Elite French Foreign Legion unit wins US Army sniper competition

A sniper team from the French Foreign Legion’s 13th Demi-Brigade (13e DBLE) won the 2019 European Best Sniper Team Competition. This year’s version of the annual competition was hosted by Germany and Latvia at the camp of the 7th Army Training Command in Grafenwoehr, Bavaria. In total, sniper teams from 16 NATO allies and partners […]

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 […]

Forget China and Russia, terrorists are still a major threat

It is an undeniable fact that the U.S. military has been gradually shifting its focus from counterterrorism and counterinsurgency operations to near-peer threats, such as China and Russia. Navy SEALs have been practicing with increased frequency in the Pacific in anticipation of a potential conflict with the former. Special Forces teams are rotating more frequently […]

The US Navy’s new badass unmanned sub: The Orca XLUUV

In an effort to make unmanned subs more affordable, useful and lethal to operate, the U.S. Navy has awarded Boeing a contract worth $274.4 million. The contract requires Boeing to build up to five Orca extra-large unmanned undersea vehicles (XLUUV). Orca is based on the Echo Voyager test bed, a 15.5-meter long sub that can […]

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.

A rare look at a Swiss P-26 ‘anti-material’ rifle made for stay-behind cells

A YouTuber called Bloke on the Range with an interest in the history of weapons recently got some hands-on experience with an incredibly rare rifle, one with a controversial history which turned into a fairly substantial scandal for the Swiss government. This week, I wrote an article about how U.S. Special Forces have been training […]

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.

Latvian and Polish troops train for the ‘stay-behind’ mission in the event of a Russian invasion

Soldiers from Latvia and Poland recently wrapped up the “Ridge Runner” training exercise in West Virginia which partnered them with American military forces to train in unconventional warfare. The training prepares these Eastern European soldiers for what was once known as the “stay-behind” mission, in the event Russia invaded their countries with conventional or irregular forces, […]

Navy SEALs’ search for high-tech wetsuits indicates strategic shift

Although one of the five core special forces truths is that humans are more important than hardware, it’s always better to have top-shelf equipment. Navy SEALs, Green Berets, and Marine Raiders are all elite in their training and capabilities, but better gear makes them even more effective on the battlefield. The American technological preponderance of […]

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 […]

The Pic of the Day: Recon Marines conduct arctic parachuting

U.S. Marines with Force Reconnaissance Company, 2nd Reconnaissance Battalion, discuss their plan prior to an operation during Exercise Trident Juncture 18 at Vaernes Air Station, Norway, on October 31, 2018. Trident Juncture 18 demonstrates the II Marine Expeditionary Forces’ ability to deploy, employ, and redeploy the Marine Air Ground Task Force while improving interoperability with […]