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Expert Analysis

The Changing Role of Special Operations Forces

Current National Defense Strategy

Back in April 2022, General Richard Clark, commander of US Special Operations Command (SOCOM), and Christopher Maier, Assistant Secretary of Defense for Special Operations and Low-Intensity Conflict, announced the release of a sixteen-page document outlining the “Vision and Strategy” of US Special Operations Forces (SOF). This came on the heels of the Department of Defense (DOD) release of the 2022 National Defense Strategy (NDS); a factsheet outlining the highlights can be found here.

To fully understand the role SOF plays in national defense, we must first understand the broader picture of the National Defense Strategy. According to the factsheet, the US has four defense priorities, these are:

  1. Defending the homeland, paced to the growing multi-domain threat posed by the PRC (People’s Republic of China)
  2. Deterring strategic attacks against the United States, allies, and partners
  3. Deterring aggression while being prepared to prevail in conflict when necessary, prioritizing the PRC challenge in the Indo-Pacific, then the Russia challenge in Europe.
  4. Building a resident Joint Force and defense ecosystem.
A joint special forces team moves together out of an Air Force CV-22 Osprey aircraft during Emerald Warrior, our largest joint and combined special operations exercise. Photo by Air Force Senior Airman Clayton Cupit.

Take note that counterterrorism activities are no longer listed as a top defense priority. As a matter of fact, the word “terrorism” does not appear once on the non-classified NDS fact sheet.

The document continues:

“The Department will act urgently to sustain and strengthen deterrence, with the People’s Republic of China (PRC) as our most consequential strategic competitor and the pacing challenge for the Department.”

They keep spelling it out for us; China is our biggest threat. That is something we must keep in mind and not get too bogged down with involvement in the war in Ukraine. It’s a primary tenet of special operations training; never take your eyes off the bad guy.

Russia is mentioned next:

“Russia poses acute threats, as illustrated by its brutal and unprovoked invasion of Ukraine. We will collaborate with our NATO Allies and partners to reinforce robust deterrence in the face of Russian aggression.”

This further puts matters into perspective. Russia is the number two bad guy. So we need to keep a close eye on them, but the PRC is our number one concern.

Tertiary threats are addressed:

“The Department will remain capable of managing other persistent threats, including those from NorthKorea, Iran, and violent extremist organizations.”

These are the “also-rans.” Important to keep an eye on, but not the main focus at this time. That said, in the special operations community,  focus can shift instantly, and we must be prepared to address any threat anytime, anywhere. I misled you earlier; while it is true that the word “terrorism” does not appear in the NDS fact sheet, it does mention “violent extremist organizations” as a persistent threat. If you want to learn more about what the National Counterterrorism Center (NCTC) has to say about violent extremism, click here for access to the 2021 edition of US Violent Extremist Mobilization Indicators. It’s your tax dollars at work.

If you want to track the activities of current terrorist groups, click here and check out the Counter Terrorism Guide webpage maintained by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence. As you’ll quickly see, terrorism is still alive and well worldwide. However, it steals a line from Tom Clancy; it does not present the same “clear and present danger” to our nation as it once did.

The Harakat Shabaab al-Mujahidin—commonly known as al-Shabaab, is still alive and well in the region. Image from the National Counterterrorism Center

The Future of SOF

The cover page of the SOCOM document outlines the future of the American SOF. Image from the United States Special Operations command

Starting with the attacks of 9/11 over two decades ago, US special operations forces have concentrated primarily on counterterrorism efforts. While this mission remains on their radar, the focus of the national defense of the United States has shifted to keeping tabs on the activities of the People’s Republic of China and, to a lesser extent, Russia. As a result, operators who may have spent their entire careers fighting the war on terror may wonder how they fit in.

Assistant Secretary Maier spoke at the National Defense Industrial Association Special Operations/Low-Intensity Conflict Symposium last Friday, November 18th. Speaking of the future of SOF, he said,

“Where I think there is going to be tremendous transition and change — and I would say we’re already along that path — is really applying the capabilities and the thinking — and in many respects the talent that is unique to SOF — to the rest of the National Defense Strategy challenges.”

I read that and thought, “Ok, great. The only constant in change, but how are we going to change?” 

