SOF News Update 20180530 – SOF and jury-rigged medical care, first female Air Commando general officer, history of female spies, USS Michael Monsoor, SOCOM wants better MGs, British SAS to Korea, French mission command in Mali, female TACPs (not quite yet), Gen Miller for RS Cmd, report on Navy IW and CT, SOCOM’s next rucksack, Gov Greitens resigns, Salafi Jihadism, and more.
SOF News
LTG Miller for RS Command. LTG Austin “Scott” Miller will be taking command of Resolute Support. He has been nominated by President Trump for appointment to the grade of General and assignment as commander, Resolute Support Mission, NATO, Afghanistan and commander of U.S. Forces Afghanistan (USFOR-A). LTG Austin Miller currently serves as commander of Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC).
SOF and Jury-Rigged Medical Care. Special operations forces can quite regularly be found hours away from the nearest friendly hospital. This can make a life or death difference for those who are wounded. But some ‘field expedient fixes’ may help mitigate the risk. Read more in “Special Operations Forces Are Changing Combat Medicine with Jury-Rigged Hospitals and Freeze-Dried Blood”, Defense One, May 27, 2018.
USS Michael Monsoor. A Zumwalt class destroyer has been named after a Navy SEAL who was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor. While deployed to Iraq Monsoor threw himself on a grenade to absorb the force of the explosion with his body, saving the lives of two of his teammates. Read more in “America’s Newest Stealth Destroyer Has the Greatest Namesake to Live Up To”, The WarZone, May 28, 2018.
Female TACPs? Not Yet. The sixth female airman trying out to be a Tactical Air Control Party (TACP) has dropped out of training. Currently there are no women airman in the TACP training pipeline. The Air Force says it has not lowered the mental and physical standards. Of course, it hints at ‘changing’ the standards to reflect the diversity of the recruit population. Hah. More to come on that! Read “Another female airman has dropped out of Air Force TACP training”, Air Force Times, May 26, 2018.
SOCOM’s Next Rucksack. The Special Operations Forces Equipment Advanced Requirements (SPEAR) will be taking a look at updating its rucksack suite over the few years. (Military Times, May 29, 2018).
Gov Greitens Resigns. The governor of Missouri – a former Navy SEAL – was once a rising star in the Republican party. A sordid extramarital affair and shady financial arrangements have taken its toll. (St Louis Today, May 29, 2018).
Report on Navy IW and CT. A Congressional Research Service (CRS) report has been published entitled “Report to Congress on Navy Irregular Warfare and Counterterrorism Operations”, CRS, May 21, 2018. Posted on the website of USNI News.
First Female Air Commando General Officer. AFSOC will soon have its first female general officer. Colonel Brenda Cartier will be the command’s director of operations. Read “Air Force to Get First Female Air Commando General”, Military.com, May 26, 2018.
Afghan SOF and CIVCAS. Afghan special operations forces are being accused of killing nine civilians in Nangarhar province. (VOA, May 29, 2018).
SOCOM Wants Better MGs. The United States Special Operation Command is looking to acquire better machine guns for its SOF units. SOCOM is searching for a new assault machine gun as well as a lightweight medium machine gun. Read “New Machine Guns on the Horizon for Special Operators”, National Defense Magazine, May 25, 2018.
British SAS to Korea. A news reports says that the Special Air Service has deployed on a six-month tour in Asia. (The Sun, May 26, 2018).
Intelligence
History of Female Spies. The beginning of World War II prompted the establishment of the Office of Strategic Services or OSS. The newly founded intelligence agency conducted intelligence and paramilitary operations and would be the forerunner of the Central Intelligence Agency and the U.S. Army Special Forces. The OSS also was an early proponent of female intelligence operatives. Read “The CIA’s Female Spy Question”, History.com, May 25, 2018.
Middle East
Syria and Chemical Weapons. The Syrian Arab Republic continues to violate the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC) in a premeditated and calculated manner. Read an essay that discusses the Assad regime’s chemical weapons program and earlier chemical weapons use in Strategic Insights: The Assad Regime and Chemical Weapons, Strategic Studies Institute, U.S. Army War College, May 18, 2018.
Salafi Jihadism. Douglas Livermore, a Special Forces officer, explains the ideological underpinnings of Salafi Jihadism and advocates for the development and implementation of an ideological campaign to reform the Salafi philosophical underpinnings of jihadist extremism. Read “Addressing the Ideological Underpinnings of Salafi Jihadism”, Small Wars Journal, May 2018.
Petraeus and Crocker on Video. General (Ret) David Petraeus and Ambassador Ryan Crocker spoke about their unique collaborative success in Iraq when Petreaus commanded Multi-National Forces Iraq and Crocker was US Ambassador to Baghdad. Hosted the Modern War Institute at West Point, May 18, 2018.
Europe
Poland Will Pay for U.S. Basing. Poland’s government is interested in basing a permanent U.S. military division on it soil and it will pay up to $2 billion to cover the cost. (Army Times, May 29, 2018).
Africa
Mission Command in Mali. A British officer provides a comparison other differing ways of exercising mission command. Read The French Intervention in Mali: A Lesson in Mission Command, Wavell Room, November 30, 2017.
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Top Photo: Special Forces sniper and observer. US Army photo. April 2018.
