Watch what happens when airborne ops go wrong

Last year, during the annual exercise Flintlock, we wrote an article about the dangers of airborne operations. As this year’s iteration of Flintlock is upon us, it’s prudent to review what went wrong when some Special Operations troops from an African country decided to conduct some airborne training. Bad exits or landings during parachute operations […]

Flintlock: Africa’s largest Special Operations gathering

Operation Flintlock is the annual AFRICOM showpiece Special Operations exercise. This African-led, military and law enforcement exercise has been conducted since 2005. Flintlock is designed to foster greater cooperation, and counter violent extremist activity inside the partner nations’ borders. Special Operations Command Africa commander, Air Force Brigadier General Dagvin Anderson, said: “Flintlock is an example […]

Air Force continues to pound Al-Shabaab targets in Somalia

The United States conducted an airstrike on February 17 on an al-Shabaab compound in Somalia. The official statement from AFRICOM didn’t report on any casualties but did state that no civilians were injured in the airstrike.  However, the Horn of Africa Observer (HAO) reported that three al-Shabab members were killed in the U.S. airstrike. The […]

American SOF kick off Operation Flintlock in the Sahel

Operation Flintlock: American special operators have teamed up with Special Operations Forces from 30 other countries to hone their tactics and intelligence-gathering capabilities in the Sahel region. This exercise, which has been ongoing since 2005, has been designed to bring special operators together so they can talk, communicate and build better cohesion among the units […]

Convenience or lack of money? Marine Raiders relocate to the East Coast

In a historic move, the Marine Forces Special Operations Command (MARSOC) has decided to move all of its subordinate units to the East Coast. The 1st Raider Battalion and 1st Marine Raider Support Battalion, both of which are currently located at Camp Pendleton, California, will relocate to Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, by the September 2022. […]

Vikings in Africa: Sweden joins French-led Special Operations task force

A Tier 1 Special Operations unit, attack helicopters, and lots more. This is what Sweden is ready to contribute to the new French-led counterterrorism task force in Africa. Last year, France declared its commitment to defeating extremism in the Sahel region of Africa with the creation of Task Force TAKUBA. In a brief press release, […]

How safe are US bases and outposts in Africa?

Benghazi 2012. Niger 2017. Manda Bay 2020. These are just the high-profile cases where American warfighters and diplomats have died in Africa in the last decade. For the most part of the last two decades, the Middle East has captivated the attention of the Pentagon and U.S. media. But Africa has been steadily warming up. […]

Mowing the lawn: How American strikes are destroying ISIS in Libya

Al-Baghdadi might be dead, but the fight against ISIS is not. In the past weeks, the U.S. has been conducting a number of airstrikes in Libya that are greatly diminishing the manpower and resources of the local ISIS branch. U.S. airstrikes in the country have killed close to 50 ISIS fighters, forcing others to hide […]

Hunt them down: France to lead international SOF task force in Africa

France is rallying fellow European nations to join a Special Operations task force that will be deployed in the Sahel region of Africa to combat Islamist terrorists. The task force will be named Task Force TAKUBA, which in the Tuareg language means “sabre.” It will be comprised of Special Operations units from approximately a dozen […]

The Video of the Week: 3rd Special Forces Group, masters of the unconventional

The 3rd Special Forces Group (Airborne) is the preeminent special operations force, deploying the DOD’s most competent, adaptable forces worldwide and across the range of military operations. The 3rd Special Forces Group (Airborne) provides a scalable and self-sustaining special operations capability operating by, with, and through partnered forces to address our nation’s most complex problems. […]