Fortunately, Mr. Maeir addressed that issue a bit. He continued,

“There’s not a lot of institutional knowledge that goes back, frankly, to the pre-2001 era,” Maier said. “So there’s a significant amount of … education but also advocacy required in these conversations, in some cases just to get a seat at the table. And then being able to apply in those conversations … whether it’s planning or policy discussions the role SOF can play and where there’s key roles SOF can help to provide options for senior decision makers.”

Here, he is being quite frank and realistic. Times have changed, areas of interest have changed, and SOF has to change along with it. If not, they might not get what he calls “a seat at the table.” So they need to define their role in a changing global environment. And that is what the Special Operations Forces Vision and Strategy document does.

I’ll cover the document’s highlights in an attempt to bring you up to speed on the future of American SOF in 2022 and beyond.

Who We Are

If I had to sum it up in three words, I’d say that SOF is an innovative problem solver. These extraordinarily dedicated and talented individuals devote their lives to taking on the most complex of challenges. The more challenging, the better. As the SEALs say, “The only easy day was yesterday.” SOF is a community, and you don’t have to wear a tab or a trident to be part of that community. There are several other SOF professionals for every operator: military support personnel, contractors, DOD civilians, and family members pulling together to ensure operational readiness. It takes a village and a fairly big one at that.

What We Do

The document explains that SOF “respond swiftly to crises worldwide and accomplish high-risk, politically-sensitive missions with a low signature and small footprint.” In addition, they “cultivate strong relationships with our global network -allies, partners, joint, interagency, multinational, industry, and academia.” Like it or not, SOF troops are ambassadors for the US and the rest of our armed forces. They are widely looked up to and emulated.

I love the next bullet point in the document. Part of it reads that SOF “…create dilemmas for our adversaries”. Classic. If the Rangers, SEALs, or Delta are coming for you, it will not be your best day.

Where We Are Going

SOF remains balanced and ready to take on any conflict asked of them. The vision and strategy document mentions that they will utilize “sustainable counterterrorism to safeguard the Nation.” While for the rest of the foreseeable future, this will be part of their mission, even if it doesn’t align neatly with the main objectives of the National Defense Strategy. Asymmetric warfare is a big part of what SOF does, and they are damn good at it. Small units will always be needed to go in the middle of the night to places with names you can’t pronounce to fix problems you didn’t know existed. That’s just the nature of the beast.

SOCOM, however, realizes that the force must evolve. “Evolve into what?” you may ask. According to them, “current and future threats demand SOF evolves into a force capable of creating strategic, asymmetric advantages for the nation as a key contributor of integrated deterrence.”

Special Forces soldiers on their way to work. Image from US Army War College

Integrated Deterrence

In a piece published online by the US Army War College, Scott Harr discusses integrated deterrence, which he calls a “new concept.” He quotes Colin Kahl, Undersecretary of Defense for Policy, in his attempts to define the phrase. Mr. Kahl says, “In terms of integrated … we mean, integrated across domains, so conventional, nuclear, cyber, space, informational. [It is also] integrated across theaters of competition and potential conflict [and] integrated across the spectrum of conflict from high-intensity warfare to the gray zone.”

Ok, I think I understand. In broad terms, this is SOF being involved and non-compartmentalized.

Jim Garamone quotes Kahl in a 2021 piece he wrote for the DOD news. He notes, “The concept in this case also means integration of all instruments of national power.” Those instruments are government and military. He quotes Kahl as saying, “Most importantly, it means being “integrated across our allies and partners, which are the real asymmetric advantage that the United States has over any other competitor or potential adversary.”

We’re starting to dig deep down the rabbit hole on this one, but that is necessary to understand the vision and future strategy of SOCOM for SOF. For example, you might wonder what Kahl means by “asymmetric advantage.” The best definition of the term I could find is from a company aptly named Asymmetry Observations.

They tell us,

“Asymmetric advantage is based on knowing something that creates value or has an edge that others don’t. An asymmetric advantage is protected and maintained through the distinctions between knowledge of a concept vs. actually being able to do it.”

