The Global SOF Foundation (GSOF) has published a video describing the formation and employment of Joint Task Force 510. The JTF was deployed in 2002 in support of Operation Enduring Freedom – Philippines (OEF-P) as part of the U.S. Global War on Terrorism. It was targeted at the Communist insurgency and Islamic terrorist groups.

The mission of JTF 510 was to support the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) in their fight against terrorism in the southern Philippines and to defeat terrorists. In addition, it was to defeat terrorists and create the conditions necessary for peace, stability, and prosperity.

In January 2002 the deployment began and involved more than 1,200 members of Special Operations Command Pacific (SOCPAC) headed by Brig. Gen. Donald C. Wurster. SOCPAC’s deployable joint task force HQ, Joint Task Force 510, directed and carried out the operation. Much of the mission took place on the island of Basilan, a stronghold of Abu Sayyaf Group.

The video is hosted by Randy Anderson (GSOF) and moderated by Mike Bosco (GSOF). The video features LTG Donald Wurster (Ret.), LTG David Fridovich (Ret.), and CWO 3 (Ret.) Donald Sikorski. Wurster was the commander of SOCPAC in 2002, Fridovich headed up the Army Special Operations Task Force (ASOTF) in the Philippines in 2002 and was the former commander of SOCPAC in 2005-2006. Sikorski, at the time of the JTF 510 deployment was an Intelligence Officer with SOCPAC.

SOCPAC JTF 510
“SOF Stories: Live!” by Global SOF Foundation
March 31, 2021, 75 minutes
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=51AzSAv47WM

SOF News Update: Ventura pursuing suit to Supreme Court, who founded the Islamic State, who is the Syrian Opposition, GWOT, new cdr for SOCSOUTH, generals in politics, and Air Force pilot shortage.

Operation EPIC 2016. Learn how the Special Operations Warrior Foundation (SOWF) assists its scholarship recipients in the transition from high school to college. Read Operation EPIC 2016, SOWF, August 4, 2016.

New Cdr for SOCSOUTH. The Special Operations Command South has a new commander – Rear Admiral Collin Green. He is a long-time member of the U.S. Navy’s SEAL community. SOCSouth’s mission is to plan, direct, and execute special operations missions throughout Central America, South America, and the Caribbean. Read more in “Rear Admiral Takes Control of SOCSOUTH”, South Dade News Leader, August 12, 2016.

Jesse Ventura going to Supreme Court. The courtroom drama of the suit against Navy SEAL Chris Kyle continues. Former Minnesota Governor, former SEAL, and former movie star Ventura plans to take his defamation fight against the estate of slain Chris Kyle to the U.S. Supreme Court. Ventura took issue with Kyle’s claim in his autobiography, “American Sniper”, that he punched Ventura at a California bar in 2006 for making offensive comments about SEALs. Read more in a news report in The Gazette, August 11, 2016.

U.S. SF and Kurds Kill ISIS Financier. Kurdish authorities say that a combined Kurd and US Special Forces mission was conducted that killed a militant financier of the Islamic State. Read more in “Joint US-Kurdish special forces raid kills IS financier”, Middle East Eye, August 16, 2016.

Green Beret Tim Kennedy Returns to UFC. SFC Tim Kennedy, a member of the 19th Special Forces Group (National Guard), is returning to the Ultimate Fighting Championship ring. Read more in “Tim Kennedy is returning to the UFC cage”, Army Times, August 12, 2016.

US SOF and Afghan SOF Fight ISIL-Khorasan in Afghanistan. The Islamic State established a base of operations in eastern Nangarhar province in the past few years. However, the group has been getting hit hard by the Taliban, Afghan National Defense and Security Forces (ANDSF), and U.S. SOF. In addition, airstrikes (manned and unmanned) have taken its toll on the group. The US SOF, working alongside Afghan SOF, recently completed a 30-day operation against ISIS in Nangarhar. In addtion, the ISIS emir, Hafiz Sayed Khan, was recently killed in an airstrike in Achin district, Nangarhar province. Read more in “ISIL Leader in Afghanistan Targeted in Airstrike”, U.S. DoD News, August 12, 2016.

Details of Parachute Death of 1st SFGA Soldier. On September 11, 2015 Captain James Ahn fell to his death during a parachute jump. A manufacturing defect in his reserve parachute, along with other mistakes, was the cause of the death. Read more in a news story by The News Tribune, August 11, 2016.

Who Founded the Islamic State? There is lots of hype in the political world (I rarely venture) on who founded the Islamic State. One author, Benjamin Gilbert, provides his explanation in “This is how the Islamic State was founded”, Vice News, August 11, 2016.

Video – What SOF are Saying about Trump. A short 2-min long video by former-Green Beret Scott Mann tells us “What elite forces are saying about Trump”, Business Insider, August 10, 2016.

Who Are the Syrian Opposition? A new report divides the known active Syrian Opposition and associated factions into seven categories. Read more in “Syrian Opposition factions in the Syrian Civil War”, Medium.com, August 10, 2016.

15 Years Later – Are we Safer? “The United States has spent $1 trillion to defend against al-Qaeda and ISIL, dirty bombs and lone wolves, bioterror and cyberterror. Has it worked?” Read “15 Years After 9/11, Is America Any Safer?”, Defense One, August 11, 2016.

AF Pilot Shortage? Blame Congress. The Secretary of the Air Force – Deborah Lee James – says Congress shares part of the blame for the shortage of U.S. Air Force pilots. Read more in Task & Purpose, August 11, 2016.

Women Not Passing USMC IOC. It appears that women are having a hard time getting through the Marines Infantry Officer Course. The latest woman to try out was dropped for not completing two conditioning hikes. A lot of men failed the same 84-day long course as well. Read more in “Female Marine can’t complete Infantry Officer Course, no more women now enrolled”, Marine Corps Times, August 12, 2016.

Should Retired Generals Engage in Politics? The recent speeches made by two generals (Flynn and Allen) at the Democratic and Republican conventions caused a stir. One retired four-star, General Dempsey, came out strongly against such speeches. But not all flag officers agree with Dempsey. Read “Don’t Box Retired Generals Out of Politics”, by Eric T. Olson, Defense One, August 11, 2016.

GWOT National War Memorial? Is it too soon for a memorial? Should we wait until the war on terror is won? Read more in “It’s Time to Start Building the Next National War Memorial”, Task & Purpose, August 11, 2016.