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, […]

An introduction to the unknown operations of the SAS in Aden

Yemen, 2020. A civil war that hardly makes the headlines. And yet, 23.8 million people out of a population of 27 million face starvation. Almost six years have passed since the Iran-backed Shia Houthi rebels took the capital, Sanaa, in September 2014. The Saudi-led coalition, backed by the West, has failed to end the war, […]

A crisis in the making? Air Force Spec Ops short on operators

The Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC) appears to be short on active-duty operators, a report indicates. As 2019 faded away, the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) published a report that reveals a crisis in the making for the Air Force’s elite. Like almost every other Special Operations Command, during the last years, AFSOC has […]

How Airmen prepare for Ranger School

Airmen aspiring to attend and complete the suckfest called Ranger School have to first complete an assessment course that evaluates their potential and prepares them for the real deal. The Air Force Ranger Assessment Course has been around for a few years. It is a three-week course that sharpens basic soldiering tasks, including land navigation, […]

SAS Old School: The Oman mission that saved the Special Air Service

“The Special Air Service is superfluous. It doesn’t belong to our Cold War army.” This was your conventional post-war British military thinking. Following the defeat of Nazi Germany, the “anomaly” of the SAS had been corrected and the Regiment disbanded. It took a communist insurgency in Malaya (1950-1960) to resurrect it. But its position still […]

Air Force releases more information on new Special Warfare career field

The Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC) has released more information about the incoming changes in the new Special Warfare career field. Launched this past October, Special Warfare is comprised of the Pararescue (1Z1), Combat Control (1Z2), Tactical Air Control Party (1Z3) and Special Reconnaissance (1Z4) Air Force Specialties. Previously these were separate career fields, […]

Female Marine becomes the first to pass grueling Marine Recon selection

A female Marine has passed the grueling Marine Corps Basic Reconnaissance Course (BRC). Earlier in November, Lance Corporal Alexa Barth became the first-ever female to graduate from the 12-week course. Although Lance Cpl. Barth has been awarded the coveted 0321 military occupational specialty (MOS), which distinguishes her as a Recon Marine, she is currently going […]

The Pic of the Day: The first ever Special Reconnaissance course

A U.S. Air Force Special Tactics operator fires his weapon during long-range weapons training as part of a beta Special Reconnaissance training course near Hurlburt Field, Florida, Sept. 20, 2019. The Special Tactics Training Squadron conducted the course to identify specific core tasks required for each skill level of the new SR career field. Special […]

Breaking: Special Tactics operator missing after falling from C-130

A Special Tactics Airman is missing after falling from a C-130 during a training exercise over the Gulf of Mexico. The unintentional drop took place on the morning of November 5. The Air Commando, whose name hasn’t been released by the Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC), was scheduled to participate, alongside fellow operators, in […]