SOF News Update 20170711 – C-130J-SOF, Rick Lamb in Ranger Hall of Fame, SOF operators and off-the-shelf tools, COL Jon Braga heading to CJTF-OIR, BG Bolduc retires, Philippine Army snipers, NSW PO is ‘Sailor of the Year’, how SOF teams find terrorists, info on MARSOC Critical Skills Operators, best Navy SEAL on film or TV, SF officer to command Natick Labs, and more.

C-130J-SOF. The folks at Strategy Page have provided a description of the newly modified C-130J built by the manufacturer especially for special operations forces. The new C-130J has a sturdier fuselage, better landing gear, and additional radar and navigation equipment. Read more in “Special Operations: Too Valuable to Replace”, July 9, 2017.

Rick Lamb and Ranger Hall of Fame. On June 28, 2017 retired Army SGM Rick Lamb was inducted into the Ranger Hall of Fame. He is well know to older soldiers in the Ranger Regiment and U.S. Army Special Forces. Read more in “100% and Then Some”, Global SOF Foundation, June 30, 2017.

Off-The-Shelf Tools for SOF Operators. So what does a quarterback play sleeve, NFL skull cap, fanny pack, sawzall, and Timex watch have in common? Find out in “We Asked Special Operators What Weird Gear They Rely On”, Task and Purpose, February 14, 2017.

COL Jon Braga – SF Officer to CJTF-OIR. Colonel Jon Braga, a Massachusetts native and long-time Special Forces (and other SOF units) officer will soon be working in the Middle East with the Combined Joint Task Force – Operation Inherent Resolve (CJTF-OIR).. He previously served with the 7th Special Forces Group and the Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC). Read more in “Braga’s Defense Extends from Neighborhood to Homeland”, The Sun Chronicle, July 9, 2017.

BG Bolduc (SF) Retires. The former commander of Special Operations Command – Africa (SOCAfrica) BG Donald Bolduc is retiring. He spent most of his career on U.S. Army Special Forces and will soon head home to his home state of New Hampshire. Read more in “U.S. Army Brig. Gen. Bolduc of Laconia Retiring”, Union Leader, July 8, 2017.

SF Officer Takes Command of Natick Labs. LTC Bryan Martin, an SF officer, has taken command of Natick Soldier Systems Center at Natick, Massachusetts. His last post was as an operations officer on the Joint Staff’s Deputy Directorate for Special Operations and Counterterrorism. See “Change of command in Natick”, MetroWest Daily News, July 6, 2017.

Navy Comms Petty Officer – ‘Sailor of the Year’. A Sailor from Corry Station’s Information Warfare Training Command has been named ‘Sailor of the Year’ by Navy Times. Petty Officer 1st Class Justin Sullivan served two combat tours with the Navy Special Warfare Group Two’s communications team. Read more in an article in Pensacola News Journal, July 8, 2017.

Survey – Best Navy SEAL in Film or TV? The United States Navy Institute (USNI) is conducting a survey on the best and worst protrayals of SEAL on television or in the movies. Some of the stars (you can watch the movie trailers in the article if you haven’t seen the movies) under consideration are O.J. Simpson, Vin Diesel, Tom Selleck, Hulk Hogan, Jean Claude Van Damme, Steven Segal, L.L. Cool J, Ice Cube, Mark Wahlberg, Bruce Willis, Charlie Sheen, Alexis Arquette, Matthew McConaughey, Michael Biehn, Bradley Cooper, Rob Lowe, Demi Moore (ugh), and John Krasinski. Read “SURVEY: Who Played the Best Navy SEAL on Film or Television?”, USNI News, July 7, 2017.

MARSOC Critical Skills Operators. The folks at Special Operations.com have published a history of the formation of MARSOC. Read “MARSOC Critical Skills Operators Worthy of Their WWII Lineage”, Special Operations.com, July 10, 2017.

