Watch a video depicting United States Air Force Predator support for Roberts Ridge battle in Afghanistan. On March 4, 2002 a desperate fight between a U.S. joint special operations team composed of SEALs and Air Force combat controllers and al Qaeda and Taliban forces took place on a snowy mountain top in Afghanistan. The SOF team on the Takur Ghar mountain top was the recipient of some air support provided by MQ-1 Predator air crews that helped the small SOF team with situational awareness and fire support. Two participants in that battle would be awarded the Medal of Honor – USAF ST Combat Controller John Chapman and Navy SEAL Britt Slabinski.

Watch the video:

Roberts Ridge: Seeing Through the Fog of War, DVIDS, August 30, 2018.
www.dvidshub.net/video/622147/roberts-ridge-seeing-though-fog-war

**********

Photo: Predator support for Roberts Ridge battle in Afghanistan 2002. Video by Senior Airman James Thompson, 432nd Wing Public Affairs, Creech Air Force Base, Nevada. August 30, 2018.

]]> 7892 https://sof.news/update/20180319/ Mon, 19 Mar 2018 05:00:45 +0000 http://www.sof.news/?p=5359 SOF News Update 20180319 – Kurds fighting Turkish forces (not ISIS), HH-60 crash in Iraq, building coalitions, 4th Recon Bn Cdr dies, USMC seeks RIAB for PSYOP, NATO’s annual report, ‘7 Days in Entebbe’, Singapore’s combat divers, SF field kitchen [...]]]>

SOF News Update 20180319 – Kurds fighting Turkish forces (not ISIS), HH-60 crash in Iraq, building coalitions, 4th Recon Bn Cdr dies, USMC seeks RIAB for PSYOP, NATO’s annual report, ‘7 Days in Entebbe’, Singapore’s combat divers, SF field kitchen in Alaska, Lockheed Martin training for AFSOC, USASOC updating its chopper fleet, ‘Prospect Theory’ and COIN, Petraeus on Iraq War, 19th SFG valor awards, USS Colorado, and more.

Kurds Fighting Turkish Incursion. Syrian Kurds, who were busy applying the finishing touches to an offensive against ISIS in Syria, are being pulled away from that fight. Once the Turkish military entered Kurd-controlled areas of northwest Syria the Kurds focus shifted. This two-month old offensive by Turkey has pulled at least 1,000 Kurdish fighters from the ISIS battle. Read more in “The US could finish off ISIS if Turkey would stop fighting the Kurds, Pentagon say”, Washington Examiner, March 15, 2018.

HH-60 Crash in Iraq. Central Command has announced on March 16th that all personnel aboard a U.S. Air Force HH-60 Pave Hawk helicopter that crash on Thursday, March 15th have been killed. An accompanying U.S. helicopter immediately reported the crash and a QRF security the scene. Read more about the crash of the HH-60 helicopter in western Iraq.

4th Recon Bn Cdr Dies. A reserve reconnaissance commander was found dead in his California home earlier this month. The commanding officer of the 4th Reconnaissance Battalion based in San Antonio died on March 11th. LE officials have ruled the death a suicide. (Marine Corps Times, Mar 15, 2018).

USASOC Updating Chopper Fleet. The US Army is going to replace some of its SOF MH-47s with newer models. (Janes.com, Mar 14, 2018).

NATO’s Annual Report. The Secretary General’s Annual Report 2017 is now available online. Posted on March 15th it is about 120 pages. Not a lot of information about special operations but a good read in general about what NATO is doing in Europe and around the world.
www.nato.int/cps/en/natohq/opinions_152797.htm

“Prospect Theory” and COIN. Sidharth Kaushal, a doctoral candidate in International Relations at the London School of Economics and Political Science, writes about the application of “Prospect Theory” to counterinsurgency operations. Perhaps We Can Eat Soup With a Knife: Prospect Theory and the Use of Conventional Military Strategies in Counterinsurgency Operations, Small Wars Journal, March 2018.

Retired SEAL Writes on ‘Employee Engagement’. Brent Gleeson, a motivational leadership speaker (and more), writes What We Can Learn About Employee Engagement from the Navy SEALs, Forbes.com, March 16, 2018.

