SOF News Update for 20161120 – Weapons – TLI – and Rate of Fire study, restrictive ROE for SAS / SBS, muscle damage from bullet wounds (video), SOF and IO in Iraq, Canadian SOF in Iraq, more details about SF casualties in Jordan, ten most famous SEALs, Philippine and U.S. SOF in Exercise Balance Piston, asymmetric warfare, 3 things you should carry, SFA HQs compound hurricane damage, SAS training, USSOCOM 2016 Fact Book, and more.
Study on Weapons Rate of Fire. The Dupuy Institute has a article that studies the relation between the a weapons rate of fire and the weapon’s ability to inflict damage. The institute developed a methodology for scoring the inherent lethality of a given weapon – the Theoretical Lethality Index (TLI). Read “What is the Relationship Between Rate of Fire and Military Effectiveness?”, Dupuy Institute, November 12, 2016.
Restrictive ROE for British SOF in Middle East. According to one news report the U.S. special operations forces currently operating in Iraq and Syria are complaining about the restrictive Rules of Engagement (ROE) that their British SOF counterparts (SAS / SBS) are operating under. Read “Special Operations: Opportunity Backfires”, Strategy Page, November 12, 2016.
Details Emerge on Killing of Three SF Soldiers in Jordan. It appears that investigators are leaning toward the conclusion that terrorism had a role to play in the recent killing of three Special Forces Soldiers from the 5th Special Forces Group in Jordan. There is a slight rise in tension between Jordanian and U.S. officials in regard to public pronouncements made by Jordanian security officials. Read more in “U.S. Investigates Deaths of 3 Soldiers in Jordan as Possible Terrorism”, The New York Times, November 16, 2016.
SOFREP Report on Jordan Casualties. Jack Murphy of SOFREP provides a detailed look at the incident where three 5th SFGA Soldiers were killed in Jordan. Read “Three Green Berets killed by ISIS infiltrator after CIA ignored warnings”, SOFREP, November 16, 2016.
Story on COL Nick Rowe. A Green Beret that was held for five years as a prisoner of war during the Vietnam War and later was assassinated by terrorists in the Philippines was instrumental in developing and managing Special Forces training programs at Fort Bragg. One of these training courses was the Survival Evasion Resistance and Escape (SERE) course. Read the story of Nick Rowe in “Green Beret survived 5 years as POW and escaped thanks to his beard”, Spec Ops, November 18, 2016.
SAS Training for Selection? It appears that a SAS selection process has been replicated for those who are not in the military. Probably perfect for those who want to experience the hardship and challenges of special forces training without having the long-term commitment of going to war. Hmmm. Read more in a recent news post (nov 14, 2016).
JSOC Targeting Change. According to the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) (Nov 18, 2016) “U.S. President Barack Obama has issued an order in October 2016 granting Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC) greater authorities and intelligence resources to target Jabhat Fatah a-Sham (JFS) – the successor of Syrian Al-Qaeda affiliate Jabhat a-Nusra. The U.S. has since conducted at least four major airstrikes targeting leaders in Jabhat Fatah a-Sham in Idlib Province.”
“The Selection”. History channel has a new series that follows 30 civilians who try to pass a SOF selection course in a new reality show. www.youtube.com/watch?v=OnG-f6pnXlk
SF Association HQs Compound Damaged by Hurricane. The Special Forces Association is recovering from the damage that Hurricane Matthew did to its headquarters compound located in Fayetteville, NC (adjacent to Fort Bragg). Watch a video describing the damage and the recovery efforts. WNCN.com, November 14, 2016.
SOF and IO Training for Iraq. There are two battlefields in Iraq. One currently is in the streets of Mosul with Iraqi government forces fighting the Islamic State. The other is the fight for the hearts and minds of the Iraqi public and fighters in the conflict. In preparation for the battle of Mosul the U.S. trained up some of its special operations forces personnel in Information Operations in an unusual exercise. Read more in “Information Operations Before the Mosul Fight”, Defense One, November 14, 2016.
Vet Helps SOF MWDs. Read the story about a veterinarian who helped SOF Military Working Dogs in Afghanistan. (Bonner County Daily Bee, Nov 15, 2016).
SOCEUR and Lithuania Getting to Know Each Other. MG Mark Schwartz, the commander of Special Operations Command – Europe, met with the Chief of Defense of Lithuania in mid-November 2016 to discuss the current security situation and military cooperation. (Lithuanian Armed Forces, November 11, 2016.
Polish SOF Needs Helicopters. According to a recent news report “Poland urgently needs choppers for special forces”. There were plans at one time to purchase helicopters from Airbus Helicopters but the Poles withdrew from that arrangement. (Polish Press Agency, Oct 20, 2016).
Ten Most Famous SEALs? Can you guess who they are? Before reading the article write down who you think should be in the top ten. Read “The TEN most famous Navy SEALs”, Spec Ops, November 15, 2016.
What Are Canadian SOF doing in Iraq? Read an article that describes the activities of Canadian special operations forces in Iraq by CBC News, November 15, 2016.
USSOCOM Fact Book. The United States Special Operations Command (USSOCOM) 2016 Fact Book is now available online.
www.socom.mil/News/Documents/2016%20Fact%20Book_Web.pdf
Video – Muscle Damage from Bullet Wounds. The International Special Training Center in Pfullendorf, Germany demonstrates in a short 4-min long video the muscle tissue damage suffered from bullet wounds. Video entitled Ballistics Blast Injuries Course, NATO Special Operations Combat Medical Course, October 2016.
USSOCOM Seeking Advanced Technological Products. The United States Special Operations Command has issued an RFI seeking proposals for advanced products and systems associated with voice matching, detection of CBR materials, DNA collection, facial recognition, and more. Read “Special Ops Command seeks experimental intelligence technology”, Bloomberg, November 15, 2016.
