954 articles
Read part 2 here “For all their limitations, I don’t believe we could’ve won the war without the firqats,” says Ian Gardiner, a former Royal Marines officer with extensive service to include deployments in Oman, Northern Ireland, and the Falklands. Before we delve into what the firqats, literally meaning a company, were and their operations with the SAS, […]
A Pararescueman (PJ), who played a key role in the rescue of a boys soccer team from a flooded cave in Thailand in 2018, was chosen as one of the 12 Outstanding Airmen of the Year. Technical Sergeant Ken O’Brien, who is assigned to the 320th Special Tactics Squadron (320th STS) out in Kadena Air […]
On Thursday, 33 Turkish soldiers were killed and dozens more wounded during airstrikes conducted by the Syrian Air Force (SAF) in Idlib province. The incident comes at a time where tensions in Northern Syria are sky-high between the Syrian military, Russian forces, and the invading Turkish army and its local proxies. For the past weeks, […]
Last year, during the annual exercise Flintlock, we wrote an article about the dangers of airborne operations. As this year’s iteration of Flintlock is upon us, it’s prudent to review what went wrong when some Special Operations troops from an African country decided to conduct some airborne training. Bad exits or landings during parachute operations […]
An outbreak of the Coronavirus on the U.S. mainland is imminent, according to officials with the Center for Disease Control (CDC). As of February 25, 53 cases have been diagnosed, 39 of which concern Americans who have been repatriated from abroad. Approximately 2,500 people have died from the virus worldwide, the majority of who are […]
Don’t miss out on Part One. How do you defeat an insurgency? How do you win over a people who has been treated as second-class citizens for centuries? Throughout history, many a politician and military officer have lost sleep over such questions. Yet a particular strategy seems to work—blend in with the population, gain their trust by concrete […]
While the Vietnam conflict was in full swing, not too far away another war of similar nature was taking place. Although the Dhofar War (1963-1976) didn’t attract the same publicity as its infamous American contemporary, it was certainly no less — and probably even more — important for the global power balance. Whereas a terror […]
The Space Force might have become a reality, but the U.S. Air Force is closer than any other branch to getting a futuristic weapon. Last November, the Air Force tested the X-61A Gremlin Air Vehicle. A remotely-piloted aircraft (RPA), the Gremlin is designed to be used in mass and to be deployed from a C-130A […]
The U.S. Navy has invented a device that promises to revolutionize Close-Quarters Combat (CQB). The Room Breach Digital Sensor Alert Device (RBDSAD), a combination of an LED light and sensor, is able to mark and monitor a room that has been cleared by friendlies. But the revolutionary part comes in its ability to alert operators […]
A fitness app might have been responsible for exposing the identities of numerous British Special Air Service (SAS) operators. According to Nick Waters, a former British Army officer and open source analyst with Bellingcat, the fitness app Strava can be manipulated into revealing the identities of Special Operations personnel. Waters identified the security lapse during […]
Chief Explosive Ordnance Disposal Technician Matthew J. O’Connor’s heroic actions in Iraq, where he braved enemy fire to save fellow servicemen, earned him the Silver Star, a testament to the bravery and dedication inherent in the Navy EOD community.
In a historic move, the Marine Forces Special Operations Command (MARSOC) has decided to move all of its subordinate units to the East Coast. The 1st Raider Battalion and 1st Marine Raider Support Battalion, both of which are currently located at Camp Pendleton, California, will relocate to Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, by the September 2022. […]