USS Colorado – SOF Capable. The Navy’s newest submarine has special features to support special operations forces – including a reconfigurable torpedo room which can accommodate a large number of personnel and all their equipment for prolonged deployments and future off-board payloads. Read USS Colorado Commissioned, Maritime Executive, March 17, 2018.

Singapore’s Combat Divers. The Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) combat diver training lasts five months. It ends in a ‘hell week’ and then the trainees can become elite frogmen in the Naval Diving Unit. Read “SAF’s combat diver course pushes even the fittest and strongest to breaking point”, The Strait Times, March 15, 2018.

19th SFG Valor Awards. Soldiers from the 19th Special Forces Group were honored for their valor during a 2017 deployment to Afghanistan. (The Seattle Times, Mar 17, 2018).

Lockheed Martin Training for AFSOC. The USAF awarded a contract to provide training support services for AFSOC. The contract includes support to the AF SOF schoolhouse and will last for several years. The Air Commando Training and Support (ACTS) contract has a overall value of over $200 million. (Florida Trend, Mar 16, 2018).

Review of ‘7 Days in Entebbe’. Katie Walsh of the Los Angeles Times reviews (Mar 15, 2018) a movie about the plane hijacking that occurred in June 1976 when two German and two Palestinian terrorists hijacked an Air France flight from Tel Aviv to Paris and directed it to Entebbe, Uganda. As we all know – Israeli commandos launched a successful rescue of the passengers.

Video – SF Field Kitchen in Alaska. Watch a 12-minute long video of a Special Forces field kitchen set up during the Arctic Edge field exercise in Alaska. The cooks are from the 19th Special Forces unit of the Colorado Army National Guard. These cooks are part of the shaft that supports the pointy end of the spear. Watch Colorado SF Kitchen in Arctic Training, DVIDS, March 1, 2018.

Petraeus on Iraq War (2003-2011). Jeff Schogol interviews retired a general most closely associates with the long war in Iraq. We Asked Gen. Petreaus Whether the Iraq War Was Really Worth It. Here’s What He Said, Task & Purpose, March 16, 2018.

Building Coalitions. Mike Nelson, a Special Forces officer, writes a commentary on how the U.S. should take steps to build regional militaries to confront aggressive regional actors that challenge U.S. interests. Read “Preparing for the Worst-Case Scenario: Building Coalitions Left of Boom”, War on the Rocks, March 16, 2018.

USMC Seeks RIAB for PSYOP. The Marines want a ‘radio in a box’ capability to enhance their ability to conduct information warfare. The hope is that a commercial off-the-shelf FM broadcast radio kit with FM band radio acquisition and equipment that can conduct live broadcast. Hmmm. Sounds very familiar to the radio in a box capability that was once deployed to Afghanistan. Read “Marines look to beef psychological ops with a radio station in a box”, Marine Corps Times, March 15, 2018.

SOF News Update 20180302 – New rifle for the Army, 1st SFAB, Stan McChrystal on Afghanistan and CT, Operation Gunnerside, Afghan GCPSU growing, book reviews, lasers for AC-130, Gary Rose, expeditionary advising, Gov Greitens in hot water, GB Gazette, SOF’s WMD mission, CANSOF and intel, and more.

New Rifle for the Army? The Department of Defense has established a task force to make American small arms more lethal – giving grunts an extra advantage in the close fight. The intent is to have U.S. infantrymen be able to overmatch any adversary. Included in this study is the possibility of a new rifle to replace the M16 rifle and M4 carbine. Read more in “Combat Troops Have Been Complaining about the M4 and M16 for Years. Now The Pentagon is Doing Something About It”, Task and Purpose, February 28, 2018.

SFAB – New Kid on the Block. The 1st Security Force Assistance Brigade (SFAB) has arrived in Afghanistan. Formed up just last August 2017 – the unit has gone through an intensive training program to gear it up to provide 36 combat advisor teams across Afghanistan. Tom McCuin, a retired Army CA / PA officer provides his thoughts on the Army’s newest unit in “Training Missions Overseas – Army Puts an End to Overseas Advisor Role Debate”, ClearanceJobs.com, February 27, 2018.

Operation Gunnerside – 75th Anniversary. Norwegian commandos executed an extremely significant and dangerous raid to deny the Nazis of heavy water that could be used to manufacture an atomic bomb. Read more (Scientific American, Feb 23, 2018).

