Map of Combatant Command. Source DoD 2016

What is a Combatant Command?

January 3, 2017 SOF News 0

The Department of Defense has divided the world up into regional areas of responsibility – each region designated as a combatant command. These regions are provided command and control organizations and led by four-star general (or admirals) officers. The Combatant Commands […]

2016 - The Year in Review

SOF in 2016 – The Year That Was . . .

December 31, 2016 SOF News 0

2016 – “The Year That Was”. A collection of articles that look back at 2016 in terms of national security, defense, Middle East, Afghanistan, India, Africa, books, war, conflict, and . . . of course . . . special operations. […]

Special Tactics - Air Commandos

Special Operations News Update 20161230

December 30, 2016 SOF News 0

SOF News Update 20161230 – SF LTC assists SF charity organization, songs of the GWOT-era, maintenance workers keep the CV-22 Osprey flying, how to survive in a winter environment (a Ranger’s advice), Afghan SOF police units have good success against insurgents, […]

Marine patrolling in Lithuania during Exercise Iron Sword 2016 (photo by SGT Kirstin Merrimarahaha, December 1, 2016)

Exercise Iron Sword 2016

December 30, 2016 SOF News 0

U.S. SOF recently participated in Exercise Iron Sword 2016 in Eastern Europe. The event was a two-week multinational field training exercise held in Lithuania. Conventional, airborne, and SOF units from the United States, Canada, Estonia, Germany, UK, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, […]

MQ-9 Reaper on flight line at Creech Air Base, Nevada. The RPA can carry four AGM-114 Hellfire missiles and two 500-pound bombs. It can fly for a 18-24 hour mission. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Christian Clausen).

Drones – News Reports, Papers, and Publications

December 29, 2016 SOF News 0

Drones Update 20161229 – U.S. supplied drones in Ukraine are disappointing, drone tactics in Afghanistan, counter-drone challenge, low morale and training of drone pilots, and more. Not a Good Job – Piloting Drones. “The U.S. Army and the Air Force both […]

U.S. Army Soldier conducting a High Altitude Low Opening (HALO) parachute jump. (Photo from U.S. Army Recruiting video, December 19, 2016).

Special Operations News Update 20161228

December 28, 2016 SOF News 0

SOF News Update 20161228 – “Will Trump Break the Special Forces”, video of U.S. Army parachute riggers, British SOF depending on charity, Belgium SOF aviation capability to grow, audio interview of book author, and more. Video – MOS 92R Parachute […]

UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters from 101st CAB land at LZ in Laghman province, Afghanistan. (photo Sep 23, 2015 by CPT Jarrod Morris, U.S. Army).

Afghan War News Update 20161228

December 28, 2016 SOF News 0

News Update on the Afghan War 20161228 – Celebrated Afghan female Air Force pilot chooses to seek asylum in the United States, regional powers ‘threatened’ by Afghan insecurity, disposition of junk Afghan military vehicles, Taliban peace talks sabotaged by Pakistan, […]

SOF Operators helicasting onto a rooftop (photo from USSOCOM 2016 Factbook)

Special Operations News 20161227

December 27, 2016 SOF News 0

SOF News Update 20161227 – destruction of ISIS, Global SOF Symposium, Afghan interpreters in the lurch, fake SEAL goes to prison, French reporters embed with Iraqi SOF, top 5 Marine Corps around the world, and more. Global SOF Symposium. February 20-23, […]

Niloofar Rahmani, first female fixed-wing pilot in the Afghan Air Force. (Photo from video by Ryan M. Harper, Navy Media, 11 Mar 2015.)

Afghan War News Update

December 27, 2016 SOF News 0

Afghan war news update for 20161227 – Afghanistan has lots of generals, video of C-130J capabilities, Iran and Russia encircling U.S. in Afghanistan, video – “Bagram Airfield: 2016 Year in Review”, the downside of NDS funding “uprising militias”, and more. […]

7th SFGA honored by Colombian BRCNA at ceremony in Dec 2016. Photo by SSG Osvaldo Equite, SOCSouth

Colombian Army CN Brigade – BRCNA – Honors 7th SFGA

December 27, 2016 SOF News 0

The BRCNA honored representatives from 7th SFGA. (This story originally ran on December 7, 2016. Story by SSG Osvaldo Equite, Special Operations Command South). www.dvidshub.net/news/218189/colombian-army-counter-narcotics-brigade-honors-us-special-forces FLORENCIA, Colombia – Every December 7 for the past sixteen years, Colombian soldiers from the […]

BUDS class in 2010 (photo DoD)

Special Operations Forces News 20161226

December 26, 2016 SOF News 0

SOF News Update 20161226 – SOFCCC – the good and the bad, USSOCOM and WMD, MARSOC honored by museum, India SOF lagging behind other nations, NAVSCIATTS, Navy SEAL leaks meaning of Christmas, video of Norwegian SOF, special opns weathermen in […]