Watch: Community Q&A with Green Beret and SOFREP writer Steve Balestrieri

Watch: Community Q&A with Green Beret and SOFREP writer Steve Balestrieri

On March 25, 2020, Green Beret and SOFREP fan-favorite writer, Steve Balestrieri, hosted a live Q&A with the SOFREP online community. Steve served as a Special Forces NCO and Warrant Officer before injuries forced his early separation. In addition to writing for SOFREP, he covers the NFL for PatsFans.com. His work is also regularly featured […]

Peace? Not today, Afghan Special Forces repel multiple Taliban assaults

Peace? Not today, Afghan Special Forces repel multiple Taliban assaults

The Taliban, despite signing a peace deal with the United States, have vowed to keep attacking Afghan governmental forces. Over the weekend and on Friday they did exactly that by ramping up their attacks and targeting a number of Afghan towns and outposts. They launched an attack on security posts in Bariha, located in the […]

Disbanded but not forgotten: The Czech Special Operations Group

Disbanded but not forgotten: The Czech Special Operations Group

The Special Operation Group (SOG) was a SOF unit from the Czech Republic. The unit was part of the Military Police and was one of the youngest units kicking around having been formed only in 2002. SOG consisted of two departments: the Department of Protection for the Minister of Defense and the Combat Operation Department. […]

Remembering Medal of Honor recipient Charles “Snake” Hosking Jr

Remembering Medal of Honor recipient Charles “Snake” Hosking Jr

Charles Ernest Hosking Jr. was a career soldier who fought as a U.S. paratrooper in World War II and was one of the original Green Berets when the unit was created in 1952. He was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions in Vietnam. A desire to serve Hosking was born in May […]

Senate halts promotion of senior Special Forces officer related to the Niger Ambush

Senate halts promotion of senior Special Forces officer related to the Niger Ambush

Colonel Bradley D. Moses, formerly the 3rd Special Forces Group (Airborne) Commander, is the only officer involved in the 2017 deadly Niger Ambush to have escaped some form of punishment. The ambush resulted in the deaths of three Green Berets and one support soldier. The lack of appropriate training has been the main reason cited […]

Sweden sends 150 commandos to augment French SOF task force

Sweden sends 150 commandos to augment French SOF task force

The Swedish government is planning to send helicopters and 150 special forces operators to augment the French-led Special Operations Task Force in the Sahel, the Swedish Foreign Ministry said in a release. In January, SOFREP had reported that the Swedish government was contemplating the option and weighing the pros and cons.  “The government has decided […]

Hydration: How much water do you really need to be effective?

Hydration: How much water do you really need to be effective?

Drinking water and remaining hydrated is essential for the human body to survive. I remember during Marine Corps boot camp drinking upwards of 12 canteens of water each day depending on the training evolution. We would take water breaks and have to drink a canteen until it was empty, then hold it upside down over […]

Compact and Lethal: The Sig Sauer P228, a staple Navy SEAL sidearm

Compact and Lethal: The Sig Sauer P228, a staple Navy SEAL sidearm

As Naval Special Warfare transitions to the Glock 19, it is important to pay tribute to the legendary Sig Sauer P228. As some people know, SEALs have carried the P226, but on the SWCC side of the house, operators have been carrying the P228 – a smaller and more compact version of the P226. Sig […]

After 19 years of war, U.S. troops begin withdrawing from Afghanistan

After 19 years of war, U.S. troops begin withdrawing from Afghanistan

The United States has begun the initial, gradual withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan in keeping with the peace agreement signed with the Taliban on Feb. 29. The Pentagon confirmed this despite the political chaos surrounding the Kabul government. Under the peace agreement, U.S. forces will be reduced from 13,000 to 8,600 over the next 135 […]

Pentagon identifies fallen Marine Raiders killed in Kurdistan

Pentagon identifies fallen Marine Raiders killed in Kurdistan

The Marine Forces Special Operations Command (MARSOC) has identified the two Marine Raiders, who were killed in action, supporting Operation Inherent Resolve, March 8. The two Critical Skills Operators killed in action are Gunnery Sgt. Diego D. Pongo, a critical skills operator from Simi Valley, Calif., and Capt. Moises A. Navas, a special operations officer […]

Preparing the Special Forces operator for the Unconventional Warfare environment

Preparing the Special Forces operator for the Unconventional Warfare environment

The task of the Special Forces Assessment and Selection course is identifying the candidates who are suitable for Special Forces training. And two of the primary functions of Special Forces are UW (Unconventional Warfare) and FID (Foreign Internal Defense). It is important that the schools don’t lose sight of that fact as SOF (Special Operations […]

Air Force creates new pathway for Special Operations candidates

Air Force creates new pathway for Special Operations candidates

The Air Force has created a new, single pathway to funnel candidates in its Special Warfare specialties. Called the Special Warfare Operator Enlistment Vectoring (SWOE-V) program, the new pathway will pool all those who wish to join one of the Special Operations career fields of the Air Force (Pararescue, Combat Control, Special Reconnaissance, and Tactical […]