SOF Teams – and Finding Terrorists. A former Delta operator explains how special operations forces (SOF) find terrorists in an article on Fox News. (This is sometimes referred to as F3EAD). See “Special Ops: How to find a terrorist”, Fox News Opinion, July 7, 2017.

Inspiring Story of Green Beret Competing in Warrior Games. Brant Ireland, a Special Forces NCO who lost his left leg in Afghanistan, competed in the Warrior Games. Read his inspiring story of rebounding from a devastating injury in “The story of how Brant became Brant again”, ESPN, July 7, 2017.

Snipers Targeting the Maute-ISIS in Philippines. An interesting news article in the Philippine’s media about snipers fighting ISIS snipers in the Philippine war zone. See “The snipers sniping the snipers”, SunStar Bacolod, July 8, 2017.

SOF News Update 20170710 – CoC for CSOR, SF NCO KIA Afghanistan recognized in ceremony, War College podcast about SOF in Afghanistan (and what they did wrong), video of Russian Mi-35 HIND, book review of Oppose Any Foe, former 5th SFGA cdr now with 101st as BG, Slovakian SOF Soldier recognized by U.S. Ambassador, Bangladesh Army forms Special Forces Brigade, ATVs used by SOF, and more.

Book Review Oppose Any Foe. Mark Moyer has written Oppose Any Foe: The Rise of America’s Special Operations Forces, (Basic Books, 2017). His book is reviewed by James King in an article posted on the Modern War Institute website (July 6, 2017).

New Cdr for CSOR. The Canadian Special Operations Regiment (CSOR) has a new commander. Lt-Col Andrew Vivian took charge of the unit on June 22. Read more in “New Commanding officer for CSOR”, The Daily Observer, July 6, 2017.

College Campus Building Named After SSG Miller. The College of Dupage’s homeland security building is to be named after SSG Robert Miller, a Special Forces NCO, who died in Afghanistan and was awarded the Medal of Honor. See news report by Patch.com, July 5, 2017.

Bangladesh Army forms Special Forces Brigade. Composed of two Paracommando Battalions, the SF brigade will operate under a Special Forces Command alongside an airborne brigade. (BD Military, July 7, 2017).

Video: Russian Mi-35 Inserts SOF. A one-minute long video depicts a Russian helicopter (both attack and troop carrying) insert SOF and then provide fire support. The Drive, July 7, 2017.

Slovakian SOF Soldier Recognized. A member of the Slovakian 5th Special Operations Regiment received a medal for valor for his actions during an attack on Camp Integrity (SOF compound in Kabul) in Afghanistan. See “US Ambassador awards a special tasks regiment soldier”, Spectator (SK), July 2017.

Former 5th Group Cdr now with 101st as DCG-Opns. Col John W. Brennan, former commander of the 5th Special Forces Group (2013-2015), has been appointed as the Deputy Commanding General for Operations of the 101st Airborne Division. See “101st Welcomes Deputy Commanding Generals”, Fort Campbell Courier, July 6, 2017.

SOF’s ATVs. View a pictorial history of All Terrain Vehicles (ATVs) employed in war zones by U.S. special operations forces. 35 photos in all. The Chive, July 7, 2017.

War College Podcast on SOF in Afghanistan. Tim Lynch, a retired Marine Corps officer and years-long contractor in Afghanistan, speaks about SOF’s lack of cultural intelligence and sensitivity while operating in Afghanistan. Lynch says the one guy that got it right – Jim Gant – was crucified by the Special Forces community. Read “Podcast” We need to talk about the Special Forces”, Reuters, July 6, 2017. The link to the podcast is embedded within the Reuters article.

SOF News Update 20170706 – July 3rd casualty identified, ex-Green Beret on North Korea, SOF Medic Field Guide, IDF Special Forces vet designs rotary UAV with machine gun, Glock not happy with Modular Handgun System competition results, college to honor SSG James Miller (Green Beret & MoH), U.S. Army needs more firepower, field guide for boosting Marines senses in combat, and more.

