SOF News Update 20170107 – France gets after the ‘tangos’, 10 wars to watch in 2017, a SF dude in the corporate world, SF history, Erik Prince and border control, U.S. wounded in Iraq and Syria, Year of the Commando, and more.
France Hitting Terrorists Hard. France has been stepping up its game over the past few years in going after the ‘bad guys’. The French intelligence and special operations organizations have been active throughout the Middle East and North Africa hitting the terrorists hard. Read more in “France secretly launches fightback against ISIS as President Hollande orders deaths of 40 jihadists”, UK Mirror, January 6, 2017.
News is Quiet on Wounded in Iraq and Syria. The U.S. military has been relatively quiet about its wounded military members from Iraq and Syria. Read more in “More U.S. troops are being wounded in Iraq and Syria, the Pentagon quietly acknowledges”, Military Times, January 5, 2017.
Erik Prince and Border Control. The founder of the private military contracting firm once known as Blackwater – Erik Prince – says that private border control firms can help solve the illegal migrant problem for European nations. Read “Mercenaries at the Border”, Vice News, January 3, 2017.
History Channel. Read a short article on the history of U.S. Army Special Forces. “History Vault: Special Forces”, January 6, 2017.
Year of the Commando. Nick Turse of Tom’s Dispatch.com (yes, that guy) has wrote a detailed article on the use of special operations forces around the world. You may not agree with his politics, he may exaggerate, and he gets some facts wrong, and puts his slant on things. But it is interesting reading just the same. Some info Turse puts out you won’t find in other places – nope, not even at SOF.news. Read “Year of the Commando: U.S. Special Ops forces deploy to 138 nations”, Salon, January 6, 2017.
10 Wars to Track. 2017 should not be too different than 2016 in most respects. One thing constant with 2016 – a lot of conflict around the world – should be a constant during 2017 as well. Read more in “10 Conflicts to Watch in 2017”, Foreign Policy, January 5, 2017.
Can SF Soldiers Adapt to the Business World? Of course they can and they can be great assets to corporations needing personnel who can working in very challenging international environments. Read more in “Understanding a Special Forces Soldier’s Resume: A Thought Experiment”, Linkedin Pulse, January 4, 2017.