A special operations Ranger raid force conducted a helicopter insertion on a dark night in Wardak province in Afghanistan last summer. The task was routine, however, on that night it included cutting edge, lifesaving medical procedures that were never done in combat. The assault force received accurate Ak-47 machine gun and other small arms fire from the enemy. Returning fire ... Read More »
Operating in frigid temperatures that can drop more than 20 below zero Fahrenheit, the Air National Guard in Alaska is often completing rescue missions in dangerous environments. The Alaska Air National Guard’s 176th Wing completed their 2,000th rescue mission on January 4th when a PA-18 Super Cub pilot was in distress near Mount Susitna. After the pilot turned on his locator ... Read More »
The York hockey team decided to forge deeper bonds among players by taking a taste of U.S. Army Rangers training. Dressed in military uniforms, sleeping in tents and participating in strenuous activities, the team spent a week together forging bonds that usually take months to build. Their coach, Marc Kapsalis, said “I think it’s just a life appreciation course. I ... Read More »
Iran’s January 8th missile attack on Iraq’s al-Asad air base left nearly a dozen American troops wounded. In the past week, the wounded troops were medically evacuated to U.S. military hospitals in Landstuhl, Germany and Kuwait. “No casualties” were reported by officials from the military and Trump administration; however, after being granted access to the base, news organizations discovered that ... Read More »
Recognizing Martin Luther King Jr. Day yesterday, people all around the nation come together to celebrate what would have been King’s 91st birthday month and the legacy of change that is still relevant today. Bernice King, the daughter of King, announced the theme for the holiday at the King Center in Atlanta. The theme is “King 2020 Vision — The ... Read More »
Plaid, a startup that connects payment apps, such as Square Cash and Venmo to bank accounts, will be acquired by Visa for $5.3 billion. The eight-year-old company raised funding at a $2.65 billion valuation a year ago. Furthermore, it expanded beyond the U.S. to the U.K., France, Spain and Ireland, doubling its number of customers to reach 2,600. Visa is ... Read More »
iFlytek is a Chinese technology company and world leader in Artificial Intelligence, particularly in voice recognition. In September 2018 during a tech conference in Shanghai, the company was accused of disguising human translation as machine learning. Bill Wang, an interpreter, was conducting a live translation at the conference. iFlytek used his translations as live subtitles on a screen giving the ... Read More »
Have you ever wondered why and how people age differently? Going to a class reunion often sparks these thoughts. Some people look like no time has passed, while others looked like a century has passed. A study conducted by Stanford University scientists was published in Nature Medicine, revealing possible explanations for how people age differently. In addition to that, it ... Read More »
40-year-old man from Kansas, David Ostrom, asked an Iowa court to “grant his motion for trial by combat,” in attempt to settle a custody battle with his ex-wife. According to Ostrom, his ex-wife, Bridgette Ostrom, destroyed him legally. He asked the court to give him 12 weeks to find or forge katana and wakizashi swords. Ostrom argued in court records ... Read More »
In May of 2019, a scamming small business in California used fake radio antennas to fill a Department of Defense order. In April 2019, the Naval Special Warfare Command was looking for bids to purchase 450 VHF/UHF antennas for use by Navy SEALs. A company based out of New York that normally supplied the product no longer qualified as a ... Read More »
More than 50 U.S. aircraft from three U.S. bases were used in a joint exercise where the largest USAF base would be under a simulated attack. Called the WestPac Rumrunner, the Navy, Marines, Army, Air Force, and airmen and aircraft from Kadena were all involved in the exercise. The mission focused on a defensive counter-air scenario but included water rescue ... Read More »
Comprising of more than 500 special forces troops in the North-Eastern theatre, the Indian Army conducted its largest airborne exercise. Called ‘Winged Raider,’ the exercise was conducted on January 10th and had the soldiers parachuting from C-130 Hercules and C-17 globemaster transport aircraft of the Indian Air Force. Intensive preparations preceded the exercise, as well as “seamless” integration between the ... Read More »
An intelligence report has discussed the appeal for ambush attacks on law enforcement by terrorists due to their 24/7 presence and visibility. Going after first responders from the start can also hinder their ability to respond to other threats and attacks while they are dealing with the ambush. Federal counterterrorism officials have called for police departments all across the country ... Read More »
A review of the Navy and Marine Corps legal Judge Advocate General Corps community ordered after the Gallagher trial includes recommendations on retaining lawyers, ethical errors, and issues ingrained in the community and system. Unlawful command influence was one of the major points mentioned in the review as an issue in the Marine Corps and Navy legal world. Numerous high-profile ... Read More »
After three sailors were killed and eight more wounded by a Saudi Air Force lieutenant on Naval Air Station Pensacola, the investigators are calling for Apple to unlock his two phones. Calling the mass shooting an act of terrorism, the FBI and attorneys are stressing the importance of needing to know who he was communicating with, and if there is ... Read More »
SOFX The Crossroads of Special Operations