SOF News Update for 20161113 – Camping like a Green Beret, breaching tools, watch out for “Jody”, 19th SFGA ODA trek in Korea, SOCEUR’s Exercise Black Swan, AC-130 flying in combat, Australian Army night fighting equipment, 1st SFGA and AWA 17.1 Exercise, combat vets and their thoughts after the war is over, RIP CSM Jeff Raker, some DuffelBlog humor on USAJFKSWSC, SEAL Team 6 vs. Brit SAS, SEALs elected to office, video of A-10s on range, Gen Scales on tactical forces & technology, will Gen Votel stay at CENTCOM, advising the right way, SEALs and crisis management, and more.
Black Swan Exercise. U.S. and European special operations forces are conducting nighttime training as part of Exercise Black Swan 2016. Watch a short (1 min) video feature by Special Operations Command Europe (SOCEUR), November 7, 2016.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=2oYGsq7II4M
How do Green Berets go Camping? Mike Glover says he can camp with just the items in his ‘Go Bag’. Find out how one Army Special Forces veteran and survival instructor lays out his packing list for camping in the wild in “How to Camp Like a Green Beret”, Task and Purpose, November 6, 2016.
Four Types of “Jodies”. Jody is the guy (or gal) who takes care of things on the homefront while you are away fighting the war, at sea in the middle of the ocean, or taking part in that months-long training exercise. Learn about the “4 Jodies Who Will Ruin Your Life”, by Carl Forsling, Task and Purpose, October 12, 2016.
Ex-Green Beret Attends Arlington JFK Ceremony. A Special Forces veteran of the Vietnam War who suffered severe wounds attended a ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery to honor late President John F. Kennedy and his commitment to the Green Berets. Denzil Drewry was one of a group of former and present Special Forces men who gathered for the occasion. Read more in “Drewry attends Green Berets ceremony at Arlington to honor JFK”, Community Advocate, November 10, 2016.
Looking to Attend the SF CDQC? If you are planning to attend the Special Forces Combat Diver Qualification Course (CDQC) at Key West any time soon you should consider getting good at threading water. Watch a 5-minute video on how to tread water.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=9n2o2Yk8nuA
Small SOF Drones in Budget Request. The $11.6 billion defense budget requested by President Obama contains a provision to buy 535 Lethal Miniature Aerial Missile Systems and related equipment for the US Special Operations Command (USSOCOM). Bloomberg, November 10, 2016.
Podcast: WWII SAS and Hitler Drug Use. Listen to a podcast BBC History Magazine describing the activities of the British Special Air Service (SAS) and Hitler’s drug addition. History Extra, Nov 10, 2016. www.historyextra.com/podcast/wartime-SAS-Hitler’s-drug-addiction
Obituary – CSM Jeff Raker. For all the old SF troopers out there – a Special Forces legend has passed on. Read up on his past in a post by “Detachment “A” – Berlin Special Forces.
Three SEALs win on Election Night. Three members of the Naval Special Warfare Community did well on election night. One has been elected governor, one for another term to Congress, and a third elected for his first term in Congress. See “3 Navy SEALs win big on Election Night”, Guns.com, November 9, 2016.
Dealing with Stress. A former psychologist for the U.S. Navy SEALs provides advice for combating stress at work. Business Insider, November 10, 2016.
SF Treking in Korea. Ten members of the 19th Special Forces Group recently completed a 250 mile trek with South Korean Special Forces (ROKSF). Read “One mile no sweat, 250 miles better yet”, DVIDS, November 3, 2016.
1st Female Cartographer for OSS. The CIA’s Cartography Center has been making maps for over 75 years. The roots of the map making shop go back to the Office of Strategic Services (OSS) where a female geographer – Marion Frieswyk – was employed. Read more in “Marion Frieswyk: The First Female Intelligence Cartographer”, Central Intelligence Agency, November 2016.