Expeditionary Combat Medic Program. The Army just finished a pilot program for a new medical course to prepare medics to provide treatment in future battles with near-peer enemies. Read “Combat medics train to keep the wounded alive beyond the ‘golden hour'”, Army Times, March 1, 2018.

Review of New Bo Gritz Movie. Peter Bradshaw takes a peak at the new movie (Jan 2018) about former Green Beret and highly-decorated Vietnam veteran in “Erase and Forget review – real-life Rambo finally gets his own movie”, The Guardian, March 2, 208.

Money Boost for USSOCOM. The US Special Operations Command will increase its personnel ranks with about another 1,700 bringing its total to about 71,200. It will also pick up more money for equipment, base funding, and development. Read “Big SOCOM Budget Boost Goes to People, AI – & More”, Breaking Defense, March 1, 2018.

Afghan GCPSU Grows. The Afghan Ministry of Interior’s General Command Police Special Units is continuing to grow. The largest group of students in history recently graduated from the 26-week Special Police Qualification Course at the Afghan Special Police Training Center in Kabul, Afghanistan. The graduates will fill out the existing National Mission Units of the GCPSU as well as provide police for three new NMUs soon to be established. (NSOCC-A, Feb 22, 2018).

“The Guy With the Marker” and the Whiteboard Solution. This is an excellent article on how to solve problems. Through out MDMP and use a whiteboard. “The Whiteboard Solution”, Maximum Disclosure, March 2, 2018.

Proceedings Podcast. A Navy SEAL – Colin Supko – talks about his combat experience and how it’s served him as he created Patriot List, his startup business. Real Clear Defense, March 2, 2018.

School Shootings and Sheepdogs. Erik Prince, founder of Blackwater, provides his perspective on school shootings and methods of preventing them in “Sheepdogs Wanted”, RealClearPolitics, March 1, 2018.

USSOCOM’s WMD Mission. The U.S. Special Operations Command is now in the lead for the counter-proliferation of weapons of mass destruction mission. Some SOF leaders are scrambling to figure out how to do this mission with the resources currently available. Read “SOCOM Grappling With New Counter-WMD Mission”, Military.com, March 1, 2018.

Navy SEALs and Trump’s Wall. A Fox News contributor stated that Navy SEALs were unable to breach prototypes for the proposed U.S.-Mexico border wall in test scenarios. However, the folks at NSW Command said no SEALs were involved in the testing. (The Hill, Mar 1, 2018).

New Commander for SOJTF-A. It looks like an Air Force two-star will be commanding the Special Operations Joint Task Force – Afghanistan. Major General Albert Elton has been selected to command the SOF unit the commands U.S. and other coalition SOF units in Afghanistan. Read his bio here:
www.af.mil/About-Us/Biographies/Display/Article/466544/brigadier-general-albert-m-buck-elton-ii/

Gary Rose – SF Officer and MoH Recipient. Gary Rose was awarded the Medal of Honor for his heroic actions during the Vietnam War. Read an account of his story in a recent article in the March – April 2018 issue of Military Review.

New Senior NCO for Army SOA. The Army’s Special Operations community has a new top enlisted man. Read “Army Special Operations Aviation Command welcomes new top NCO”, The Fayetteville Observer, February 22, 2018.

Expeditionary Advising in Iraq. Three Army officers with recent experience in Iraq outline how their unit providing advise and assistance to Iraq forces during the initial phase to take Mosul from the Islamic State. Read “Expeditionary Advising: Enabling Iraqi Operations from the Gates of Baghdad through Eastern Mosul”, Small Wars Journal, February 22, 2018.

Gov Greitens Indicted. Former Navy SEAL Eric Greitens has run afoul of the law – something about a compromising photo of a women with whom he had an affair with. Read “Missouri Gov. Greitens, a former Navy SEAL, indicted”, Navy Times, February 23, 2018.

Video – The Road Not Taken. Book author and military historian Max Boot takes part in a panel discussion with Peter Bergen about his new book entitled The Road Not Taken: Edward Lansdale and the American Tragedy in Vietnam, New America, February 22, 2018 (1 hour).
www.youtube.com/watch?v=oNQMScCTKvM

CANSOF and Intel. The Canadian Special Operations Forces Command has awarded a number of contracts to firms that provide intelligence services. Read more in “Canada is using private intelligence contractors for its special forces”, Vice News, March 1, 2018.