We know or gain knowledge of the true capabilities of our adversaries that gives us the edge over them. While knowledge is power, it isn’t necessarily deterrence. Garamone reminds us that deterrence “has been at the heart of US policy since the Cold War.” I would argue that the idea of American deterrence goes back to Teddy Roosevelt’s “speak softly and carry a big stick” philosophy of foreign policy.

Kahl tells us that the traditional definition of deterrence does not necessarily hold today. He says, “We need to think about deterrence differently given the existing security environment and the potential scenarios for conflict that we’re trying to deter. We at [the] Department of Defense need to have the capabilities and the concepts to deny the type of rapid fait accompli scenarios that we know potential adversaries are contemplating, so they can’t make a rapid lunge at our partners and allies before they believe the United States can show up.”

Prevention. He’s talking about using SOF as a prophylactic force rather than just a reactive force. Being given actionable intelligence and acting on that to deter what is euphemistically called “negative outcomes.” Sure we already do that to some extent, and those missions almost always remain classified. We don’t want to alarm the American people with “what could have happened,” At the same time, we don’t want to encourage bad actors to develop destructive plans knowing it will gain them recognition.

Kahl ponders some more on the subject,

“We also have to make ourselves more resilient because, frankly, we know that our adversaries have developed theories of victory, cognizant that they wouldn’t do particularly well in a protracted conflict with the United States,” he said. “So they don’t intend to fight a protracted conflict. Instead, they intend to blind us and deafen us and slow us down.”

Twenty years we spent in Afghanistan. Two long, painful, bloody, expensive decades…and the Taliban knew we’d leave in the end, and they’d still be there. It reminds me of the Bruce Springsteen anti-war song, Born in the USA (and no, it is not a patriotic tune, read the lyrics and think about them). The singer says he “Had a brother at Khe Sahn, fighting off the Viet Cong. They’re still there; he’s all gone.” Meaning, of course, his brother (either biological or military) was killed in the fighting, yet the VC remained. So what was it all for? A lot of people ask that same question about Afghanistan…and Iraq.

There is much more to the SOCOM vision and strategy for the future of SOF in the United States military. Unfortunately, time, space, and attention span preclude addressing all of it here. However, it is quite a lot to digest. But a plan exists, and it seems like a good plan. Special operations forces, by their nature, have always been dynamic and adaptable. These qualities will keep them relevant and at the tip of the spear for years to come.

Expert Analysis: What Really Caused The Crimea Bridge to Come Down

The Only Physical Link Between Crimea and Russia

In 2014 Vladimir Putin’s government illegally annexed Crimea as part of Russia. By 2018 he had built the longest bridge in Europe to physically connect the two land masses. This was a solid symbol of Russian domination. A $3.7 billion USD symbol. To make matters even clearer, Putin personally drove one of the first trucks over the structure the day it was opened. It’s like a dog peeing on something to claim ownership.

The bridge, of course, is of enormous practical importance. It plays a critical role in getting supplies from Russia, through Crimea, to Russian troops fighting in the Kherson region of Ukraine.

Russian President Vladimir Putin prepares to buckle up to drive one of the first trucks across the Crimean Bridge in 2018. Screenshot from YouTube and Wall Street Journal

On October 8th, at about 0600 local time, an enormous explosion severely damaged the Crimea (or, as it is sometimes called, Kerch) Bridge. Because of its strategic importance, the bridge is one of the most secure structures in the world. Security cameras cover almost every inch.

Please watch the footage below made available through Twitter and Russian Media Monitor. Carefully watch the truck in the right-hand lane toward the center of your screen. Many believe it is the main cause of the damage. At the 0:17 mark, it seems to vaporize, causing a huge fireball severely damaging rail cars on the adjacent railway. Coincidentally, all seven of them were full of fuel.

The Institute for the Study of War (ISW) reports that an initial bomb damage assessment shows one lane of the road bridge to be collapsed and damage to the nearby railway track. The Russian Investigative Committee quickly surveyed the damage, and they concluded that a truck had exploded on the bridge and ignited the fuel-laden railway cars. Almost immediately, though, Russia sent divers to examine the structural integrity of the bridge supports underwater.

For the record, I do not believe the truck was what brought the bridge down. No way, and I’ll explain why.

