When Special Forces meets entrepreneurship

“How the hell am I going to fill 1,000 sandbags, and how did I get myself into this mess?” I thought. Sometimes life throws curveballs at you and you have to do your best to sit back in the box and hit them the opposite way. In doing so, you can make the most out […]

Cook assigned to Special Forces unit gets arrested for drugs, then disappears

Staff Sergeant Kalvin Taylor, a 5th Special Forces Group cook (92G), was arrested for possession of 15 pounds of marijuana, 500 tablets of Xanax, and a firearm. The Clarksville Tennessee Police Department observed the Soldier conduct at least two separate drug transactions on his way to Dover, Tennessee, before pulling him over. The Police Department […]

Special Warfare Museum to close permanently

In January, the John F. Kennedy Special Warfare Museum closed in order to conduct a complete inventory. The Museum announced that once it reopened it would fall under the U.S. Army Special Operations Command and expand to include all of the ARSOF Regiments. Therefore it would also include Civil Affairs and Psychological Operations. Let the […]

The Rhodesian SAS: Covert external operations

You can read the previous part here. We explored the historical background of the Rhodesian SAS C Squadron. Now it is time to focus on a few of the missions that they undertook during the Rhodesian Bush War, a war that threatened to destroy the government of Rhodesia, take the land and evict those of […]

Do’s and Don’ts for being a Republican or Democrat in the military

The below guidance is factual; however, the examples and stylized commentary belong to the writer and do not express the sentiments of the Department of Defense. This guidance is meant for Title 10 service members only as certain details differ for elements under other areas of the U.S. Code. Have you ever been unsure about […]

The Pic of the Day: A rare peek inside a Ranger armory

U.S. special operations service members conduct combat operations in support of Operation Resolute Support in Afghanistan, February 2019. RS is a NATO-led mission to train, advise, and assist the Afghan National Defense and Security Forces and institutions. An assortment of weapons can be seen inside the armory, including: M3 Carl Gustav recoilless rifles M4A1 carbines […]

Special Operations Warrior Foundation: A noble cause worth supporting

One of the constant reminders of the cost of endless wars is the human toll they exact. This is not just confined to soldiers, sailors, airmen, and marines, but to their families too. Every time a warrior is either killed or seriously wounded in battle, his or her family is left to pick up the […]

News from the foxhole

Hey folks, June is around the corner, and with it another exciting month packed with content. Steve Balestrieri sits down for an interview with the president of the Special Operations Warrior Foundation (SOWF), a non-profit organization that supports Gold Star families and ensures that the children of fallen commandos receive an education. In a much-anticipated […]

The Pic of the Day: Recon Marines and their drones

A reconnaissance Marine assigned to the Maritime Raid Force, 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU), prepares to launch an RQ-20 Puma aboard a combat rubber raiding craft May 24, 2020. The Bataan Amphibious Ready Group and 26th MEU, supported by air power from the Aviation Combat Element of the ARG/MEU, including AV-8B Harriers and attack helicopters, […]

Why the US will never fully back an independent Kurdistan

The ongoing ethnic and religious strife in Iraq creates an opportunity for Kurdish nationalists to realize their aspirations and declare independence. Although the Kurds are a nation with a common culture, a shared identity, and have civic organizations that pursue nationalistic-type goals, they still do not have an internationally recognized state. And as we shall […]

Combined Special Operations raid kills two ISIS leaders in Syria

On May 17, a combined Special Operations raid killed two regional Islamic State leaders in eastern Syria. The assault force was comprised of a U.S. Special Operations element and a Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) partner force. In a press release, Operation Inherent Resolve identified the two ISIS leaders as Ahmad ‘Isa Ismail al-Zawi, AKA Abu […]