DoD Identifies U.S. Casualty from July 3. The Department of Defense announced the death of a Soldier who was supporting Operation Freedom Sentinel in Afghanistan. PFC Hansen B. Kirkpatrick, 19, of Wasilla, Arkansas, died on July 3rd, in Helmand province from wounds received during an indirect fire attack. He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 36th Infantry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 1st Armored Division based at Fort Bliss, Texas. Info from “DoD Identifies Army Casualty”, DoD, July 5, 2017.

Israeli Special Forces Vet Developed UAV for Machine Guns. Urban warfare will be going high-tech with the introduction of small multi-rotor drones modified to carry machine guns, grenade launchers, and other small weapons. A 20-year veteran of the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) and reservist in the Israeli Special Forces has founded a company that has developed and marketed the drone. Read more in “The Israeli Military is Buying Copter Drones With Machine Guns”, Defense One, July 5, 2017.

Glock – Not Happy with MHS Competition Results. The leadership at Glock, Inc. says that the U.S. Army’s decision to go with Sig Sauer for the Modular Handgun System (MHS) was driven by cost savings not the performance of the gun. The Government Accountability Office (GAO) recently decided to deny Glock’s protest of the Army’s MHS decision. Read more in “Glock Says It’s the Best Pick for MHS; Calls on Army for More Tests”, Military.com, July 5, 2017.

College of Dupage Honors SSG Miller of 3rd SFGA. Staff Sergeant Robert James Miller, a member of 3rd Special Forces Group, was killed in Afghanistan and received the Medal of Honor. The College of Dupage in Illinois – home state of SSG Miller – is naming a building on its campus after Miller. Read about the memorial ceremony and about the Medal of Honor award to Miller.

Army Increasing Fire Power Capability for Future Conflict. The most likely adversaries for the United States in a ground war is Russia and North Korea. Many of the Army’s leadership feel that the Army lacks sufficient firepower to counter these armies. However, efforts are now underway to correct that shortfall. See “As Global Tensions Rise, U.S. Army Beefs Up Firepower”, Real Clear Defense, July 6, 2017.

Field Guide for Marines – Enhancing Instincts. The Office of Naval Research has spent a good bit of money finding out unique ways to boost a Marines senses while operating in dangerous situations. A 23-page field manual breaks down training, mental exercises, and methods for enhancing natural instincts. Read more in “The Navy Developed a Field Guide for Marines to Boost Their Senses Downrange”, Task and Purpose, July 5, 2017.

Green Beret on North Korea. Special Forces officer Mike Waltz, a Fox News commentator, provides his thoughts on what comes next with the North Korean missile crisis. He thinks time is running out yet there really are no good military options. Read more in “Ex-Green Beret Commander: Time to Consider NKorea Regime Change”, Newsmax, July 6, 2017.

Medical Field Guide. The College of Remote and Offshore Medicine (CoROM) has updated its CoROM Field Guide. The CoROM Field Guide was designed for the medical practitioner working in remote and austere environments. The guide is being used by the NATO Special Operations Combat Medic Course. http://corom.org/field-guide/

Every year the commander of the United States Special Operations Command (USSOCOM) gins up a ‘Commander’s Reading List’. The current one for 2017 is now available. The USSOCOM Commander’s Reading List 2017 is posted online. The image below is from an Adobe Acrobat PDF file that can be accessed on the Joint Special Operations University (JSOU) portal at –

http://jsou.libguides.com/ld.php?content_id=33630631

More details of the USSOCOM Commander’s Reading List are provided to include access to eBook and eAudiobook.

http://jsou.libguides.com/readinglists

SOF News Update 20170705 – SOF mission in Syria, women and the draft, SOF’s cultural failure in Philippines, B-54 SADM & SF, Jackie Chan’s next movie, ARNG sniper school at Fort McCoy, “Russian” brigade at NTC, French military in the Sahel, forward-basing in Europe vs. rotating units, recruiting women for the military, and more.

