954 articles
Air Force Captain Andrew Jon “AJ” Ciechomski, passed away on November 13, after a long and spirited battle with cancer. A Special Tactics Officer (STO), Cpt. Ciechomski was assigned to the 21st Special Tactics Squadron, Pope Army Airfield, Fort Bragg, N.C. According to the Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC), Cpt. Ciechomski was “a qualified […]
The Air Force’s Special Operations Tactical Air Control Party Airmen, or SOF TACPs, are ground special operators who direct air power on the battlefield. Specifically, these Airmen call in air and ground strikes while embedded with a special forces team, such as the Army Rangers or Navy SEALs. These SOF TACPs are selected from the […]
The Special Air Service (SAS) operator who responded to and stopped a terrorist attack in Nairobi, Kenya, in January will receive the Conspicuous Gallantry Cross (CGC). The CGC is Britain’s second-highest military award for valor in combat and second only to the Victoria Cross. On January 16, four terrorists associated with the al-Shabaab terrorist group […]
Thor, right, one of retired Navy SEAL Trevor Maroshek’s canine-partners, sits next to a bronze statue honoring military working dogs and their handlers in Veterans Park. Thor is one of Chopper’s offspring. Chopper is credited with saving American forces from improvised explosive devices (IEDs) while deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan with Maroshek.
France is rallying fellow European nations to join a Special Operations task force that will be deployed in the Sahel region of Africa to combat Islamist terrorists. The task force will be named Task Force TAKUBA, which in the Tuareg language means “sabre.” It will be comprised of Special Operations units from approximately a dozen […]
In a further attempt to modernize and increase the effectiveness of its ground forces, the Air Force has created a new Tactical Air Control Party (TACP) training unit. The primary mission of Det 2, 6th Combat Training Squadron, will be to streamline training and create a standardized pipeline in the TACP career field. The best-known […]
Cmdr. Keith Marinics (left), commanding officer, Naval Special Warfare (NSW) Basic Training Command, and Capt. Bart Randall, commodore, NSW Center, present Andi Valaitis, from Willoughby, Ohio, an “Honorary Frogman” certificate, after living her dream of training with the men and women of NSW. Components of NSW Command teamed with the Make-a-Wish Foundation to allow Valaitis […]
The British Royal Marines Commandos are bracing for significant changes that will take them back to their Special Operations roots. The British Ministry of Defence (MoD) is considering the restructuring of the Royal Marines under the Future Commando Force concept. Improvements include upgrades to their individual weapons, personal loadout, and uniforms. More importantly, however, the […]
A U.S. Air Force Special Tactics operator fires his weapon during long-range weapons training as part of a beta Special Reconnaissance training course near Hurlburt Field, Florida, Sept. 20, 2019. The Special Tactics Training Squadron conducted the course to identify specific core tasks required for each skill level of the new SR career field. Special […]
Editor’s note: This is the fourth part of a series. Captured by the IRA or a blown cover. These were the ultimate sins. In case an operator was compromised, he would either be sent to a different Detachment and location or to the conventional army. So, the three-week Induction Phase, when fresh operators were paired […]
Special Warfare operators during an Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC) internal competition. Special Warfare succeeds Special Tactics in a major overhaul of the Air Force’s Special Operations careerfields.
It’s that day of the year. Veterans Day — or Remembrance Day if you’re from the Commonwealth. Well-meaning people will approach active duty or former warfighters to thank them for their service. And yet their gratitude is bound to diminish or distracted by the everyday. Meanwhile, warfighters continue to deploy around the world. The big […]