National Security and Defense News – JSTARS, Syria, Iran, Iraq, fixing the Navy, fighting terrorism, counterinsurgency, state-building, foreign policy, and more.

JSTARS Over the Middle East. One reporter, Eric Schmitt, recently spent some time with the Air Force visiting a flying unit with the E-8C Joint Surveillance Target attack Radar System (JSTARS). Read “Aboard a U.S. Eye in the Sky, Staring Down ISIS in Iraq and Syria“, The New York Times, December 25, 2016.

Trump and Syria – What to do?. One can only wonder where U.S. policy will lead us in the Syrian conflict. While we are currently working with some rebel Syrian groups and the Kurdish YPG – that level of support may grow or diminish. Some want us to walk away from Syria saying the resistance to the Assad regime is too fragmented. Others (Turkey included) would like us to abandon the Kurds. Many worry about an escalation of the conflict with the Russians. What should be done? Frederic C. Hof provides some advice to the President-Elect in “Advising Trump on Syria”, The Atlantic Council, January 3, 2017.

Fighting Terrorism with the next President. Daniel Byman says that terrorism is here to stay and that it has evolved and “. . . counterterrorism must change to keep pace . . . ” requiring the U.S. to “reorient its counterrorism focus.” He goes on to say that “. . . the most effective counterterrorism effort could be fostering better governance in troubled parts of the Middle East.” In his extensive essay he describes the current and future terrorist threat and provides recommendations in “How to Fight Terrorism in the Donald Trump Era”, The National Interest, December 25, 2016.

Incoming Presidents and U.S. Foreign Policy. The concept of ‘nation building’ is a negative topic for newly-elected presidents but many fall victim to “America’s civil religion” of overseas engagement. Read “A History of U.S. Foreign Affairs in Which Grandiose Ambitions Trump Realism”, The New York Times, December 27, 2016.

Fixing the Navy. For one thing – getting rid of the ‘blueberries’ is a step forward. Beyond that the Navy needs to reverse some of the disastrous decisions of Secretary Mabus. Read more in “To Fix the Department of the Navy – Kill the Mabus Legacy”, Small Wars Journal, January 2, 2017.

Iran Expansion of Naval Power. It appears that Iran is seeking to expand its reach by way of the oceans. It is planning on building naval bases in Yemen (a fierce fight going on between Saudi and Iranian proxy forces in that country) and Syria (yet another proxy fight). Read more in “Iran’s Growing Naval Ambitions”, Foreign Affairs, January 1, 2017.

Too Much COIN? Not Enough? The U.S. military has spent the last decade and a half fighting counterinsurgencies – principally in Iraq and Afghanistan. Some senior military leaders worry that we became to “COIN Centric” and ignored conventional warfighting skills. Others say we need to keep COIN as a central function of the military because that is the most likely type of conflict we will face in the immediate future. Read a 98-page report on the topic in “The COIN Conundrum: The Future of Counterinsurgency and U.S. Land Power”, Strategic Studies Institute, December 14, 2016.

Statebuilding – Lessons Learned. In February 2010 the U.S. announced with great fanfare that it would re-take (along with Afghan forces) the district of Marjah in Helmand province. Once the Taliban were cleared the Afghan’s would move a “Government-In-A-Box” into the district to re-establish governance, police, development, services, and security. It didn’t work out so well. Read more in “A Better Approach to Statebuilding”, Foreign Affairs, January 2, 2017.

Females and Marine Boot Camp. The Marines will soon have females in combat arms military occupational specialties. Read more in “The First Female Infantry Marines Will Graduate Boot Camp This Month”, Task & Purpose, January 2, 2017.