Lasers for AC-130 Gunship? The Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC) is looking to put lasers on gunships. AFSOC commander Lt. Gen. Brad Webb spoke to reporters about the program. “AFSOC Boss Cautiously Optimistic Laser Program Will Move Forward”, Air Force Magazine, February 22, 2018.

Green Beret Foundation Gazette. The biweekly newsletter has been emailed and posted online. Stories related to the Special Forces community, upcoming fundraising events, SF retirees running for Congress, 2018 Army Spouse of the Year, and more. The Green Beret Foundation’s bi-weekly newsletter is edited and published by Katelyn Haglof – a niece of SSG Matthew Pucino.

Stan McChrystal on Afghanistan and CT. The Yale University Jackson Institute for Global Affairs hosted a panel discussion about Afghanistan and counterterrorism on February 23, 2018. The two key participants were former Secretary of State John Kerry and General (Ret) Stan McChrystal. Watch the 1 1/2 hour long video.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wGA48Lb72_c

Photo Credit. The top photo is of a memorial flight to honor the crew and passengers lost when a 1st SOS MC-130E crashed during an exercise – killing eight crew members and 15 passengers.

Hall of Heroes – The United States Army Special Operations Command (USASOC) has unveiled it’s new Hall of Heroes digital, interactive memorial wall. This digital wall in the lobby of the USASOC building located on Fort Bragg, North Carolina pays tribute to the U.S. Army special operations soldiers who have made the ultimate sacrifice since the terrorist attacks of 9-11. Watch a four-minute long video about the digital memorial. (USASOC, July 31, 2107).

www.dvidshub.net/video/541078/usasoc-hall-heroes-digital-memorial-wall

Fuerzas Comando 2017 – The armed forces of Paraguay hosted top special operations soldiers from across North and South America during the Fuerzas Comando 2017 competition. This military exercise has been held every year since 2004. The first competition was hosted by El Salvador with 13 participating countries. This year’s event, which took place July 17-26, hosted almost 500 personnel. Many military and law enforcement agencies were represented from 20 different countries.

The competition is sponsored by the United States Southern Command (SOUTHCOM) and planned and executed by the Special Operations Command South (SOCSOUTH). The intent of the exercise is to promote regional cooperation and interoperability. In addition, relationships are established and reinforced within the SOF community of the Western hemisphere.

General Tony Thomas, the commander of the United States Special Operations Command (USSOCOM) attended the opening ceremony and stated:

“Fuerzas Comando is yet another link in the global network. This network brings together our hemisphere’s Special Operations Forces and key leadership into an interlocking tribe of families, partners and true friends.”

The teams that compete are made up of 6 members. Four troops are in the assault group while two are snipers. In addition, each team has an alternate in case of illness or injury. There are a number of complicated and arduous events that the teams compete in to include a confidence course, combat march, aquatic events, obstacle course, physical fitness tests, marksmanship, sniper stress tests, and situational scenarios requiring specific actions.

As part of the overall event a Senior Leader Seminar was held where military, defense, security leaders, academics, and policy influencers met to to discuss the methods of countering transnational and transregional threat networks (T3N). The four-day seminar featured several presentation on the T3N topics. In addition the Joint Special Operations University (JSOU) provided a series of presentations on related subjects.

The victorious team this year was Team Honduras.  Colombia placed second with the United States team from 7th Special Forces Group from Eglin Air Force Base, Florida placing third.

Videos of Fuerzas Comando 2017:

Combined Assault Event, SOCSouth, July 22, 2017.

Ruck March and Team Event, SOCSouth, July 26, 2017.

Fuerzas Comando 2017, SOCSouth, July 26, 2017.

Further Reading:

“Paraguay to Host Fuerzas Comando 2017”, Dialogo Military Magazine, July 25, 2017.

“A Band of Brothers: Countries compete for 11 days but partner for life”, DVIDS, Special Operations Command South, July 27, 2017.

“Fuerzas Comando XIII Senior Leader Seminar Analyzes Joint Ways to Counter T3N”, Dialogo Military Magazine, July 28, 2017.

“Special Ops Competition Brings Teams Together, SouthCom Commander Says”, Defense Media Activity, July 27, 2017.

