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

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. […]

A new Pan-African counterterrorism force?

A new Pan-African counterterrorism force?

At the annual African Union (AU) summit in the Ethiopian capital city of Addis Ababa, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi urged for the formation of a joint military force to combat terrorism and other growing threats on the continent. According to Sisi, the proposal “derives from Egypt’s belief in the importance of forming this force […]

Who we are, where we stand

Who we are, where we stand

SOFREP (Special Operations Forces Report) How did we get our name? It was inspired by the military’s use of acronyms in formal communication traffic. We formed in January 2012, due to a general lack of authentic military content in the world and after we recognized an increased online interest in the post-9/11 realm of Military […]

Old Habits Die Hard: Why Special Operations unit use old-school weapons

Old Habits Die Hard: Why Special Operations unit use old-school weapons

Have you ever heard the saying, “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it”? Well, this adage comes to mind when I think about the M2 Browning .50 caliber machine gun and the M79 grenade launcher. Both of these weapons have a very long, respected history and are still in service. They have been used by […]

Special Forces selection stories can be hilarious

Special Forces selection stories can be hilarious

Sometimes it is weird how a picture or something you see on television can trigger a memory. The odd thing is that many times, these things can be totally unrelated to the memories that they trigger and yet, they all come back in a flash. And this one memory about being a student in the Special […]

Allies, enemies, or just useless? A Special Forces operator on working with Afghan SOF

Allies, enemies, or just useless? A Special Forces operator on working with Afghan SOF

Fact: The Afghanistan National Army Special Forces (ANASF) is the most overused force in Afghanistan. I have personally worked with several Kandaks (units), and their training, motivation, and ops schedule vary greatly. A Special Forces Captain will often be visiting, building rapport, and convincing their unit commander to do more operations. These Kandak commanders struggle […]

Navy SEALs and SWCCs do more than shoot bad guys

Navy SEALs and SWCCs do more than shoot bad guys

When people hear of Navy SEALs or Special Warfare Combatant-Craft Crewmen (SWCC), most think of a scene of guns blazing, cool ass night vision goggles, and fast helicopters and boats slipping through the dark night. In reality, Naval Special Warfare has many different mission sets, including Foreign Internal Defense (FID). FID may not be the […]

Pentagon identifies fallen Special Forces team members

Pentagon identifies fallen Special Forces team members

Editor’s note: Please consider supporting the families of the fallen. You can support Sgt. Rodriguez’s family by donating here; and you can support Sgt. Gutierrez’s family by donating here.   On Saturday, a Special Forces team was ambushed in Afghanistan by a rogue Afghan policeman. Two American commandos were killed and six wounded. The Department […]

Against all odds: Decorated Special Forces operator fights for his innocence

Against all odds: Decorated Special Forces operator fights for his innocence

Master Sergeant John “Jay” Hasenbein gets dressed for trial in his Army dress uniform, shiny, with more medals than most can imagine, his combat Infantryman’s Badge squeezed in near the top of his shoulder. MSG Hasenbein and his family come to the Fort Campbell, KY gate, and are treated like criminals. They and his vehicle […]

Green-on-Blue attacks: Too much, too often

Green-on-Blue attacks: Too much, too often

On Saturday, we learned of a deadly attack on American Green Berets by a member of the Afghan National Police. The Green Berets were from the 3rd Battalion of the 7th Special Forces Group (7th SFG) and were on an operation with their counterpart Afghan Special Operations Forces (ANSOF), conducting Key Leader Engagement (KLE). When […]

Update: How the Special Forces team was ambushed in Afghanistan

Update: How the Special Forces team was ambushed in Afghanistan

Update: The Department of Defence has published the names of the two KIAs. Sgt. 1st Class Javier Jaguar Gutierrez, the senior communications sergeant (18E) on the ODA, and Sgt. 1st Class Antonio Rey Rodriguez, a SOT-A soldier, were killed during the incident.    Yesterday, a Special Forces team was ambushed in Afghanistan by a rogue […]