Here we see a satellite photo of the final damage. You’ll note that the roadway between two spans has been dropped into the sea. Screenshot from YouTube and CNN

However, if the truck was the primary explosive device, we would see a hole in the middle of the road. None was evident. The structure collapsed into pieces and fell.

The bridge has dropped in multiple pieces, indicating a probable blast from below. Screenshot from YouTube and WSJ

The detonation of high explosives above the surface of the bridge, as has been claimed by the Russians, would have sent the majority of the blast force up and away from the truck. However, as noted above, that would cause a massive hole in the roadway and extensive scorching of the highway’s surface. What little we see of damage to the road’s surface is likely from the fire from the railway cars that were full of fuel. In addition, modern bridges are made to withstand accidents in the unlikely event that a truck carrying explosive cargo may ignite.

No, ladies and gentlemen, this blast came from below.

A waterborne object is picked up on a security camera immediately before the explosion. Screenshot from YouTube and WSJ.

By All Indications, an SOF Operation

Obviously, the Russians did not take out their own multi-billion dollar bridge and main supply line to a war they are currently fighting. The Ukrainians did this. But, they do not have weapons with the range to even come close to hitting the Crimea bridge from Ukraine. The HIMARS weapons systems we have provided to them could only cover a fraction of the hundreds of miles from Ukraine to the damaged bridge.

Sky News explains how the Crimea, or Kerch Bridge is a pivotal link to getting people and supplies from Russia to Crimea and through Ukraine to the Kherson region. This image also gives us an excellent idea of how far the bridge is from Ukraine. Screenshot from YouTube and Sky News

In my opinion, and you’ve probably read it here first, this was the result of a highly successful special operations forces mission. Mark my words: one day, a movie will be made about this. This operation took place deep behind enemy lines in Russian territory. Operators infiltrated the area with the highest degree of secrecy, bringing hundreds of pounds of high explosives. Whoever did was was good, very good. To say that the Russians are watching this bridge carefully would be an understatement.

I believe the explosion(s) came from under the bridge, with shaped charges likely being placed on the supporting structures. Who would have placed those explosives? Again, I can only speculate, but my money is on Ukrainian troops from the 73rd Naval Special Purpose Center. These are special forces units of the Ukrainian Naval Infantry, their version of our US Navy SEALs or British SBS. The exact details of their equipment are classified, but it is known to be highly sophisticated and comparable to what we have in the west. And keep in mind that US Special Operations Command Europe kept training the Ukrainians until the beginning of the war.

The Ukrainian 73rd has swimmer delivery vehicles (SDVs) and DPDs (diver propulsion devices) to get their combat divers where they need to be. The SDV can best be described as a mini-sub, about 22 feet long, with an electric motor and single screw propeller. High-frequency sonar and a doppler inertial navigation system get the Team and their gear where they need to be silently. They are often deployed from and may be retrieved by submarines. That’s one potential scenario for successful infiltration and exfiltration.

Unit patch from the Ukrainian 73rd Naval Special Operations Center

 

Regardless of exactly how they did it, the SOF made logistical issues for Russia in their war with Ukraine (especially in the Kherson region) much more difficult. Refer to the map above from Sky News. It shows how supplies, equipment, and troops were getting from the motherland to the Kherson region of Ukraine through annexed Crimea utilizing the 12-mile-long Crimea (Kerch) bridge. Now that they can’t do that, materiel will have to be moved by sea to the Ukrainian port cities of Berdyansk and Mariupol and trucked hundreds of miles through enemy territory to its destination.

The Russians, of course, will move to repair the bridge as quickly as possible. Still, I wager that the damage will buy the Ukrainians at least two or three weeks of valuable time where the already undersupplied Russian forces will receive very little or no support.

This is an enormous blow to the Russians, on par with the Ukrainian sinking of the Moskva. A sound tactical victory and one hell of a morale booster. “Look at what we can do,” they are telling the Kremlin, giving the middle finger directly to Putin. To his credit, Mr. Putin isn’t stupid, never said he was. Shortly after the attacks, he gave a speech stating how he views this as a terrorist attack against his country and, “The authors, perpetrators and those who ordered it are the special services of Ukraine.” As a former KGB man, he knows this and is currently doing his best to take revenge against the citizens of Ukraine because he has been made to look so bad.