Bearded SOF in Syria. David Ignatius writes about the Special Forces mission in Syria – their daily routine, living conditions, dangers, and the fact that they are “winning”. Read “Meet These Brave Americans in Syria”, The Washington Post, July 3, 2017.

Women and the Draft? With all the fuss about women’s equality in the military and Congressional push for including women in SOF and combat arms units one would think that there would be momentum for true equality. Not so much. Read “Congress Shelves Plan to Have Women Register for the Draft”, Task and Purpose, July 1, 2017.

B-54 SADM (Backpack Nuke) and Special Forces. For a quarter of a century Special Forces A-teams trained on how to infiltrate behind enemy lines with the B-54 Special Atomic Demolition Munition. MAROPs, HALO, and other specialty teams trained on ways to bring in the back pack nuke to hit highly sensitive and critical targets in case of a general war with the Soviet Union. Read “For 25 years, U.S. Special Forces Carried Miniature Nukes on Their Backs”, Smithsonian.com, February 10, 2014.

When the Going Gets Tough – A SEAL’s Advice. When faced with adversity or hardship it is tough to live a normal life. A person needs resilience to live a fulfilling life. Learn more in “A Navy SEAL’s Advice on Living a More Fulfilling Life”, Task and Purpose, April 13, 2015.

French and U.S. Non-Cooperation in the Sahel. The French want to create a regional African security force in the Sahel region of Africa to fight extremist and terrorist groups. However, this move is opposed by the U.S. – for reasons not entirely clear to many observers. Read more in “The U.S.-France Dustup Over Counterterrorism in the Sahel”, RAND Corporation, June 2017.

Transgender Policy On Hold. Military chiefs will get another six months to conduct a review to determine if allowing transgender individuals to enlist in the armed services will affect the readiness or lethality of the force. Read “Mattis delays new transgender policy for US military”, Military Times, June 30, 2017.

SOF’s Cultural Failure in the Philippines. Cole Livieratos, an Army officer in Military Information Support Operations (MISO), has penned an article critical of U.S. Special Operations Forces past mission in the Philippines. He believes that USSOCOM, with its current priorities and organization, “. . . is not positioned to defeat the Islamic State because it does not prioritize operations to limit the Islamic State’s global appeal.” He cites as an example the resources and priorities to the SOF units involved in the fight against the Islamic State in the Philippines. A excellent read! See “A Cultural Failure: U.S. Special Operations in the Philippines and the Rise of the Islamic State”, War on the Rocks, July 3, 2017.

NTC and It’s “Russian Brigade”. Many field exercises incorporate the use of Opposing Forces or OPFOR. At the National Training Center (NTC) located at Fort Irwin, California the OPFOR is the 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment (replicating the  60th Guards Motorized Rifle Division). Read more in “Russian Combat Brigade the U.S. Army Keeps for Training”, Popular Mechanics, June 29, 2017.

Study – Forward Basing Cheaper than Rotating Units. The Army has finally figured out that forward basing a brigade in Germany is cheaper than constantly rotating units in and out of Europe. Read “Army War College report: Basing units overseas is cheaper than troop rotations”, Army Times, July 1, 2017.

RAND Report – Recruiting Women. The RAND Corporation has published a 94-page paper on recruiting women for the military. Specifically, the report looks at the recent recruits’ view on the policy change allowing women in combat and some recommendations on changes that would aid recruiting women for the military. See “Recruiting Policies and Practices for Women in the Military”, RAND, June 2017.

Movie Trailer – The Foreigner. Jackie Chan, usually known for his great karate kicks and roles in comedies, plays a more serious part as a special ops guy after his daughter is killed in a terrorist incident. The Foreigner comes out this fall. Watch the trailer in “Jackie Chan Plays a Revenge-Fueled Ex-Military Super Spook in ‘The Foreigner'”, Task and Purpose, July 3, 2017.