Book – Twilight Warriors. James Kitfield has penned a book entitled Twilight Warriors: The Soldiers, Spies and Special Agents Who Are Revolutionizing the American Way of War”. He launched his book with a presentation at the Center for Strategic & International Studies (CSIS) on Thursday, November 10th. You can watch the one-hour presentation (webcam starts at 24:30 mark) at the link below.
www.csis.org/events/book-launch-twilight-warriors-soldiers-spies-and-special-agents-who-are-revolutionizing
Trump: General Votel- Is he in or out? President-elect Donald Trump has had some controversial comments about U.S. policy in the Middle East and the current 4-star generals running the war against ISIS. Will he keep General Votel – the current commander of CENTCOM (and former cdr of JSOC and USSOCOM)? Read more in “Will Trump Keep Obama’s Top Mideast General?”, Defense One, November 9, 2016.
Video – “Special operations forces integrates into AWA 17.1”, U.S. Army News and Media, October 31, 2016. The 1st Special Forces Group took part in the Army Warfighter Assessment exercise held in October 2016 which “enhances joint and multinational integration and improved partnership with industry . . .”
Video – A-10 flying on Nellis Air Force Base range. Cool one-minute long video of A-10s firing up the range.
www.dvidshub.net/video/491708/10
Video – How the CV-22 Osprey Flies. A one-minute long video shows how the unique aircraft of Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC) actually flies. www.dvidshub.net/video/491844/its-done-cv-22-ep-1
Combat Vets and Their Thoughts. Allan Farrell, a Special Forces Vietnam War veteran, writes about “The Solitude of Combat Veterans”, Sic Semper Tyrannis, November 11, 2016.
AC-130 – Spec Ops Plane Stays Busy! In less than one year the United States Air Force AC-130 Gunships of Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC) flew nearly 4,000 hours in combat on secretive missions around the world. (War is Boring, Nov 9, 2016).
SF Training School Changes Name. In anticipation of a Trump presidency where everything is renamed to “Trump” the U.S. Army John F. Kennedy Special Warfare Center and School (USAJFKSWCS) held a hasty renaming ceremony. The new name for the SF training center is “Donald Trump Yuuage Platinum Warrior”. Read more in a news report by DuffleBlog.
Technology and Infantry. Watch a video of MG Robert Scales (Ret) talking for 51 minutes to West Point cadets on the strategic importance of tactical dominance. Via Modern War Institute, West Point, November 9, 2016.
SOF Experience in the Private Sector. There are some unique training opportunities for veterans of special operations who are now separated from the military. Read “Exbellum and DAS: A New Kind of Selection for Special Ops Vets”, Linked In, October 11, 2016.
SOF Breaching Tools. To get into a building or through an obstacle during a direct action mission special operations units will sometimes use breaching tools. Learn more in “Busting Through”, Special Operations International, July 19, 2016.
Comparing SEAL Team 6 with Brit SAS. Two top counter-terrorist teams in the world include the U.S. Navy Special Warfare Development Group (DEVGRU) and the UK’s Special Air Service. Both organizations train extensively in direct action missions, covert reconnaissance, and counter-terrorism. Read more in “The US Navy SEALs vs the British SAS”, How It Works.
Navy SEALs and Crisis Management. Thomas Hardee informs us about five fundamental techniques that SEALs and Special Forces personnel employ to manage a crisis. Read “Five techniques the Navy SEALs use for crisis management”, Linked In, November 4, 2016.
Update on 3 SF Killed in Jordan. The investigation is still ongoing on how and why the three Special Forces Soldiers from 5th SFGA were killed recently just outside an air base in Jordan. Read a news report from The Washington Post that provides more speculation.
Video – “New Night Fighting Equipment 2016”. The Australian Army has produced a video (published on Nov 9, 2016) demonstrating its new night fighting equipment upgrades as part of the “Soldier Combat System Program”.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jy-yBk_yv3g
Advising – How to do it right! Morgan Smiley, a veteran of the Afghan and Iraq conflicts where he served as an advisor has some lessons to share . . . about advising. Read “My Lesson From ‘The Long War'”, Small Wars Journal, November 8, 2016.