My hope is that the armed forces of Ukraine will take full advantage of this situation to push Russian forces from the Kherson region. The New York Times just yesterday reported on increasingly lowered enemy morale and a general retreat from the area.

Author’s Note: Many thanks to the Wall Street Journal and their chief correspondent on the ground in Ukraine, Yaroslav Trofimov, for making the insightful YouTube video presented above. They seem to be of the same mind that we are, that this was not solely the work of a truck bomb and definitely not caused by a missile strike.

New York Times Slams SEAL Training; “A Culture of Brutality, Cheating and Drugs”

The New York Times headline on August 30th was certainly attention-getting,

The hook they hung these sensational charges on was the death of Seaman Kyle Mullen who died of a particularly virulent strain of pneumonia after he completed the portion of Basic Underwater Demolition School known as Hell Week. Mullin was back in his room and was discovered by another BUD/S student to be unresponsive and medical personnel were called. As it would turn out, it was too late. In investigating the “mishap” a term used by the navy to describe events that occur outside of planned expectations, they found syringes and performance-enhancing drugs(PEDs) in his car. The captain in charge of BUD/S found during his investigation that about 40 candidates had either tested positive or had admitted to using steroids or other drugs in violation of clearly stated and acknowledged Navy regulations against their use. Regulations that exist for three reasons,

  1. They can be dangerous to use while undergoing the intense physical training that BUD/S entails,
  2. The SEALs want trainees on a level playing field when it comes to physical condition, natural stamina, and abilities
  3. They don’t want people who cheat on the rules because it becomes a pattern of behavior later on.

Over the last 10 years, SOFREP has covered the navy SEALs and other units of our Special Operations Forces extensively. We don’t shy away from stories when SEALs are caught up in criminal activity like SEAL Team 6 member, SO1 Aaron Howard who was convicted of blackmailing women for nude photos in 2020.

We also reported on the case of navy SEAL, SOC Eddie Gallagher who was accused of murdering a wounded Iraqi insurgent in 2017.  We followed the case extensively and when it looked to us like the prosecution was way out of bounds in the way the case was handled we broke with the head still calling for his head and pointed to the problems with the case we thought suggested undue command influence and mismanagement of the case itself.  Gallagher was acquitted of the charges after a witness given immunity testified on the stand that he was he and not Gallagher who ended the prisoner’s life.

So we were not afraid to look into this story to either confirm or deny the claims that a culture of drug use and cheating existed in BUD/S. Let the chips fall where they may.

The Times story goes on to make some pretty sensational claims, not the least of which was the accusation of Kyle Mullens own mother Regina, who accused the SEALs of inflicting unneeded brutality on her son, saying to the Times,  “They say it’s training, but it’s torture. And then they didn’t even give them the proper medical care. They treat these guys worse than they are allowed to treat prisoners of war.”

 “They killed him,” she told the Times reporter.

The New York Times writer, Dave Philipps, states he interviewed, “17 active-duty Navy personnel, including senior leaders, active-duty SEALs and current and former trainees and instructors.”

Well, we spoke to some too. We also spoke to Naval Special Warfare Command. In their piece, the New York Times says the navy declined to comment on the story because of the pending investigation.

NSWC was willing however to answer all our questions and was very forthcoming with information. We also spoke to navy SEALs both serving and retired, both instructors and non-instructors.  We also spoke to medical professionals who have treated members of Special Forces units like the SEALs, including SEALs themselves, who are intimately aware of the medical problems that go with this kind of training.

Rather than confirm that the SEAL teams tolerate a ‘culture of brutality, drugs and cheating” they claimed that the Department of the Navy, the Naval Special Warfare Command, and the instructors themselves are actively working to prevent a culture like that from taking hold. Not that it doesn’t come easily.

A retired SEAL Chief Petty Officer who spent two years(a standard tour) at BUD/S explained it this way, “These are smart, competitive, and resourceful guys coming into the program and they are always looking for ways to gain some kind of edge on the training program. When they enter training they all read and sign various acknowledgments about what they are allowed to do and not do in terms of conduct during and after training hours including very specific stuff on drugs, supplements, and performance-enhancing drugs.  There is zero tolerance for anyone who gets caught.” These signed acknowledgments are also known as “Hang-Me” sheets in the navy because they form an evidentiary basis for charges that can result in Bad Conduct and Dishonorable Discharges for offenders.