Army NG Sniper Course at Fort McCoy. The Army National Guard has an new 10-day sniper course that trains marksmen on sniping tactics, techniques, and procedures. Read “The Army’s Specialized New Training Course is Designed to Make Snipers Deadlier Than Ever”, Task and Purpose, June 30, 2017.

SOF News Update 20170703 – Ranger Hall of Fame Inductees, McChrystal on national service, Air Force Cross awarded to Special Tactics Airman,  MC-130J’s of 17th Special Operations Squadron, 1st SFGA’s ‘Dragon Week’, and more.

Read Up on MC-130Js of 17th SOS. The “Jakals” of the 17th Special Operation Squadron recently practiced a mass launch of their MC-130J Commando IIIs at Kadena Air Base, Okinawa, Japan. See “Day of the Jakal”, DVIDS, June 22, 2017.

Ranger Hall of Fame. Seventeen Rangers were inducted into the Ranger Hall of Fame on June 28th, 2017 (Wednesday) during a ceremony at Fort Benning, Georgia. Some of the inductees served during World War II, Vietnam, the Battle of Mogadishu in Somalia, as well as in the current conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq. Read more in “Meet the newest members of the Army’s Ranger Hall of Fame”, Army Times, June 29, 2017.

Special Tactics Airman Awarded Air Force Cross. An Airman was awarded the services highest valor award for his heroic actions in 2002 when his quick reaction force (QRF) engaged the Taliban for over 17 hours in an attempt to rescue a special operations force taking part in Operation Anaconda in Afghanistan. Read “Survival on Takur Gar”, Air Force Magazine, August 2017.

“Dragon Week” – Keeping 1st SFGA Teams Ready. Members of 3rd Battalion, 1st Special Forces Group recently completed a training exercise that stresses “. . . Soldiers both physically and mentally as they navigate their way through multiple tactical and technical challenges”. See “1st SFG(A) Soldiers Face Arduous Training During ‘Dragon Week'”, DVIDS, June 30, 2017.

McChrystal on National Service. One of our favorite generals – Stanley McChrystal – has penned an opinion piece for Time.com about how American society needs more trust and consensus and less Facebook posts. He believes that the Serve America Act passed nearly a decade ago should be funded by Congress. Programs like AmeriCorps, YouthBuild, Peace Corps, and others do work – and put our young people against many nagging problems that require hard work, cooperation, and a spirit of volunteerism. Stan provides three solid recommendations to achieve a new sense of volunteerism and provide for one-year national service opportunities. Read more in “Stanley McChrystal: Every American Should Serve for One Year”, Time.com, June 20, 2017.

SOF News Update 20170630 – Video of Philippine SOF engaging insurgents, volunteers for MAVNI program face deportation, Black Hornet mini-UAV, drug use in SOF, Leahy Law & security assistance, SOF’s counter culture, SPMAGTF-CR-AF, not losing in Afghanistan, SOF caught in the middle in Syria, and more.

Video of Philippine SOF Engaging Insurgents. Vice News provides a 9-minute long video of Philippine special operations forces (SOF) snipers engaging insurgents in Southern Philippines.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O16JP0YRKv4

PD-100 Mini-UAV for SOF. The Black Hornet PD-100 is a very tiny helicopter UAV used by a number of SOF units from across the globe. Read more in “Warplanes: Something The Batman Would Hang On His Belt”, Strategy Page, June 28, 2017.

MAVNI Program Hits Roadbump. During the long wars in Iraq and Afghanistan it became apparent that the U.S. military did not have enough Arabic and Dari / Pashtun speakers. Admiral Eric Olson, a past commander of United States Special Operations Command (USSOCOM), was instrumental in establishing the Pentagon’s “Military Accessions Vital to National Interest” program that recruited foreign-born individuals with language abilities needed by the military. Many members of the program worked as interpreters for U.S. SOF and a few have entered the training pipeline for SOF. Now it appears that President Trump’s new immigration policies is putting the program through some hurdles. Over 1,000 individuals with signed contracts are facing deportation. Read more in “Lawmakers press Trump not to deport foreign-born military recruits”, Stars & Stripes, June 28, 2017. The Office of Inspector General for the DoD recently published a report relating to counterintelligence and insider threats and the MAVNI program. It probably is good reading but it is classified.

