

On March 10, 2015, seven Marines with U.S. Marine Corps Special Operations Command (MARSOC) died when an Army UH-60 Blackhawk helicopter crashed near Eglin, Florida. One of those men was Master Sergeant Thomas A. Saunders. The Marines and Corpsman involved in that crash became known as the Raider 7. “The Detail” is a short film […]

SOCOM needs Google’s artificial intelligence — here’s why

Earlier this month, Google employees made a stir in Silicon Valley when a number of them chose to resign from their positions in protest after their company agreed to work with the Defense Department on a new artificial intelligence initiative. Overwhelmingly, the media presented this gesture as an ethical stand — with tech professionals doing […]

That first Claymore and getting switched on

We were heading out on our first reconnaissance mission, our objective was located in the no man’s land (but mostly Separatist controlled) that divided the Ukrainian military outposts and Separatist trenches. The countryside was a lush green and seemed rather peaceful given the circumstances. Sitting at an outpost smoking cigarettes, we had to wait for […]

Ukrainian Army Recon train in CQB

CQB (Close Quarters Battle) is like religion, guys get very passionate about it and everyone thinks their way is the one true way, aside from a few agnostics. CQB refers to a type of fighting that typically occurs inside of buildings and extremely tight spaces considering a gunfight is what may go down. The Eastern […]

The Recce Rifle

Reconnaissance teams of all different origins have always been centered around the ability to be a minimalist,  highly maneuverable element that can discreetly observe and report on the enemy, providing valuable intelligence for command elements that often dictates when and where the fight takes place. With this mission comes the desire for lightweight and versatile […]