The next five-year development and acquisition plan for U.S. Special Operations Command will be transformative, its commander said at the Special Operations Forces Industry Conference on May 22. The plan will include ways to sunset legacy systems to make way for cutting-edge priorities that allow the force to stay ahead of complex and capable adversaries. “In this rapidly evolving environment for ... Read More »
Reports have surfaced of a 29-year-old British SAS sergeant’s fight against fleeing Taliban terrorists in an underground cave complex in Afghanistan in January. The Daily Star Sunday reported that the soldier from central England managed to shoot three terrorists and kill another three with a claw hammer while in near complete darkness in a series of underground tunnels less than 2 feet ... Read More »
An SAS sergeant bludgeoned three Taliban fighters to death with hammer after his pistol failed during a dangerous cave raid in Afghanistan, it has been revealed. The solider, 29, from the Midlands in the UK, volunteered to go looking for the terrorists after they escaped from a Taliban base in the north of the country. It was destroyed by a ... Read More »
In what can only be described as “failing up,” a colonel who was fired after his security forces airmen unit lost a machine gun and grenades while guarding nuclear missiles is headed to a new job at Air Force Special Operations Command. Col. Jason Beers has been assigned as chief of the installations division at AFSOC headquarters, said AFSOC spokeswoman ... Read More »
In Cologne, Germany, authorities arrested a 29-year-old Tunisian man they say was planning an attack with the deadly toxin ricin. It’s a biological weapon made from castor beans, and inhaling or ingesting just one milligram can be deadly. In the U.S., authorities are trying to keep up with ever-changing terror threats, including possible attacks at sea. From a hovering helicopter, a ... Read More »
The Defence Force is scrambling to deal with a suspected ”mafia style” plot by a small number of special forces soldiers to threaten and intimidate witnesses assisting an inquiry into war crimes. Defence sources have confirmed that a key inquiry witness and member of the Special Air Service Regiment was sent a letter earlier this week threatening retaliation if he ... Read More »
Despite the recent attacks that have killed and wounded U.S. troops operating in Africa, the role of forces there remains in advising partners, not in direct combat, according to the Pentagon. Staff Sgt. Alexander Conrad, 26, died last week in an attack while supporting Operation Octave Shield, the mission focused on terrorist groups in Somalia. An estimated 800 Somali and ... Read More »
Maj. Gen. Kirk W. Smith took command Tuesday of special operations troops in Europe, where he will lead a team of Green Berets and SEALs working to bolster allied militaries along NATO’s eastern flank. Smith replaces Maj. Gen. Mark Schwartz, who led Special Operations Command Europe for the past two years. U.S. European Command boss Gen. Curtis M. Scaparrotti credited ... Read More »
A medical evacuation helicopter reached five United States soldiers in Somalia on Friday roughly 20 minutes after they radioed that they were being shelled by Islamist militants, according to a military spokesman, a prompt response that underlines the disparity in American military resources spread across Africa. One of the soldiers, Staff Sgt. Alexander W. Conrad, 26, of Chandler, Ariz., who ... Read More »
A Fort Bragg soldier was killed and four others were wounded Friday during an attack in Somalia. Staff Sgt. Alexander W. Conrad, 26, of Chandler, Arizona, was identified by U.S. Army Special Operations Command late Saturday, following the notification of his family. Conrad was a human intelligence non-commissioned officer assigned to the 1st Battalion, 3rd Special Forces Group. According to U.S. Africa Command, he ... Read More »
SOFX The Crossroads of Special Operations