Green Beret Challenge. A former Special Forces Soldier is hosting an event for about 24 people who want to know what it is like to be a Green Beret. This is an opportunity for ordinary people to test themselves by experiencing what a SF Soldier does in training and in the field. (Macon.com, June 29, 2017).

UK’s SBS Train on Oil Rigs. The United Kingdom’s Special Boat Service (SBS) has been conducting training exercises on North Sea oil rigs. (Energy Voice).

Canadian SOF Mission in Iraq Extended. Canadian SOF will continue their mission to train up the Peshmerga in their fight against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL). Read more in “Liberals extend ‘advise and assist’ mission in Iraq to March 2019”, National Post, June 29, 2017.

SOF’s Counterculture. Boots unbloused, no hat, sun glasses on head, rolled up sleeves, and more in a war zone will easily help you identify an SF guy. The conventional CSM or SGM sees a young trooper who is undisciplined but perhaps there is more to that Soldier than meets the eye. Read “Surfers, Hippies, Hipsters, and Snowflakes – Counterculture in SOF”, SOFLETE.com, June 29, 2017.

2017 Navy SEAL Patriot Award. The Navy SEAL Foundation announced that Kenneth Griffin will receive their annual award for his work in support of the Naval Special Warfare community. General (Ret) David Petraeus is the keynote speaker for the event to be held in September 2017.  (PR Web).

SPMAGTF-CR-AF Train Up with Explosives. The personnel of Special Purpose Marine Air-Ground Task Force – Crisis Response – Africa have been training up on the use of explosives in Spain with members of the Spanish Second Air Support Deployment Squadron (SEADA). (Marines.mil, June 28, 2017).

Drug Use in SOF Units? Members of the U.S. House of Representatives are under the impression that U.S. special operations forces has a big drug use problem. Read “House lawmakers demand accountability review for U.S. special operations forces”, The Washington Times, June 28, 2017.

Road to Stalemate in Afghanistan. The Afghan security forces are slowly losing ground in Afghanistan. While the government controls the major cities and provincial capitals its hold on the rural countryside is tenuous. The U.S. strategic plan for Afghanistan has yet to be unveiled but it is unlikely to lead to victory. James Dobbins, a veteran diplomat with a lot of Afghan experience, writes “Trump’s Options for Afghanistan: Losing or Not Losing”, RAND Corporation, June 23, 2017.

More on Leahy Law. The passage of the Leahy Law is seen as an obstacle to SOF units attempting to provide training to indigenous forces in other countries. Vetting of units is problematic and time consuming. Rachel Kleinfeld opines on the Leahy Law, how U.S. security assistance is effective at the tactical level, how security assistance most times fails to achieve our national interests, and ‘failed states’. Read “Rethinking US Security Assistance Beyond the Leahy Law”, Just Security, June 28, 2017.

SOF in the Middle: Between Turks and Kurds. A news report states that U.S. special operations forces are being positioned in key areas in an attempt to prevent Turkish military forces from attacking our Kurdish allies. Read more in “U.S. special operations forces dispatched to Tal Abyad in northern Syria”, Military Times, June 28, 2017.

SOF News Update 20170629 – Entry into Australian SOF, USSOCOM tests laser weapons on Apache helicopter, 60th Anniversary for 1st SFGA, USAF SOF conducts refueling exercise, foreign weapons for USSOCOM, SF team instructs Hondurans on 106-mm RR (history), Operation Red Wings, UDT / SEAL Museum conducts renovation, Kony and LRA, and more.

