SOF News Update 20171016 – NZ SAS mbr dies in training accident, ADF SF and Australian War Memorial, CBS’s SEAL Team, two IAF Garud Commandos killed, SOF support to conflict prevention, Trump visits AFSOC unit, female Marine to try again for MARSOC, training up America’s first frogmen, SOF and high-tech detection equipment, and more.
Aussie SAS Featured in Memorial. The Australian War Memorial has been given exclusive access to the history of the Australian Special Air Service (SAS). Read more in “Australian Defence Force to give unprecedented public access to Special Forces”, The Daily Telegraph, October 14, 2017.
Trump Visits AFSOC Unit. The president spent some time with the 193rd Special Operations Wing on Wenesday, October 11th. The event took place at the Air National Guard base in Middleton, Pennsylvania. (AFSOC, Oct 12, 2017).
Two IAF Garud Commandos Killed. A memorial service was held fro two members of the Indian Air Force Garud Commandos killed this past week in northern India by terrorist. See “Senior IAF officers pay tribute to slain Garud Commandos”, The Indian Express, October 13, 2017.
Article – “Special Operations Support to Conflict Prevention”. A U.S. Army Civil Affairs officer believes that USSOCOM “. . . should prioritize conflict prevention activities to achieve US national security objectives”. (Small Wars Journal, Oct 12, 2017).
SOF and High-Tech SSE Equipment. When a special operations team conducts a raid and then does a search for documents or sensitive equipment (computers, flash drives, etc.) they are sometimes stymied with hidden compartments and hiding places. Time on a target is (many times) limited so finding these potentially valuable items quickly is important. Read “U.S. Commandos Want This Technology for Special Forces Raids”, National Interest Buzz, October 14, 2017.
Female Marine Attempts MARSOC – again. The first woman to finish up the 19-day assessment and selection course for MARSOC is attempting it once again. On her first attempt she didn’t do well enough to move on to the second phase of MARSOC training. (Military.com, Oct 12, 2107).
Training the First Frogmen. The 1st Marine Raider Support Battalion recently learned about the early U.S. frogmen of World War II. See “How America Trained its First Super-Secret Frogmen”, Scout.com, October 13, 2017.
More on Niger Incident. More daily reporting is coming out with small details about the deaths of the four members of 3rd SFGA in Niger. The Africa correspondent for The Guardian refines the picture further. “US special forces deaths in Niger lift veil on shadow war against Islamists in Sahel“, The Guardian, October 15, 2017.
NZ SAS Soldier Dies in Training Accident. A member of the New Zealand armed forces died in a fall during a training accident. (Stuff National, Oct 13,2017).
Another Season for CBS’s SEAL Team. The big hit drama about America’s Navy SEALs gets a full-season order at CBS.
SF Vet Fights Cancer. Nelson Corbin, a retired Special Forces veteran, was diagnosed with throat cancer in 2012. In this 5-minute long video he describes his fight to survive and credits his doctors with success. (YouTube.com, October 13, 2017).