SOF Policing the World. General Tony Thomas, the commander of the United States Special Operations Command (USSOCOM) based in Tampa, Florida, spoke for over an hour about the current fight against terrorism and the use of special operations forces around the world. Watch this one hour video of his speaking engagement at the Aspen Security Institute on July 21, 2017. Very informative hour! And Tony seems to have an excellent sense of humor. Good looking uniform too. Didn’t seem to be that awful blue all the other generals are wearing.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=wCqCnLjSx7M

Video – Airborne and Special Operations Museum. Watch a 7-min long video of the displays set up depicting airborne and special operations history of the United States Army. The museum is located in downtown Fayetteville, North Carolina (Fayetteville is adjacent to Fort Bragg). If you are passing the Fort Bragg area this is a good museum to visit. Drew Brooks, military correspondent with The Fayetteville Observer, has posted this video on his YouTube site.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=xnpDYLzzY4k

Blackbeard’s Ride 2017 – The Matthew A. Pucino Foundation, LTD provides for the physical and emotional needs of combat wounded Soldiers and their families. The foundation runs a number of events in New England and across the country to raise funds for its activities. One of these events is the annual Blackbeard’s Ride – a motorcycle ride that helps to keep the name and memory of Matthew Pucino alive and raises funds for a worthy cause. [1]

Matt Pucino was a Special Forces Soldier who lost his life at age 34 during a combat tour in Afghanistan in 2009 while deployed with his Special Forces team. He was serving with Company B, 2nd Battalion, 20th Special Forces Group (Airborne), a National Guard SF unit based in Glen Arm, Maryland. Matt was serving on his third deployment in support of the Global War on Terror. During a previous tour in Iraq he was serving with the 5th Special Forces Group based at Fort Campbell, Kentucky. [2]

Ride Events. The motorcycle ride took place on Saturday, July 8th in eastern Massachusetts. It began on Main Street in Buzzards Bay, Massachusetts and ended at the Plymouth, Massachusetts Veterans for Foreign Wars (VFW). Activities included a BBQ, entertainment, and raffles. This was the 7th Annual Blackbeard’s Motorcycle Ride.

About the Foundation. The Matthew A. Pucino Foundation, LTD is a tax-exempt and tax-deductible 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization. The foundation has assisted with travel to and from the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, provided for rehabilitation needs, traumatic brain injuries, and depression. The foundation also supports the Green Beret Foundation and other veterans service organizations. [3]

Video of Blackbeard’s Ride 2017. Watch a three-minute long video of Blackbeard’s Ride 2017 posted on YouTube.com by the SSG Matthew Pucino Foundation.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=hZ5SzLbr9SI

Footnotes:

[1] Matthew A. Pucino Foundation, LTD
www.matthewpucinofoundation.org

[2] Read a biography of SSG Matt Pucino posted on United States Army Special Operations Command (USASOC) Fallen Heroes Memorial Page.
www.soc.mil/Memorial%20Wall/Bios/Pucino_Matthew.pdf

[2] Read more information about the Matthew A. Pucino Foundation.
www.matthewpucinofoundation.org/about-the-foundation/

Resolute Support Video – SHAPE NATO has published (July 6, 2017) a one-minute long video explaining how the International Security Force Assistance (ISAF) mission in Afghanistan transitioned to the Resolute Support Mission. The video is entitled RSM: for the future of Afghanistan.

“Following the completion of the mission of the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) at the end of 2014, a new, follow-on, NATO-led mission called Resolute Support was launched on 1 January 2015 to provide further training, advise and assistance for the Afghan security forces and institutions. At the NATO Summit in Warsaw, Allied leaders decided to extend the presence of RSM beyond 2016. The United Nations Security Council welcomed the Resolute Support Mission with the unanimous adoption on 12 December 2014 of Resolution 2189, which underscores the importance of continued international support for the stability of Afghanistan.”

Watch the video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ReuwMhgY1Q0

Video of AC-130W firing its weapons. An aircrew from the 27th Special Operations Wing (SOW) at Cannon Air Force Base is captured on film firing their weapons during a live training exercise. A one-minute long video filmed on 13 June 2017.

www.dvidshub.net/video/534673/27th-sow-flyover-friday-6-23-17