SOF News Update 20161226 – SOFCCC – the good and the bad, USSOCOM and WMD, MARSOC honored by museum, India SOF lagging behind other nations, NAVSCIATTS, Navy SEAL leaks meaning of Christmas, video of Norwegian SOF, special opns weathermen in HOA, and more.
SOFCCC – Good and Bad. Many of our Special Forces detachment commanders come from the conventional forces. Their first dose of special operational techniques and unconventional warfare comes from the Special Forces Qualification Course (SFQC). Before 2012 the SF officers used to attend the Maneuver Captain’s Career Course (MCCC) at Fort Benning, Georgia – a 22-week long course for Infantry and Armor officers. SF officers now attend the Special Operations Forces Captain’s Career Course (SOFCCC). This is a good thing. However, one detachment commander in 1st Special Forces Group thinks not. Read his article entitled “Lost Oportunities with a new SOF Career Course”, Small Wars Journal, December 23, 2016.
Norwegian SOF Video. Watch a 6 min long video (with music) depicting special operations forces of Norway in action and training. Norwegian Special Forces “Prepare for Tomorrow’s Threats, Today”, posted on Daily Motion.com.
Weapons of Mass Destruction and U.S. SOF. The United States Special Operations Command (USSOCOM) will be taking a leading role in coordinating the U.S. military’s effort to counter weapons of mass destruction (WMD). The Washington Post, December 23, 2016.
India SOF Lagging Behind? According to one news report India’s special operations forces are lacking critical training and equipment. Daily Maiel, December 24, 2016.
DAGRE & SOLRS Demonstration. A party of high-ranking officers recently visited Hurlburt Field, Florida to observe presentations and demonstrations of the 1st Special Operations Logistics Readiness Squadron and the Deployed Aircraft Ground Response Element (DAGRE). Read more in a news report by NWF Daily News, December 24, 2016.
NAVSCIATTS Class Graduates in Dec 2016. The Naval Special Warfare Group 4’s Naval Small Craft Instruction and Technical Training School located in Mississippi recently graduated 29 students from 11 countries. Read more in “NAVSCIATTS Graduates Class 17-1”, DVIDS, December 2, 2016.
Navy SEAL Reveals Secrets of Christmas. In yet another unsurprising turn of events we witness one more U.S. Navy SEAL attempt to mine the public’s thirst for more hero stories – at the risk of disclosing secrets. Read more in “Navy SEAL leaks true meaning of Christmas in new tell-all carol”, DuffelBlog, December 25, 2016.
SOF Weathermen? Hmmmm. It appears that the Air Force has special operations weathermen. Read more in “Weather Balloon Launched in the Horn of Africa”, DVIDS, December 8, 2016.
Air Commandos Conduct MOUT Training. A group of Air Commandos recently completed training in Military Operations in Urban Terrain (MOUT) at Camp Shelby, MS. Read more in a report by DVIDS, Nov 2016.
Air Force Special Tactics Memorial. A memorial to special tactics airmen has been established at Hurlburt Field, Florida. “The monument serves as recognition of the battle-hardened operators who defend our nation’s freedoms against tyranny and oppression”, DVIDS, October 20, 2016.
MARSOC Honored by Museum. The National Museum of the Marine Corps has honored Marine special operators with a display. Read more in Military Times, December 23, 2016.
