USASOC

U.S. Army Rangers assigned to 2nd Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment conduct mortars training during task force training August 2019.

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 […]

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 […]

In part one, we reviewed the basic definition of Psychological Operations and its relations to standard propaganda. Psychological Operations is actually a relatively modern concept but had roots long before the advent of the 20th century. The United States government and military, with a few exceptions, did not effectively utilize propaganda or public relations during […]

MSG Hasenbein is charged, among other things, with Reckless Endangerment, and Aggravated Assault, in violation of Article 128, UCMJ. The incident that forms the basis of the charges occurred on Mar 22nd, 2019, during a pre-mission training event where MSG Hasenbein allegedly assaulted an F3EA role player. LTC Haake recommended General Officer Memorandum of Reprimand […]

U.S. Army Special Operation Soldiers with 3rd Special Forces Group (Airborne) conduct counter-improvised explosive device training at Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center (MCAGCC), Twentynine Palms, Calif., Oct. 17, 2019. The Green Berets used the MCAGCC training areas to refine detachment tactics and prepare for combat operations.

Update: SOFREP has learned that the 1st Special Forces Command will retain some CRF-like Direct Action capability, though significantly smaller than the current one. The rationale behind the decision to downsize, however, remains the same: CRFs are too expensive for their utility. In a historic decision for the Special Forces community, the Crisis Response Force […]

A little over 14 years ago, Marine Raiders became a reality. The Marine Forces Special Operations Command (MARSOC) is the latest addition to U.S. Special Operations Command (SOCOM). Established in 2006, MARSOC has steadily grown ever since, often having to fight skeptics both in the Marine Corps and the Department of Defence (DoD) about its […]

The face of war has changed in the past two decades. While the world’s bad guys and the terrorists have been continually morphing and popping up around the globe, as they’re stomped out in one place and reappearing in another, the “good guys” of the world need to network, innovate, and operate, globally.  That’s why […]

New York Times writer Thomas Gibbons-Neff first broke yesterday that a National Guard soldier is set to become the Army’s first female Green Beret in the coming weeks. This report set off a frenzy of other news outlets such as Military.com, Army Times, Task and Purpose, and several others piggybacking off the New York Times article. […]

The Army’s Psychological Operations training course is on the move south. The course is moving its training from Ft. Bragg, NC to Ft. Jackson, SC. The Army’s course trains soldiers to induce or reinforce behavior favorable to U.S. objectives. It is an important part of the range of diplomatic, informational, military and economic activities available […]

William Orlando Darby is one of the icons of the Army’s Special Operations community. He organized, trained, and led the first of the Army’s Ranger Battalions during World War II. He fought in North Africa, Sicily, and mainland Italy. Later, as the Assistant Division Commander of the 10th Mountain Division, he was killed in action […]