Special Warfare Magazine July December 2016  Volume 29, Issue 2 has been published and is posted online. Some of the articles are listed below:

“A History of Assessment and Selection”

“Small Unit Tactics: A Foundational Skill Set”

“SERE: Doing More and Giving Back”

“The Relevancy of Robin Sage”

“Combat Diving in Special Warfare”

“Operationalizing Cyber to Prevail in the Competition of Wills”

“U.S. Special Operations Forces in Cyberspace”

“Counter-Messaging Daesh”

In addition there are other features such as training updates, education updates, professional development, and some opinion articles.

www.soc.mil/swcs/SWmag/archive/SW2902/JUL-Dec_2016.pdf

SOF News Update 20161230 – SF LTC assists SF charity organization, songs of the GWOT-era, maintenance workers keep the CV-22 Osprey flying, how to survive in a winter environment (a Ranger’s advice), Afghan SOF police units have good success against insurgents, death of Navy SEAL, and more.

Afghan SOF Police Units Have Success in Killing Insurgents. The Afghanistan Ministry of Interior (MoI) recently announced that in the last 9 months units of the General Directorate of Police Special Units (GDPSU) have killed over 1,500 insurgents. One of these MoI special units is the Crisis Response Unit (GRU). Read more in “Special Forces Kill 1,551 Insurgents in Nine Months: MoI”, Tolo News, December 28, 2016.

Navy SEAL Dies. Petty Officer First Class Devon Grube of Cavalier, North Dakota died on December 29 as a result of a kayaking accident. His kayak had overturned 2 miles off the coast. Read more in “Cavalier, ND native Navy SEAL found near Cape Charles coast dies in hospital”, Valley News Live, December 29, 2016.

Retired SF LTC Helps with SOF Charity. In February 2010 LTC Rob Pickel of 3rd Special Forces Group was severely injured during an IED attack in Pakistan. He would later lose his two legs to infection. He has since recovered and now devotes his time to family, hobbies, and helping comrades out by assisting on the board of directors of the Special Forces Charitable Trust. Read “Retired lieutenant colonel dedicated to giving”, Fayetteville Observer, December 24, 2016.

South Korean Special Forces Winter Training. The special operations forces of South Korean are well-trained in all aspects of SOF missions and for all types of environments (weather). Read up (or watch 2-min video) on RoK SOF winter training in “S. Korea’s Special Forces hold their annual winter training drills”, The World on ARIRANG.com, December 29, 2016.

Keeping the Osprey Airborne. A lot of maintenance takes place to keep the CV-22 Osprey of AFSOC’s 27th Special Operations Wing of Cannon Air Force Base in flying condition. The maintenance workers get a lot done during the hours of darkness. Read “Cannon After Dark: Night life with the 20th AMU”, U.S. Air Force, October 25, 2016.

Video – Israeli Defense Forces Special Forces. Video was posted by The Firearms Blog (TFB), December 29, 2016.

Ranger Advice for Staying Warm. Every year cold weather injuries cause preventable deaths. Read “Here’s a Former Ranger’s Advice for Braving the Extreme Cold”, Task & Purpose, December 28, 2016.

What Songs Did You Listen to During Your Combat Deployment? The Vietnam-era had songs that, when you hear them in the present day, immediately transport you back to the late 1960s and early 1970s. Are there songs for the GWOT-era? Read “The Warfighter’s Guide to a Combat Playlist”, Task & Purpose, July 15, 2016.

Image Credit: Photo at top of article courtesy of U.S. Air Force.

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.

SOF News Update 20161223 – Russian SOF may get a robot ‘tanklet’, why sending more U.S. SOF to Syria is a bad idea (according to one pundit),  SOF should be SOF – some recommendations, book excerpt of “Rogue Heroes”, Iraqi Counter Terrorism Service (CTS), protection of SOF under Geneva Conventions, how to be a Green Beret, and more.

Russian SOF ‘Tanklet’. Read up on a mobile explosive device delivered by a small robot tank that may soon be fielded to Russian special operations forces in “Russian Special Forces May Get a Robot Tanklet”, Popular Science, December 21, 2016.