Australian SOF fitness assessment and workout. It is hard to get into the special operations forces of Australia. The SOF units include the Special Air Service Regiment (SAS), two Commando Regiments, and five other SOF specialist units. Read about the fitness test and subsequent evaluation for entry in “Are You Special Forces Material”, Australian Men’s Health, June 2017.

60th Anniversary for 1st SFG. The 1st Special Forces Group recently observed their 60th Anniversary by holding an outdoor event that taxed its participants and required them to have a knowledge of Special Forces history reaching back several decades. Read more in “1st Special Forces Group (Airborne) Celebrates 60th Anniversary with Living History Training Event”, DVIDS, June 23, 2017.

Operation Red Wings. In late June through mid-July 2005 Operation Red Wings took place in the Pech district, Kunar province, Afghanistan. It would turn into a tragedy as 19 U.S. lives were lost. A four-man SEAL reconnaissance element was compromised (3 KIA, 1 WIA) and a rescue mission resulted in a crashed helicopter with more lives lost. Wikipedia has a detailed account of the event. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Red_Wings

USSOCOM Tests Helicopter Laser. The United States Special Operations Command – along with the U.S. Army and Raytheon – have tested a helicopter-borne offensive laser. (The Washington Times, June 27, 2017).

Joseph Kony & LRA: Mission Accomplished? Ever since October 2011 U.S. Army Special Forces have deployed small elements to Uganda (and some nearby countries) to assist several African nations (principally Uganda) in the search for the leader of the Lord’s Resistance Army. The group has been whittled down to about 100 fighters and the U.S. has closed down the advise and assist mission called Observant Compass. Read more in “$800 Million Later, Joseph Kony Is Still a Threat”, Foreign Policy, June 28, 2017.

WWII Gallery at Navy UDT-SEAL Museum. Renovations are being made to the National Navy UDT-SEAL Museum in Fort Pierce, Florida that will highlight the exploits of frogmen during World War II. (Tampa Bay Palm, June 27, 2017).

Some History – SF Team & 106-mm RR & FID South of the Border. Read a historical account of a 7th Special Forces team heading to Honduras to instruct a host nation unit on the employment of the 106-mm Recoilless Rifle. See “Those Green Berets Sure Taught You How to Shoot Straight”, Special Operations, June 28, 2107.

Foreign Weapons for USSOCOM. The U.S. Special Operations Command has the ability to purchase foreign weapons for its operations overseas. It’s streamline contract process can result in (sometimes) quick turnarounds for fielding weapons to ‘proxie’ forces across the world. There are many factors involved to include purchasing safe and reliable weapons at a competitive price. Many times the foreign weapons are bought from firms based overseas. One U.S. foreign weapons manufacturer has some heartburn (go figure). Read “Weapons maker wants SOCOM to heed Trump’s ‘Buy American’ edict”, Tampa Bay Times, June 26, 2017.

353rd SOG and JASDF Work Together. The 353rd Special Operations Group based at Kadena Air Base, Japan recently trained with the Japan Air Self-Defense Force (JASDF) during Exercise Teak Jet in June 2017. Read “USAF and JASDF complete Black Hawk air refueling exercise”, AirMed & Rescue TV, June 27, 2017.

SOF Integration – 1st SFG and 2nd Infantry Div. SOF and conventional forces trained together at Yakima training center, Washington during Exercise Bayonet Focus 2017 to enhance their ability to work together during operations. Read “1st Special Forces Group (Airborne) SOF Integration”, DVIDS, June 17, 2017.

SOF News Update 20170628 – Polish JW Grom, Green Beret innocent in ‘home intruder’ case, Navy SEAL fitness, native of Cameroon now member of 1st SOAMDS, Leahy law and FID, US SOF raids in Syria yield intel, Det A in Berlin during Cold War, H145M helos for German KSK, NFL Coach visits 7th SFG,  another Nick Turse article on SOF, and more.

