SOFX The Crossroads of Special Operations

The United States Defense Innovation Unit (DIU) has selected a Ra-anana-based counter-drone solution provider, D-Fend Solutions, to provide the EnforceAir c-UAS as the core radio-frequency system to be integrated in a counter-drone system. The system automatically and passively detects, locates and identifies rogue drones. The U.S. Assistant Secretary of Defense Special Operations/Low-Intensity Conflict (ASD SO/LIC) Combating Terrorism Technical Support Office ... Read More »

Due to limitations in technology, water on earth’s surface that is contained in tides, waves and rain is not efficiently converted into electrical energy. However, a droplet-based electricity generator (DEG) has recently been developed by a science and research team from the City University in Hong Kong. Allowing high energy-conversion efficiency, the DEG features a field-effect transistor (FET)-like structure that ... Read More »

Did you know jogging for 5-10 minutes as a warm-up is not suitable and sufficient enough before a strength training workout? Warming up improperly increases the risk of injury, and it affects your performance. An effective warm-up activates the muscles that you are going to use in your workout. It is also essential to move your body and joints through ... Read More »

Depending on a student’s household income, the average annual cost for college can range from zero to tens of thousands of dollars. For example, Duke University has a sticker price of $78,608 for everything–tuition, fees, room and board, personal expenses, books and supplies. Most students do not end up paying the full cost, the amount varying across families. Having a ... Read More »

The two Special Forces soldiers killed in a firefight in Nangarhar province Afghanistan on Saturday have been awarded posthumous promotions by the Defense Department. Sgt. 1st Class Antonio Rodriguez, 28 of Las Cruces, New Mexico, and Sgt. 1st Class Javier J. Gutierrez, 28, of San Antonio, Texas were the two Special Forces soldiers killed.  They were both assigned to the ... Read More »

The Global SOF Foundation President and CEO Stu Bradin has spoken about the company’s goals and strategies to be implemented in the new year. Three main topics and events that will be focused on this year include the annual European event that focuses on efforts to continue to grow the European SOF community. New research and development ideas are being ... Read More »

The Swedish Armed Forces have begun to prepare for a deployment to Mali in order to assist France and their Task Force Takuba. Headquarters have commented that while an exact figure has yet to be determined, the support will most likely come in the form of troops and helicopters from the Special Forces. A new deployment would see the special ... Read More »

The Iraqi military has been ordered to not participate in any joint operations with the U.S. against the Islamic State. Mistrust and suspicion have abounded since Iranian General Soleimani and an Iraqi general were killed by an airstrike. An informal request has also been made for all U.S. troops to be withdrawn from the country. The military announced the resume ... Read More »

The U.S. has continued to ramp up their efforts in Southeast Asia as terrorism continues to grow in the region. A regional counterterrorism expert meeting has recently taken place that highlighted the effort shown and what needs to be improved on. Washington’s endeavors in the area include more training, new equipment and technology being implemented, and designing new programs designed ... Read More »

CEO Bill Brown of L3Harris Technologies has announced that the company may divest up to 10% following the decision to sell their airport security business. Leidos has signed a definitive agreement to purchase the security business and is expected to close mid-2020. The 8-10% of company revenue expected to be divested comes out to around $1.8 billion. Brown also commented ... Read More »

The Pan-Cancer Analysis of Whole Genomes Consortium has analyzed the genetic code of 2,658 different cancers and produced a picture of each. Creating a perfect picture of each cancer will now allow doctors to better understand how they work and enable them to diversify treatment to each patient. Dr. Lincoln Stein from the Ontario Institute for Cancer Research commented that ... Read More »

When many runners train, they focus on running fast with breaks that are little to none, and then running fast again. A writer from Outside Magazine commented that runners may benefit from adding in occasional speed intervals in order to improve time. An easy way to add this to your routine is to perform several accelerations during your run for ... Read More »

The Puppies Assisting Wounded Servicemembers for Veterans Therapy Act has been passed by the House and will see the VA award grants to organizations that pair therapy dogs with veterans. The lead bill sponsor, Republican Ohio Rep. Steve Stivers, when discussing the importance of the bill commented, “a soldier under my command during Operation Iraqi Freedom recently told me what ... Read More »

The Navy-Marine Corps Court of Criminal Appeals saw four judges agree against three others that a retired military service member can be court-martialed. Retired Chief Petty Officer Stephen Begani appealed his conviction after pleading guilty to attempted sexual assault and attempted sexual abuse of a child, because he had been transferred to inactive service at the time. The NMCAA agreed ... Read More »

In the heart of the Afghan capital Kabul, a fatal shooting of two men, Sheikh Khalid Haqqani and Qari Saif Younis, almost went unnoticed. At the time, it was believed that they wanted to go unnoticed because the men were both found carrying fake IDs. Their bodies were found in a location where two deadly attacks had occurred in recent ... Read More »