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 […]

Breaking down the British elite forces: The Parachute Regiment (Paras)

Note: This is part three of a multi-part series exploring elite components within the conventional British forces. During WWII, the British military required an elite airborne unit trained to fight behind enemy lines, and so the Parachute Regiment was born. The elite airborne unit, also known as the Paras, jumped into occupied Germany. Their mission […]

Who’s more fit–US Marines or Royal Marines Commandos?

For the past few years, select members of the U.S. Marine Corps travel to the U.K. to participate in Royal Marines Commando training. True to the U.S. Marines’ institutional mentality to always adapt and improve, this provides them an opportunity to observe what works and how it can be implemented in the Corps’ physical regimen. […]

Special Air Service operators wounded during top-secret mission in Yemen

Two Special Air Service (SAS) operators were wounded by an IED during a recent clandestine operation inside Yemen. The two SAS troopers are part of a joint U.S-U.K. special operations team conducting reconnaissance for ideal drop-zones in case the West decided to provide much-needed humanitarian aid to the challenged Yemenis. However, the SAS operators weren’t […]

Op-Ed: The Special Air Service, the Punisher, and political correctness

British media reports state that Special Air Service (SAS) operators were ordered to remove all Punisher patches and other similar insignias from their kits. SAS received the removal order after military VIPs visited the unit’s headquarters in Hereford, saw the skull-like emblems on troopers’ combat kits, and considered them controversial. The rationale behind the decision […]

UK Special Forces perfect their maritime counter-terrorism skills with elite aviation units

With the terrorism danger perpetually high in both the United States and Europe, Special Operations Forces (SOF) are always honing their counter-terrorism (CT) capabilities, whether in a ground or maritime environment. To respond to a terrorist incident, however, SOF units need to get there first. And that’s where elite aviation units come in. American SOF […]

UK Special Forces perfect their maritime counter-terrorism skills with elite aviation units

With the terrorism danger perpetually high in both the United States and Europe, Special Operations Forces (SOF) are always honing their counter-terrorism (CT) capabilities, whether in a ground or maritime environment. To respond to a terrorist incident, however, SOF units need to get there first. And that’s where elite aviation units come in. American SOF units […]

Breaking: 14 killed in deadly terrorist attack in Kenya, SAS responds

On the afternoon of Tuesday, January 15, al-Shabaab terrorists attacked a luxury hotel in Nairobi, Kenya, killing at least 14 people and wounding dozens. According to emerging reports, one American and one British national are among the dead. The attack began early in the afternoon. An unspecified number of terrorists stormed the hotel’s entrance, lobbing […]

Indiana Jones and Monuments Men: Meet the British Army’s newest special unit

Archaeologists, art dealers, art crime investigators, and linguists. These are some of the professions to which the British Army is looking in order to fill the ranks of its newest special unit: the Cultural Property Protection Unit (CPPU). Creation of this new unit comes as a result of the British government’s decision in 2017 to […]

Breaking: SAS operators wounded in Syria, at least one in critical condition

Two Special Air Service (SAS) troopers were seriously injured during an Islamic State (ISIS) missile attack in an undisclosed location in eastern Syria. At least one Kurdish fighter was killed in the attack. The special operators were attached to Kurdish forces, providing their partners with essential joint terminal attack control (JTAC) capabilities—that is, coordinating airstrikes. […]