Polish JW Grom. Rich Reynolds writes an article about Poland’s Jednostka Wojskowa Grom. The JW Grom is Poland’s elite counter terrorism unit and is one of the five special operations units (SOF) of the Polish military. The Grom was established in June 1990. Reyolds’s article provides information on the past commanders, organization, training, and known operations of the JW Grom in “Special Forces in Focus: Poland’s JW Grom”, The Baltic Post, June 25, 2017.

Leahy Law. The Leahy Law is intended to restrict security assistance to foreign military or police units that may have been associated with violation of human rights. Many Special Forces Soldiers looked upon the Leahy Law as a hindrance to working with security forces in South America, Africa, the Middle East and elsewhere. Learn more in an article published on June 27, 2017 by Just Security.

H145M Multirole Chopper to German KSK. The Kommando Spezialkrafte is now using the H145M helicopter made by Airbus Helicopters. The 15th and final chopper was delivered in June. Read “Airbus completes H145M deliveries to German special forces“, Janes, June 26, 2017.

Cameroon Native Member of 1st SOAMDS. A Captain serving as a public health flight commander in the 1st Special Operations Aerospace Medical Squadron at Hurlburt Field hails from the African nation of Cameroon. Read “Face of Defense: Persistence Makes Air Commando’s Dream a Reality”, DoD, June 27, 2017.

Jaguars Coach visits 7th SFGA. Coach Doug Marrone is the new head coach of the Jacksonville Jaguars. He spent a day visiting Soldiers from the 7th Special Forces Group to talk about leadership and challenges. Read more in “NFL Coach Pays Visit to 7th SFG”, NWF Daily News, June 26, 2017.

Weaving Fact with Fiction. Nick Turse, a self-proclaimed SOF expert, provides his version of how U.S. special operations forces are employed through the world. Once again, he provides enough facts in his article to make the read interesting while at the same time injecting his version of the story. Read “A Wide World of Winless War: Globe-trotting U.S. special ops forces already deployed to 137 nations in 2017“, The Huffington Post, June 25, 2017.

Det A of Berlin. During the Cold War – when the threat of a Soviet Bloc invasion of western Europe was deemed by some as very high – a secret and small Special Forces unit trained for and conducted very dangerous missions behind the ‘Iron Curtain’. Detachment A based in the East German city of Berlin was where they practiced their craft. Read more in a news report by Drew Brooks in “A Clandestine Cold War Military Unit Steps Into the Light”, Task & Purpose, June 26, 2017.

Want to Look Like a Navy SEAL? If you want to be in great shape then you should consider a physical training program similar to what the Navy SEALs use. Read “How To Get in Shape Like a Navy SEAL”, by James Clark, Task and Purpose, January 2016.

U.S. SOF Raids Provide Intelligence. U.S. special operations forces have been conducting commando raids on a regular basis to develop the intelligence picture of the Islamic State. Read more in “Commando Raids on ISIS Yield Vital Data in Shadowy War”, by Eric Schmitt, The New York Times, June 25, 2017.

Green Beret Innocent. A Special Forces Soldier, formerly of 10th SFGA, has been found innocent in a ‘home intruder’ court case. Read more in “Jury Finds Former Green Beret Innocent in 2015 Shooting of Home Intruder”, Task and Purpose, June 27, 2017.

Top photo: Iraqi troops training in August 2016. Credit to CJTF-OIR.

Unfortunately there will be a temporary break in publishing the SOF Update eNewsletter and posting on the SOF.news website. The extremely small writing staff is headed out in a couple of different directions for the next few months. Three short-term overseas contracts (a good thing because that pays the bills), NFL playoffs, a couple of ski vacations, the American Football Conference Championships, other work commitments and projects, and the Patriots beating the Cowboys in the Super Bowl all are going to contribute to a compressed time schedule. We will resume writing, posting, and sending out the eNewsletter in a few months.