While the public tends to focus on the unlawful acts of individual members of the Special Forces, there is much to be said about cultural drivers and decisions made by the chain-of-command historically. For Australia, the end of WWII saw the formation of its first special forces unit after Britain re-formed its Special Air Service. Australia’s 1st Special Air Services ... Read More »
Approximately 5,400 participants from 15 NATO and partner nations took part in the exercise at the Joint Multinational Readiness Center, September 3-30, 2019. Nations included Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bosnia, Bulgaria, Croatia, Georgia, Italy, Kosovo, Lithuanian, the Republic of Northern Macedonia, Moldova, Poland, Romania, Turkey, Ukraine and the US. The exercise also partnered about 100 Multinational SOF from Bulgaria, the US, and ... Read More »
As training for the Green Berets and Rangers aims to have members master the basics, Army special operators shift from trying to inhabit secure bases to practicing survival in large-scale combat. USASOC leaders started carrying out the new plan this last week and expressed their desire to incorporate cyber and information warfare into all aspects of training. On the flip ... Read More »
During a time where an average of one plane every six days was being held up, Raffaele Minichiello was credited with the longest after his family moved to the US and found only trauma. Minichiello boarded, pulled an M1 rifle from his bag and handed a flight attendant a bullet to show to the crew, which began the 18 hour ... Read More »
Dog tags and other items allowed at least 41 troops to be identified after Kim Jong Un sent their remains home, but scientists say they may need years to test the DNA of the other bones. One soldier, a member of the 7th Infantry Division, 31st Regimental Combat Team, was reported missing in 1950 and found among the remains. Soldiers ... Read More »
The government wants to force the Department of Defense to disclose discounts given to other nations and fill out detailed reports whenever it exempts buyers from certain laws surrounding development costs. The bill is meant to safeguard taxpayers and prevent the Department from allowing wealthy Gulf nations to not pay money they owe to the US. The Pentagon supposedly approved ... Read More »
Lumineye, Inc. has fielded equipment to first responders to help them find people during searches or spot false walls during rescue scenarios. The Army rewarded a contract to the company to develop the product so that it allows soldiers to see through obstacles. The Marine Corps is also interested in the product as it recently launched an experimentation effort to ... Read More »
Chipotle announced earlier this month that it was expanding its education benefits program to offer employees the chance to earn one of 75 degrees from selected universities. The initiative will cover all costs of tuition to employees who have been with the company for 120 days or more and work at least 15 hours per week. To make the benefit ... Read More »
Sophia and Richard Lunt discovered an approach to detect and attack cancer cells by utilizing solar power technology to improve light-activated fluorescent dyes. The dyes typically aid with diagnosis, image-guided surgery, and site-specific tumor treatment, but the new method could allow the dyes to accelerate chemical reactions. The concept has been tested in breast, lung, and skin cancer cells of ... Read More »
Narcissists are defined by holding superior views of themselves, showing little empathy, and taking part in more risky behaviors without shame or guilt. Researchers at Queen’s University are trying to understand why narcissism is on the rise even though it is seen as “socially toxic,” and the answer may be that individuals who are narcissistic tend to be more successful. ... Read More »
An up-and-coming film will be based on the true story of Malachi Martin, a Fort Bragg soldier, who was supposedly brought in by the US government to perform exorcisms. The film is set to be a documentary complete with interviews with Martin himself who claims that you know “within the first 20 minutes” if an exorcism is real or not. ... Read More »
The Defense Department has indicated that it will soon be releasing a Request for Proposal to the private sector asking for ways to apply 5G network technology to the military and solve security problems. The whole process will begin with projects at four Defense Department instillations experimenting with VR training and mission planning, smart warehouses that track supplies using 5G ... Read More »
A UCLA-led study finds that, with the use of MRI scans, it is possible to distinguish between memory loss caused by Alzheimer’s disease and traumatic brain injury. Researchers say the finding is important because it could help prevent a misdiagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease, which can be devastating for patients and their families. One study found that as many as 21 ... Read More »
Cpl. Pedro Collier has brought scandal to the elite Canadian SOF unit JTF-2 after it was discovered that he stole military gear, including gun parts, and sold it online. He pleaded guilty to five different criminal charges and will soon face the consequences. So far, he has been suspended and will spend one year on probation, but the Canadian Armed ... Read More »
The beach obstacles to the D-Day landing included massive concrete tetrahedra, wooden embankments, bristly steel structures, and half-submerged traps and barricades lined with explosives. In order to clear the way for landing craft and ships, the Navy SEALs were tasked with clearing the obstacles under enemy fire, something they had been training for since exactly a year ago with the ... Read More »
SOFX The Crossroads of Special Operations