U.S. special operations troops ended their largest training mission in West Africa on Friday, as part of a bid to better train local soldiers for the fight against terror groups. “Flintlock represents a new level of cooperation … in a troubled region,” U.S. Special Operations Command chief Maj. Gen. Marcus Hicks said at a ceremony in Niger’s capital city of ... Read More »
Army modernization officials on Wednesday had to explain to Congress why the new, ultra-light combat vehicles the service plans to field to airborne units are so expensive. Lt. Gen. John M. Murray and Lt. Gen. Paul Ostrowski testified before the House Armed Services Committee’s tactical air and land forces subcommittee about the ground force modernization budget request for fiscal 2019. ... Read More »
There are now 15 cities the Army will choose from to host its new modernization command, the service told Congress, where lawmakers are lobbying to attract it. The Army says Army Futures Command headquarters, with less than 500 personnel, will be located in either Atlanta, Austin, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Denver, Houston, Los Angeles, Minneapolis, New York City, Philadelphia, Raleigh, N.C., San Diego, San Francisco ... Read More »
The senior airman who stole night vision goggles and other equipment from Wright-Patterson Air Force Base and sold them on eBay was sentenced Tuesday in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York. Zachary Sizemore was sentenced to three months in a Community Correctional Facility or Halfway House and is ordered to self surrender to the U.S. Marshals by noon ... Read More »
A hair-raising photo shows a black snake slither across the barrel of a U.S. Army National Guard sniper’s rifle during a training exercise. The Alabama National Guard posted the photo of Army National Guard sniper Pfc. William Snyder on Facebook last week. Snyder was practicing “woodland stalking” as part of a 1-173 Infantry training exercise, when the black racer snake slithered across the barrel of his rifle, according to ... Read More »
Arous was an idyllic holiday resort in the Sudanese desert, on the shores of the Red Sea. But this glamorous destination was a base for Israeli agents with a secret mission. “Arous on the Red Sea, a wonderful world apart,” the glossy brochure says, pronouncing it “the diving and desert recreation centre of Sudan” Illustrated with pictures of putty-coloured chalets ... Read More »
Here is a countdown of the top 10 birds responsible for U.S. Air Force wildlife strikes by cost, from fiscal 1995 to fiscal 2016: Source: What birds cause the most damage to U.S. Air Force assets? | Air Force Times Read More »
Of the 18 ROTC students chosen to train as U.S. Navy SEALs this year, four are from the Virginia Tech Corps of Cadets and the university’s Naval ROTC. Another six Hokies are among the 53 men and women nationwide to begin the rigorous SEAL selection process. In fact, in the past two years, no ROTC program in the country has had more students selected ... Read More »
Two Malaysian companies unveiled at the 16-19 Defence Services Asia 2018 (DSA 2018) new 4×4 vehicles that are being marketed for special operations forces (SOF) in Southeast Asia. Selangor-based firm Kembara Suci (KS) showcased its 5.3 m-long Tafuq special operations vehicle (SOV), which has been primarily designed to meet a requirement for the commando units of the Malaysian armed forces, ... Read More »
U.S. Green Berets are working on small unit tactics with soldiers from partner nations during military drills in Niger, where more than 1,500 troops are gathered this week for combat training. Flintlock 2018, Special Operations Command Africa’s largest military exercise, is focused on the fight against a wide range of terrorist groups operating in the region. Al-Qaida and Islamic State ... Read More »
U.S. Special Operations Command inducted six former special operators into the USSOCOM Commando Hall of Honor located at the USSOCOM headquarters, MacDill Air Force Base, Florida, April 18, 2018. More than 100 people attended the ceremony and watched as each inductee received a medal from U.S. Army Gen. Raymond A. Thomas III, USSOCOM commander, and Sgt. Maj. Patrick McCauley, USSOCOM ... Read More »
The Trump administration has rolled out a new set of policies governing its exports of military equipment abroad, with a focus on the idea that “economic security is national security.” But the changes may fall short of what the defense industry was hoping for, particularly when it comes to the export of military drones. The new rules, rolled out April 19, create ... Read More »
Bottom Line: The Kremlin employs an array of often overlapping and competitive security and intelligence services to create multiple sources of intelligence, encourage risk-taking and keep a wary eye on each other. This has enabled Russian President Vladimir Putin to consolidate power by playing agencies off of each other to avoid uninvited power grabs. But these redundancies can also create inefficiencies that ... Read More »
The Tennessee Air National Guard colonel who led a re-enlistment ceremony in which a senior noncommissioned officer recited her oath using a dinosaur puppet has been immediately retired at the rank of lieutenant colonel. Army Maj. Gen. Terry Haston, the adjutant general for the Tennessee National Guard, also announced in a Facebook post Wednesday that Master Sgt. Robin Brown, the ... Read More »
A satirical play based on Adolf Hitler’s youth premieres in Germany on Friday despite complaints about an offer of free tickets to spectators willing to wear a swastika. Citing freedom of artistic expression, prosecutors in Konstanz rejected claims that the play breaks laws banning public display of Nazi symbols. Critics have branded the theatre offer “tasteless” and called for a ... Read More »
SOFX The Crossroads of Special Operations