954 articles
The advent of portable cameras, coupled with the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, saw an exponential increase in helmet-cam footage. Add to the equation WikiLeaks and YouTube, and one has vast access to combat footage. Yet it is very rare that one gets the chance to experience the same military operation from both sides of […]
Three Americans were killed after their C-130 plane crashed during a firefighting mission in Australia. The crash took place on Thursday afternoon (Australia time). Pending next-of-kin notification, the names of the three firefighters have not been released. According to the Australian Civil Aviation Safety Authority, the mission of the C-130 was to drop fire retardant […]
A U.S. Army Special Forces team assaults a building during a close-quarters battle demonstration for Marines with Special-Purpose Marine Air-Ground Task Force Crisis Response-Africa in Baumholder, Germany. The ability to rapidly secure buildings allows Special Forces teams to complete a variety of missions ranging from hostage rescue to the suppression of enemy forces in an […]
A Special Forces junior officer is to be kicked out of the Army with just a two-week notice following a personal transgression that took place years ago. In 2015, the Green Beret captain, whose name hasn’t been published for personal security reasons, had had an extramarital affair with the wife of a fellow soldier, according […]
The Civil War in Yemen has been going on for four years. On the one side, there are the Shia Houthi rebels, who are backed by Iran. On the other side is the Sunni Yemeni government, which is backed by a substantial coalition of Sunni nations, led by Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. […]
Abu Bakr al Baghdadi. Qassem Soleimani. War with Iran. The Afghan papers. These are some of the more important topics that have been trending in defense and foreign policy news. Russia and China, conversely, have been conspicuous in their absence. But, arguably, these two countries are the most important long-term threats to U.S. national security. […]
In yet another move to increase its combat effectiveness and retention, the 75th Ranger Regiment rolled out the PHALANX program. The initiative is centered on three pillars: Human Performance (performance enhancement opportunities, holistic health assessments, world-class offsite care tailored to each individual) Career (mastery of Ranger fundamentals and competences, more time in key positions — […]
Airmen aspiring to attend and complete the suckfest called Ranger School have to first complete an assessment course that evaluates their potential and prepares them for the real deal. The Air Force Ranger Assessment Course has been around for a few years. It is a three-week course that sharpens basic soldiering tasks, including land navigation, […]
Marine Corps Special Operations Command (MARSOC) train, organize, equip and deploy task-organized, scalable and responsive Marine Corps special operations elements worldwide in support of combatant commanders and other agencies. MARSOC is comprised of roughly 2,500 Marines and sailors. The base unit of MARSOC is the fourteen-man Marine Special Operations Team (MSOT). Each 14-man MSOT is […]
On January 5, an assault force of al-Shabaab terrorists attacked a Kenyan military base and an adjacent airbase that housed American troops. The attack resulted in the deaths of three Americans and the destruction of two surveillance aircraft. If it weren’t for a small team of U.S. troops, however, the attack would have been much […]
This is the second part of a series, you can read part one here. The Egyptian Air Force. That was the true menace. Soldiers and tanks, the royalists could manage. But against the enemy MiG 17 fighters and Ilyushin II-28 bombers they were helpless. So, the mercenaries’ first task seemed simple: recce Sanaa, the Yemeni […]
When it comes to medical care under fire it’s hard to find a better remedy than Special Operations combat medics. Last year, two Ranger combat medics proved that fact by saving the lives of six of their brothers during an operation that went south in Afghanistan. And they did so by implementing medical procedures that […]