More SOF for Syria – Bad Idea. Daniel L. Davis, a retired U.S. Army colonel and senior fellow with Defense Priorities, believes that sending more special operations forces to Syria is a wasteful effort. He reviews the limited accomplishments thus far and has little hope for future engagements in that war-torn country. Read “Sending special ops to Raqqa means more cannon fodder for Syria”, The Hill Defense Blog, December 22, 2016.

CTS Success and Degradation. The Iraqi SOF (Counter Terrorism Service) is bearing the brunt of the fight for Mosul. While the end result will be victory in a few weeks (or months) the CTS will be significantly degraded due to excessive casualties. Who fills the security void? The proxy forces of Iran. Read “The Iraqi Military, The US-led Coalition and the Mosul Operation: The Risk of Snatching Defeat from the Jaws of Victory”, Small Wars Journal, December 22, 2016.

What Does it Take to be a GB? Bert Kunz – a retired Green Beret – is interviewed on the selection process for Special Forces. Read “Special Profile: What Does it Take to Become a Green Beret?”, Scout.com Warrior, December 21, 2016.

Recommendations for use of SOF. One author provides some recommendations that she believes will give the DoD “. . . the flexibility to engage, support, and deploy SOF effectively and efficiently.” Read “Special Operations Forces: Let SOF be SOF”, by Kristen R. Hajduk, a fellow with the International Security Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), December 2016.

SOF, Clandestine Operations, and the Geneva Convention. One Special Forces officer – CPT Charles Staab – believes that international law concerning warfare needs to be updated to account for the changes in warfare and to accord certain protections to special operations forces that operate without benefit of uniforms or openly-carried weapons. Read more in “Uncloaking the Dagger: Does Adherence to the Geneva Conventions Betray Special Operations Forces”, Small Wars Journal, December 22, 2016.

Navy SEAL Eric Olson to Advisory Board. The former head of U.S. Special Operations Command (USSOCOM) Admiral Eric Olson has been appointed as members of the Sarcos Robtics company advisory board. GovConWire, December 22, 2016.

Book – “Rogue Heroes”. Ben Macintrye has wrote a book about the early beginnings of the British Special Air Service. Read a short excerpt of the book at Barnes & Noble, December 2016.

SOF News Update 20161220 – Movie “American Sniper” barred from college campus, SFCT Dec 2016 newsletter, Secretary of Army designee, Russian ambassador to Turkey killed, SAS to guard UK streets, and more.

“American Sniper” barred from Campus. The movie about a famous Navy SEAL sniper starring actor Bradley Cooper is being protested by a student group at the University of Maryland. Read more in a news report by The Washington Times, December 13, 2016.

SOF in the Gray Zone. Phillip Lohaus has penned a paper entitled “Special Operations Forces in the Gray Zone: An Operational Framework for Employing Special Operations Forces in the Space Between War and Peace”, American Enterprise Institute (AEI),  December 19, 2016.

Future Secretary of the Army. President-Elect Trump has named Vincent Viola as his future Secretary of the Army. Viola is a former infantry officer with the 101st Airborne Division and a graduate of West Point. He is also a fairly wealthy man who owns the Florida Panthers hockey team. Shortly after the 9/11 attacks he was instrumental in the founding of the Combating Terrorism Center (CTC) at West Point. CBS News, December 19, 2016.

Assassination in Turkey. The Russian ambassador to Turkey was killed while he was giving a speech in an art gallery. The killer was a Turkish police officer in a special operations unit or undercover cop depending on which news source you read. The assassin was killed by other security officers. The shooter cited Aleppo as the reason for the attack.

Terrorists Have Been Busy. In the past few days they have used a 7 year old girl as a suicide bomber in Syria, murdered tourists and police at an old crusader castle in Jordan, three people shot at a mosque in Switzerland, assassinated an Ambassador from Russia to Turkey, and plowed a truck into a bunch of German civilians at a Christmas market (12 dead and 50 injured).

