SOF News Update 20170804 – 2 KIA and 4 WIA in Afghanistan, Army Ranger now Under Secretary of the Army, life term for Jordanian soldier upheld, SIGAR report on Afghan HUMINT program, NSW’s CCA Mk. 1 stealth boat, Polish Special Forces, USMC new pack frames, USIP at risk, CANSOF’s Operation Nebarius in Africa, paratroopers test IHPS, military weaponry transfers to police departments, Marine’s SPMAGTF-SC at work in Central America, 10th SFG Mtn Team assists in body recovery, and more.
2 KIA and 4 WIA on Wednesday in Kandahar. The a vehicle filled with explosives detonated while a U.S. convoy was passing by in Kandahar. Two U.S. service members were killed and four were wounded in the attack. The Department of Defense released a statement identifying two Soldiers who died from the 82nd Airborne Division.
1 KIA and 6 WIA on Thursday in Kabul. One Resolute Support Soldier was killed and six personnel were wounded when their vehicle was attacked by a suicide bomber in Qarabagh District, Kabul province. The patrol was conducting a partnered mission with the Afghan National Army when a personnel-borne IED detonated. (Resolute Support News Release, August 4, 2017).
Head of Polish SF Interviewed. The head of the Polish Special Forces, Brig Gen Wojciech Marchwica, was interviewed about the current and future status of Poland’s Special Operations Component Command (POL SOCC). Read “Interview: Polish Special Forces Commander”, Shepard Media, July 26, 2017.
USIP at Risk. The Trump administration is proposing to defund the United States Institute of Peace. This is a big mistake. James F. Jeffrey, a career Foreign Service Officer, tells us why in “The Institute of Peace is successful against ISIS – The US must fund it”, The Hill, August 2, 2017.
10th SFGA Assists in Body Recovery. A mountaineering team from the 10th Special Forces Group assisted in the recovery of an accident victim in Colorado. Read “10th Special Forces Group team recovers mountaineering accident victim“, Armywtfmoments.com, August 1, 2017.
CANSOF’s Operation Nebarius. A small element of the Canadian armed forces have been training up the Niger Armed Forces in marksmanship, reconnaissance, and other basic military skills. The operation is part of Canada’s Counter-Terrorism Capacity Building (CTCB) assistance program. (Radio Canada International, August 3, 2017).
USMC’s New Pack Frames. The Marine Corps will begin fielding a reinforced pack frame for their standard rucksacks. See “Marine Corps to field new pack frames in 2018”, UPI Defense News, August 3, 2017.
Paratroopers Test IHPS. Airborne Soldiers have been parachuting with the Armys test Integrated Head Protection System (IHPS). Read more in “Army’s new integrated head protection system test jumps from the sky”, Army.mil, August 2, 2017.
USMC’s SPMAGTF-SC at Work in CA. The Special Purpose Marine Air-Ground Task Force – Southern Command has been busy in Central America. They are currently at work in Honduras, Guatemala, Belize, and El Salvador. (Marines.mil, August 3, 2017).
Military Weaponry Transfers to Police Departments. Good thing or bad thing? Read “To Protect and Serve or to Search and Destroy?”, U.S. News & World Report, August 3, 2017.
NSW’s Stealth Boat. The Navy has a couple of CCA Mk. 1 stealth boats deployed in the Gulf region. The boat is used for medium range missions to insert or extract special operators or to discreetly conduct coastal surveillance. Read more in “U.S. Navy Stealthy Special Operations Boats Are Zooming Around the Middle East”, The War Zone, August 2, 2017.
TACPs from 193rd SOW Attend Air Assault School. For the first time Fort Indiantown Gap in Pennsylvania is hosting a 10-day Air Assault School. Four members of the 193rd Special Operations Wing’s Tactical Air Control Party had the pleasure of attending. (DVIDS, July 26, 2017).
SIGAR Report on Afghan HUMINT Program. The Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction has published a report critical of some aspects of a HUMINT program run in Afghanistan. See “SIGAR cites lack of oversight in $475M training program”, Defense News, August 1, 2017.
Life Term Sentence for Jordanian Soldier Upheld. A Jordanian soldier convicted of killing three U.S. Green Berets and sentence to life in prison lost his appeal in a military appeals court in Jordan. (Stars and Stripes, August 3, 2017).
Army Ranger Now Under Secretary of the Army. The United States Senate voted Tuesday to confirm former Army Ranger Ryan McCarthy as the next Under Secretary of the Army. (Army.mil, August 3, 2017).
Photo Info: The Crisis Response Unit (CRU 222) is the counterterrorism unit of the Ministry of Interior and responds to crisis events in the Kabul area (and sometimes beyond). Learn more about the Afghan Crisis Response Unit.