When asked about the syringes found in Seaman Mullens’s car, the Chief had this to say, “It could be a number of things from vitamin B12 to HGH(human growth hormone) to testosterone, but the fact that it was hidden in his car strongly suggests he was using something he knew was against rules and regs.”

SOFREP asked if cars were ever searched, “Sure, I’ve been called in when I was off duty with other instructors to go through every car in the parking lot belonging to trainees on just a rumor that someone was using something against regulations. We didn’t find anything though.”

The easy availability of performance-enhancing drugs like HGH and testosterone in Mexico resulted in a decades-long regulation that said those in BUD/S training were specifically forbidden from crossing the border into Mexico for any reason for the duration of their training, which runs some two years.  The Naval Special Warfare Center where SEALS are trained is located in Imperial Beach, Californian which is less than 5 miles from the border with Tijuana Mexico.

We spoke to a working physician and career veteran who served in the Army Medical Corps and a former Navy SEAL himself who remains actively involved in the medical issues encountered by SEALs in training along with the unauthorized use of supplements. His statement is repeated here without edits.

“A friend and Naval Academy friend and classmate of mine was the commander of the Naval Special Warfare Command in Coronado, California from 1999 until August 2002. Then, in March 2001, a 29-year-old BUD/S trainee died during a Hell Week swimming event. He was coughing up frothy red sputum at the time – as were others in his class. His death was the first BUD/S Hell Week death ever, which surprised all due to the incredible and capable medical team that monitors Hell Week activities 24 hours a day.