OSS Veterans to be Recognized. The veterans (about 100 still living) of the Office of Strategic Services that served during World War II will be honored as recipients of the OSS Congressional Gold Medal. The act was passed by Congress and signed by President Obama earlier this month. Fox News, December 19, 2016.

SFCT Dec 2016 Newsletter. The Special Forces Charitable Trust December 2016 Newsletter is now posted online.
https://t.e2ma.net/message/8t9k4b/sx53xm

SAS On Guard During XMas. According to the Daily Star (UK) guarding British streets (Dec 18, 2016) the Special Air Service will be during the Christmas holiday.

SOF News Update 20161219 – Weapons and equipment upgrade for Indian SOF, North Korea SOF improving, 15 things only POGs will understand, Captain Extraodinary (Ivan Castro), historical account of British commandos fighting Nazis on British soil, and more.

Indian SOF to Upgrade Wpns & Equip. The Indian military had expanded its SOF organizations but the newly-formed units are lacking equipment. There are now ongoing efforts to upgrade these SOF units with the latest in sniper weapons and high-speed, low-drag equipment. Read more in “Indian Special Forces gear up, Army to move a proposal seeking better weapons”, Indian Defence Research Wing, December 18, 2016.

POGs are the Under-Appreciated Backbone of the FOB. Anyone who served in the infantry (I guess we can include armor and artillery as well) knows what a POG is. But the grunts don’t fully appreciate or understand the POG. Read more in “15 Things Only POGs Will Understand”, Task & Purpose, December 14, 2016.

Brit Commandos in Action in WWII. According to a recent report German soldiers landed on English soil in an attempt to steel state-of-the-art radar equipment. However, they were met by a British commando unit and their mission failed. Up to now this was a highly-classified report. Read “SECRET for 70 Years”, Sunday Express, December 18, 2016.

Captain Extraordinary. Ivan Castro was blinded but didn’t want to leave the service. He continues to serve in Special Forces. Read more in “Captain Extraordinary”, National Review, December 19, 2016.

North Korea’s SOF is Improving. According to recent news reports “North Korea’s ability to engage in special operational warfare has improved over the years . . .”. Read more in a report by The Korea Times, December 18, 2016.

Read news updates on Afghanistan – 20161216 – Fact sheet on the Brussels Conference on Afghanistan (Oct 2016), Heart of Asia Conference, Survey of the Afghan People, Saudis role in Afghanistan, U.S. Soldier dies of wounds suffered in Afghan suicide attack, no more Russian helicopters, Cigar Aficionado Club of Camp Resolute Support, 5 recommendations for President-Elect Trump, interview of General Nicholson, and more.

Fact Sheet Brussels Conference. More than 100 countries and international organizations attended a conference in Brussels about Afghanistan in October 2016. Read a fact sheet on the purpose and outcome of the conference in “Fact Sheets: Brussels Conference on Afghanistan: October 4-5, 2016”, Newsroom America, December 12, 2016.

Ghani Speech at Heart of Asia Conference. On December 4, 2016 President Ghani addressed the Heart of Asia Conference held in Amritsar, India. He thanks the international community for its support of Afghanistan, stressed the importance of regional trade and development, and pokes Pakistan in the eye for its support of insurgent groups operating in Afghanistan. Read his a transcript of his speech posted on an Afghan government webpage. See also “Afghan President Urges Pakistan to Spend Aid Money on Fighting Terrorism”, Gandhara Blog, December 4, 2016.

Soldier Dies of Wounds. A U.S. Soldier who was injured in a suicide bombing on Bagram Air Field, Afghanistan during Veterans Day in November has succumbed to his wounds at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland. The Washington Post, December 7, 2016.

Saudi Arabia – Playing to both sides of the Afghan conflict. The role of one of the most powerful Middle East nations (at least financially) is questioned by Carlotta Gall in “Saudis Bankroll Taliban, Even as King Officially Supports Afghan Government”, The New York Times, December 6, 2016.

