Brains vs Brawn: A Green Beret and a Ranger meet

Green Berets rely on their problem-solving abilities to survive in combat. Much of SF selection seeks to assess this talent. The Special Forces qualification course itself develops and improves creativity. Many times, military problems must be solved with the application of force. Green Berets are not afraid to get their hands dirty, but they understand […]

37 years ago, the Special Forces Regiment got its Tab

SF troops come from humble and austere beginnings. The original Special Forces troops were formed on Smoke Bomb Hill in 1952. Special Forces were created as former members of the OSS (Office of Strategic Services) were assigned with paratroopers and Rangers, with a sprinkling of former members of the Army’s 1st Special Service Force, to […]

Indian Army overhauls Special Operations selection and training

The Indian Army is looking at restructuring the selection process of its personnel volunteering for Special Forces and Airborne battalions. It is also aiming to expand their role in multiple operational theatres. India, despite having large numbers of Special Forces units and troops, does not have a national strategy on how its SF troops should […]

President Trump unveils plan to end Veteran suicides

President Trump and the U.S Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) announced on Wednesday the release of the President’s Roadmap to Empower Veterans and End a National Tragedy of Suicide (PREVENTS). This is a nationwide plan aimed at raising public awareness about mental health, connecting Veterans and others at risk of suicide to federal and local […]

Indian Special Operations general breaks down the border clash with China

Editor’s note: This article was written by Lieutenant General Prakash Katoch (retired), a former Special Operations officer in the Indian Army, and originally published on Mission Victory India. It offers an original perspective on the border clash between Indian and Chinese troops earlier this week. Lt Gen Katoch’s article is of particular interest to those looking […]

Special Operations units to receive new dune buggy

Polaris’s government and defense business has been awarded a potential seven-year, $109 million contract from the General Services Administration (GSA) to build a light tactical all-terrain vehicle for the U.S. Special Operations Command (SOCOM). This follow-on contract is for the Polaris MRZR Alpha, a new light tactical vehicle. The seven-year contract has a value of […]

Feed the Rangers: America’s elite left without enough food

Feed the Rangers. It’s hard to imagine that one of the U.S. military’s premier Special Operations units would fail to sufficiently feed its troops during an extraordinary time. And yet that’s exactly what is been happening in the 1st Battalion, 75th Regiment, which is based at Hunter Army Airfield, Georgia. Last week, approximately 300 Rangers […]

The status of America’s forever wars in the Middle East

The Middle East continues to be a hotbed of violence and conflict. U.S. troops have been fighting, advising, and training in the region for almost 20 years. While there will always be U.S. troops deployed to the Middle East under the jurisdiction of the Central Command (CENTCOM), many are questioning how much longer the U.S. […]

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 […]

The Rhodesian SAS: Battle against all odds

Read the previous part here.  With the 1960s coming to a close and the success rate of incursions into Rhodesia from Zambia dropping to practically zero, both African nationalist groups ZANU and ZAPU looked for alternatives. To the east of Rhodesia lay the country of Mozambique. Rhodesia and Mozambique had established a good relationship and […]