Contents: Video of Rangers doing water jump & helicast, Summer Games security, Marines training with Israeli SF, Paratrooper energy bar, Afghan SF, book review, USSOCOM support contract, “Little Green Men”, iPhone Tactical Assault Kit, SEAL Delivery Vehicles, new AFSOC cdr, and more.

Video –Rangers Conduct Water Insertion Training. 1/75^th Rangers perform a parachute jump into the ocean from a CH-47F Chinook helicopter and a helicast from a UH-60M Black Hawk during water insertion training off the coast of Tybee Island, Georgia on July 20, 2016. (1 minute long video posted on DVIDS, video by SPC Scott Lindblom,3rd Combat Aviation Brigade). www.dvidshub.net/video/476088/1-75th-rangers-jump

CT Forces Advising Brazil for Summer Games.  The Olympic Games will run this summer in Brazil and there are fears that terrorists will try and strike at this time. However, there are a number of police and military counterterrorist units (JSOC, SAS, GSG9, etc.) that have sent in advisors to help out the Brazil security forces. Read more in an article by Steven Bucci in The Daily Signal published August 1, 2016 entitled “Facing the Terror Threat at the Olympic Games in Rio”.

Marines & Israeli SF Train Together. According one news report Israeli Special Forces and U.S. Marines are training together for possible future combat against Islamic terror groups. Read more in a news report by Western Journalism, August 1, 2016.

Paratrooper Snack Food. “Scientists at the Army Natick Soldier Research, Development and Engineering Center’s Combat Feeding Directorate jumped at the chance to develop a nutrition bar based on identified paratrooper needs”. The end result is a snack bar “. . . that is nutritious, provides energy, and is easy to carry and easy to eat.” Read more in “Army jump-starts nutrition with new ‘paratrooper bar’”, Army.mil, July 29, 2016.

Afghan Special Forces. A recent article was published about the Afghan Special Forces. Read “Special Operations: Afghan Operators Are Calling”, Strategy Page, July 27, 2016.

Marine Recon and Air Force SOF Practice Humanitarian Mission. Force Reconnaissance Marines from the III Marine Expeditionary Force and Special Tactics Airmen with the 353^rd Special Operations Group (AFSOC) took part in humanitarian mission training during an exercise called Rim of the Pacific 2016. Read a news report posted by Marines.mil on July 15, 2016.

Book Review – Crisis. Frank Gardner has penned a spy / special operations thriller with a former SBS man as the central figure involved in South American intrigue. Read “Countering a new terrorist threat from an unexpected direction”, Business Standard, August 2, 2016.

Family of Drowned Sailor Seeks Answers. A Navy SEAL trainee drowned during training and the man’s family is looking for some answers on how it could happen. See a news report by NBC News, August 2, 2016.

SEAL Delivery Vehicles. For decades USSOCOM has been trying to develop a new SDV (SEAL Delivery Vehicle). Read the news on a new contract for a DCS SDV in a news report by Strategy Page, August 2, 2016.

Navy SEAL Commander to Retire. Rear Admiral Brian Losey, the head of Naval Special Warfare Command, will be retiring after running into problems with Congress. Read more in “Navy SEAL boss to retire after promotion controversy,” Navy Times, August 2, 2016.

Fulcrum Wins USSOCOM Contract. Fulcrum IT Services, LLC has announced that it was awarded a prime contract from U.S. Special Operations Command (USSOCOM) on the SOCOM Wide Mission Support (SWMS) Program. The contract supports all USSOCOM contracts. Read more in a news report posted by Washington Exec, July 19, 2016.

New Cdr for AFSOC. LTG Brad Webb has taken command of the 20,000-strong Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC) based at Hurlburt Field, Florida. Read more in “Webb Quietly Takes Command of Special Ops Command”, The Pulse, July 29, 2015.

Marines & 353^rd SOG Practice Airfield Seizure. Marines and the Air Force 353^rd Special Operations Group have been practicing long-range airfield seizures. In addition to the Ospreys, the Air Force also employed MC-130 cargo planes. Read more in “USAF, Marines conduct rapid airfield seizure exercise”, DVIDS, August 1, 2016.

Army SOF Going to iPhones. The United States Army Special Operations Command (USASOC) is replacing its Android tactical smartphone with the iPhone Tactical Assault Kit (an iPhone 6S). It is the SOF version of the Army’s Nett Warrior battlefield situational awareness tool. Read more in “Army SOF to Trade in Its Androids for iPhones”, DoD Buzz, July 26, 2016.

Pub – “Little Green Men”. The United States Army Special Operations Command (USASOC) has published a publication (78-pages) entitled “Little Green Men”: a primer on Modern Russian Unconventional Warfare, Ukraine 2013-2014”. Posted on publicintelligence.net.
https://info.publicintelligence.net/USASOC-LittleGreenMen.pdf

Photo Credit.  1-75th Ranger jumps from a Chinook helicopter performing a water jump off coast of Georgia in July 2016 (DVIDS). Picture taken from video by SPC Scott Lindblom, 3rd Combat Aviation Brigade.