Tali-banned Cigar Aficionado Club of Kabul. A group of service members and contractors working at the Camp Resolute Support base in Kabul, Afghanistan meet on a periodic basis to smoke cigars. The activity helps the cigar club members relax and enjoy some non-working time at the base. Read more in “Cigars, once banned, fire up troop morale in Afghanistan”, Stars and Stripes, December 12, 2016.

1st Bde 1st Armored Division to Deploy. About 1,500 members of the El Paso-based Soldiers from the 1st Armored Division will deploy to Afghanistan. They will be joined by the 16th Combat Aviation Brigade of the 7th Infantry Division. Read more in a news report by Task & Purpose, December 11, 2016.

Survey of the Afghan People. The Asia Foundation has published its annual report – the most broadest and comprehensive public opinion poll of the Afghan population. Read about the key findings of the report.

No More Russian Helicopters. The best solution for rotary wing platforms for the Afghan Air Force (AAF) is the Mi-17 transport helicopter. The Afghan pilots have been flying them for years. Maintenance (a vexing problem for the Afghans) is relatively simple compared to U.S. helicopters. The Afghans have over fifty of the aircraft in their inventory. The Mi-17 is ideally suited for the harsh, mountainous and desert terrain of Afghanistan. So . . . that is why the U.S. Congress has pressured the U.S. military to switch to the UH-60 Blackhawk – more expensive, harder to maintain, will take 4-5 years to train up Afghan pilots, and less suited for Afghanistan. That . . . and the Blackhawk is produced in the United States so it is good for the Congressional leaders who see dollars coming to their states and districts. Read more in “U.S. will buy no more Russian helos for Afghans”, AINonline, December 13, 2016.

Royal Irish Regiment. Members of a Shropshire, UK based regiment have arrived in Afghanistan for the start of their eight-month mission. Shropshire Star, Dec 13, 2016.

5 Recommendations for Trump on Afghanistan. A retired U.S. Army colonel, Joseph J. Collins, provides his thoughts and opinions on the courses of action President-Elect Trump needs to take for the Afghan conflict in “A Memo to the Next President on Winning in Afghanistan”, War on the Rocks, December 9, 2016.

Nicholson on Mattis. General John Nicholson, the commander of Resolute Support Mission in Afghanistan sees ‘Mad Dog’ Mattis as an inspiring leader and good fit for Secretary of the War Department. Read more in an interview by Mustafa Sarwar of Gandhara Blog, December 8, 2016.

Afghanistan Update 20161214 – Recent news, reports, analysis, commentary, papers and publications on security, legalizing opium in Afghanistan, Visas for Afghan interpreters, development, governance, Pakistan, Iran, Albanian armed forces, Dostum, corruption and more.

National Corruption Report 2016. Integrity Watch Afghanistan has released its annual corruption report. The report estimated that over $3 billion were paid in bribes in the last year. This is an almost 50% increase compared to 2014. “Following insecurity and unemployment, corruption is the biggest problem that the Afghans face. The survey also shows that corruption is having a negative effect on Afghanistan’s security.” Read National Corruption Survey 2016: Afghan Perceptions and Experiences of Corruption, December 8, 2016.

On Dealing with Corrupt Afghan Military and Police. Jason Dempsey served a few tours in Afghanistan and witnessed Afghan corruption in the army and police close up. He raises some interesting questions on what the U.S. military should do about this persistent issue that hampers the effectiveness of the Afghan security forces and reduces the legitimacy of the Afghan government. Read “Elephants in Afghanistan: The military’s counterinsurgency failure”, War on the Rocks, December 1, 2016.

Counter Pakistan by Getting Friendly with Iran? As most South Asian observers know Pakistan is deeply involved in the support of various terrorist and insurgent groups that operate in Afghanistan. One critic, Christine Fair, believes we should strengthen our ties with Iran to offset the influence of Pakistan. Read more in “U.S.-Afghan policy must be secure from Pakistan’s efforts to destabilize Kabul“, Business Standard, December 11, 2016.

New Pakistan Intel Chief. LtGen Naveed Mukhtar will be appointed as the new chief for Pakistan’s military spy agency – the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI). Mukhtar studied at the U.S. Army War College a few years back where he wrote a paper entitled Afghanistan – Alternative Futures and Their Implications (USAWC Class of 2011). Read more in “New ISI chief for ‘aggressive measures’ against India in Afghanistan”, HindustanTimes, Dec 13, 2016. Read also “Pakistan Gets a New Intelligence Chief”, The Diplomat, December 13, 2016.

First Vice President Dostum. Still out there on his own operating as a free radical! It appears that Dostum abducted and held hostage a local politician in northern Afghanistan for a few days because . . . well, I guess because he didn’t like him and he could. Read more in “Western governments call for investigation of Afghan vice president”, Reuters, December 13, 2016.

VISA Program for Afghan Interpreters. Congress passes a half-hearted effort to revive the Visa program for Afghan interpreters who served alongside U.S military members in Afghanistan. Read “Visa Program for Afghan Translators Is Renewed, With New Restrictions”, The New York Times, December 8, 2016.

Legalize Opium in Afghanistan? A professor of economics at the University of Tampa thinks the U.S. needs to have a change in policy in regards to stopping opium production in Afghanistan. Read “Want to Hurt the Taliban? Legalize Opium in Afghanistan”, Defense One, December 10, 2016.

1,000 Afghan Schools Closed. About 3.5 million children in Afghanistan are out of school – 75% of them girls – not just because of insecurity and violence but also because of social restrictions, early marriage, and a lack of female teachers. Read more in “1000 schools in Afghanistan closed as Taliban strike at education”, Their World, November 30, 2016.

Albanian Armed Forces Deploy to Herat. A contingent of infantry from the country of Albania is now in western Afghanistan under the command of the Italians at Train Advise Assist Command – West (TAAC-W). They will take part in the Resolute Support Mission (RSM) for the next six months. Read more in a news report dated 10 Dec 2016.

SOF News Update for 20161120 – Weapons – TLI – and Rate of Fire study, restrictive ROE for SAS / SBS, muscle damage from bullet wounds (video), SOF and IO in Iraq, Canadian SOF in Iraq, more details about SF casualties in Jordan, ten most famous SEALs, Philippine and U.S. SOF in Exercise Balance Piston, asymmetric warfare, 3 things you should carry, SFA HQs compound hurricane damage, SAS training, USSOCOM 2016 Fact Book, and more.

Study on Weapons Rate of Fire. The Dupuy Institute has a article that studies the relation between the a weapons rate of fire and the weapon’s ability  to inflict damage. The institute developed a methodology for scoring the inherent lethality of a given weapon – the Theoretical Lethality Index (TLI). Read “What is the Relationship Between Rate of Fire and Military Effectiveness?”, Dupuy Institute, November 12, 2016.

Restrictive ROE for British SOF in Middle East. According to one news report the U.S. special operations forces currently operating in Iraq and Syria are complaining about the restrictive Rules of Engagement (ROE) that their British SOF counterparts (SAS / SBS) are operating under. Read “Special Operations: Opportunity Backfires”, Strategy Page, November 12, 2016.

Details Emerge on Killing of Three SF Soldiers in Jordan. It appears that investigators are leaning toward the conclusion that terrorism had a role to play in the recent killing of three Special Forces Soldiers from the 5th Special Forces Group in Jordan. There is a slight rise in tension between Jordanian and U.S. officials in regard to public pronouncements made by Jordanian security officials. Read more in “U.S. Investigates Deaths of 3 Soldiers in Jordan as Possible Terrorism”, The New York Times, November 16, 2016.

SOFREP Report on Jordan Casualties. Jack Murphy of SOFREP provides a detailed look at the incident where three 5th  SFGA Soldiers were killed in Jordan. Read “Three Green Berets killed by ISIS infiltrator after CIA ignored warnings”, SOFREP, November 16, 2016.

Story on COL Nick Rowe. A Green Beret that was held for five years as a prisoner of war during the Vietnam War and later was assassinated by terrorists in the Philippines was instrumental in developing and managing Special Forces training programs at Fort Bragg. One of these training courses was the Survival Evasion Resistance and Escape (SERE) course. Read the story of Nick Rowe in “Green Beret survived 5 years as POW and escaped thanks to his beard”, Spec Ops, November 18, 2016.

SAS Training for Selection? It appears that a SAS selection process has been replicated for those who are not in the military. Probably perfect for those who want to experience the hardship and challenges of special forces training without having the long-term commitment of going to war. Hmmm. Read more in a recent news post (nov 14, 2016).

JSOC Targeting Change. According to the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) (Nov 18, 2016) “U.S. President Barack Obama has issued an order in October 2016 granting Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC) greater authorities and intelligence resources to target Jabhat Fatah a-Sham (JFS) – the successor of Syrian Al-Qaeda affiliate Jabhat a-Nusra. The U.S. has since conducted at least four major airstrikes targeting leaders in Jabhat Fatah a-Sham in Idlib Province.”

“The Selection”. History channel has a new series that follows 30 civilians who try to pass a SOF selection course in a new reality show. www.youtube.com/watch?v=OnG-f6pnXlk

SF Association HQs Compound Damaged by Hurricane. The Special Forces Association is recovering from the damage that Hurricane Matthew did to its headquarters compound located in Fayetteville, NC (adjacent to Fort Bragg). Watch a video describing the damage and the recovery efforts. WNCN.com, November 14, 2016.

SOF and IO Training for Iraq. There are two battlefields in Iraq. One currently is in the streets of Mosul with Iraqi government forces fighting the Islamic State. The other is the fight for the hearts and minds of the Iraqi public and fighters in the conflict. In preparation for the battle of Mosul the U.S. trained up some of its special operations forces personnel in Information Operations in an unusual exercise. Read more in “Information Operations Before the Mosul Fight”, Defense One, November 14, 2016.

Vet Helps SOF MWDs. Read the story about a veterinarian who helped SOF Military Working Dogs in Afghanistan. (Bonner County Daily Bee, Nov 15, 2016).

SOCEUR and Lithuania Getting to Know Each Other. MG Mark Schwartz, the commander of Special Operations Command – Europe, met with the Chief of Defense of Lithuania in mid-November 2016 to discuss the current security situation and military cooperation. (Lithuanian Armed Forces, November 11, 2016.

Polish SOF Needs Helicopters. According to a recent news report “Poland urgently needs choppers for special forces”.  There were plans at one time to purchase helicopters from Airbus Helicopters but the Poles withdrew from that arrangement. (Polish Press Agency, Oct 20, 2016).

Ten Most Famous SEALs? Can you guess who they are? Before reading the article write down who you think should be in the top ten. Read “The TEN most famous Navy SEALs”, Spec Ops, November 15, 2016.

What Are Canadian SOF doing in Iraq? Read an article that describes the activities of Canadian special operations forces in Iraq by CBC News, November 15, 2016.

USSOCOM Fact Book. The United States Special Operations Command (USSOCOM) 2016 Fact Book is now available online.
www.socom.mil/News/Documents/2016%20Fact%20Book_Web.pdf

Video – Muscle Damage from Bullet Wounds. The International Special Training Center in Pfullendorf, Germany demonstrates in a short 4-min long video the muscle tissue damage suffered from bullet wounds. Video entitled Ballistics Blast Injuries Course, NATO Special Operations Combat Medical Course, October 2016.

USSOCOM Seeking Advanced Technological Products. The United States Special Operations Command has issued an RFI seeking proposals for advanced products and systems associated with voice matching, detection of CBR materials, DNA collection, facial recognition, and more. Read “Special Ops Command seeks experimental intelligence technology”, Bloomberg, November 15, 2016.