I was invited to have dinner with my classmate soon after that while visiting BUD/S to lecture on the dangers of certain supplements that were killing soldiers in the Army at Ft. Bragg, NC. I was the Commander of the clinic that cared for the soldiers of the 82nd Airborne Division and their families at the time and was witness to five or more deaths a year during routine training. These Army soldiers were taking creatine and ephedrine as supplements for improved physical performance as advertised heavily in sports magazines.  These supplements prevent sweating and cause muscles to hold water and swell.  That includes the muscles of the heart and lungs.
The result is heart failure, and commonly a sudden body temperature elevation (from not sweating) resulting in heat stroke and death.
Used correctly these supplements can aid weight lifting training, but they should never be used during aerobic activities like running or swimming and they have been banned by high school and college sports teams due to their dangers.
When I heard of the 1999 SEAL officer’s death I saw the similarity of his presenting symptoms, and (as an ex-SEAL and now doctor) was asked to come to present my findings to the BUD/S staff. My classmate and Special Warfare commander invited me to dinner at his home.  We discussed the autopsy findings and the physical symptoms of coughing up blood-tinged frothy sputum.  I noted that this was what I was seeing at Ft Bragg and suggested that perhaps the LT was taking creatine or ephedrine or both.
Supplements were found in his locker.
I noted that others in the class were also likely taking it, and it was noted that others in training were also coughing up similar sputum which had the medical teams concerned. We discussed this at length and what could be done to prevent further adverse events.
Soon after this discussion, the Commander issued an order that banned all supplements permanently, restricted trainees from crossing the border to Mexico, and implemented regular inspections to assure compliance. His immediate and well-thought-out actions clearly saved lives for the next two decades.
The recent death in February of this year of one SEAL, and the near-death of another during the day of rest after completing Hell Week raises my concerns that supplements may have been involved again.  Creatine and ephedrine are easily purchased online and in health food stores.
Another risk factor that should be considered is the recent use of Covid shots administered to Navy personnel.  There are multiple medical reports of large and microscopic blood clots caused by both the Covid infection and the Covid shots.  I personally experienced blood clots and lung damage during my last (fully immunized) bout with Covid (proven by blood tests and CT scan).
The autopsy and sputum cultures of both recent Hell Week-related casualties found that they had bacterial pneumonia caused by a very dangerous pathogen that is difficult to treat in the best of cases.
The article in the Times mentioned “needles” and tried to imply drug use.  This is extremely unlikely given the oversight and active monitoring programs currently in place.
One possibility for needle use by fitness-focused athletes is steroids, but this is not likely in a SEAL candidate due to aggressive and effective oversight and lack of perceived benefit.  A possibility might be vitamin B-12 which is commonly given by doctors to patients by injection for low B-12 levels.
There will be additional upgrades to the already robust training and medical monitoring efforts at BUD/S. The Navy has the most capable military and medical teams in charge of the most difficult military training in the world today.”
The autopsy performed on Seaman Mullen found that he had contracted acute pneumonia due to Streptococcus pyogenes. This is known as a Group A strep bacteria, which the report said: “is capable of causing multiorgan failure and cardiovascular collapse via toxic shock.”  This strain of streptococcus can result in mild symptoms with little effect on the body but can balloon into a serious infection that can include a very rare incidence of Streptococcal toxic shock syndrome in which the patient rapidly experiences a drop in blood pressure, organ failure, and in some cases, death.  It can also develop into necrotizing fasciitis which we know as Flesh Eating Bacteria
In September 2000, the Naval Health Research Center released a study that found that the intense psychological and physical stressors of training often led to respiratory infection. Between 1998-2000, 477 Naval Special Warfare trainees were used in a double-blind trial of oral azithromycin plus a placebo, and it was compared with using benzathine penicillin G plus a placebo. Of the 464 subjects, 44 developed acute respiratory infections with 20 developing pneumonia during the two weeks of the most intense training. 12 subjects were found to have a Chlamydia pneumoniae infection and just 7 had indications of a Mycoplasma pneumoniae infection. They recommended administering azithromycin to trainees to help them ward off infection. The treatment for the more dangerous but more rare Streptococcus pyogenes is known to be oral penicillin for 10 days or intramuscular injection of benzathine penicillin, also known as the dreaded “Peanutbutter Shot” in the military because of its thick brownish color in the syringe. This shot is usually given in the butt muscle and you are sore as Hell at the site of the injection for days afterward.
It is actually kind of amazing that more don’t contract pneumonia during training given the conditions under which they train.  They spend a lot of time in the Pacific ocean during BUD/S which is generally very cold all the time with temps that are usually in the 60s.  During the winter months, the failure rate of trainees increases in BUD/S because of the colder water. There is another reason the relatively low rate of serious respiratory infection among trainees is remarkable.
Every day, Mexico dumps some 30-40 million gallons of sewage and toxic waste, into the Tijuana river which outflows into the Pacific about a mile away from where BUD/S is conducted.
raw sewage in the Pacific ocean outflowing from the Tijuana river appears brown and muddy. Just beyond the pier extending into the ocean is the Naval Special Warfare Training Center. Residents of Imperial Beach frequently complain of the smell of raw sewage wafting into their homes and frequent beach closures due to the biohazard this presents to humans.

 

Balancing Safety and Accomplishing the Mission

The Times article painted a picture of blind indifference to losses in training to suggest that a culture of brutality extended also to navy leadership in noting that 11 aspiring SEALs have died in training since 1953. There are occupations in the navy where far more deaths occur without claims that these deaths are the result of indifference to risk, drug use, or cheating on established standards.

From 2013 to 2017. aviation mishaps in just the Navy and Marine Corps F/A-18 Hornets and Super Hornets took the lives of some 133 pilots and other service members. In just this one type of aircraft. These losses occurred in spite of everything the navy can think of doing to make naval aviation safe in an environment that really cannot be made safe. Planes fly off of the shortened runways of aircraft carriers at night and in bad weather. They operate at high speeds and low altitudes with heavy loads.  These aircraft are often flown at the limits of their engineered specifications. The men who fly them are preparing for war. In Ukraine, the appalling casualties of Russian soldiers illustrates how deadly and unforgiving war can be to hastily trained troops.

The difficulty of making unsafe things like carrier aviation safe can also be applied to navy SEALs and their mission according to one retired SEAL we spoke to,

“There is no way to make SEAL training safe.  We board submarines and exit them using their torpedo tubes into freezing water. We jump from an airplane at 35,000 feet wearing oxygen and free fall to under one thousand feet before deploying our parachutes. We train with weapons and explosives and even place mines on ships to blow the bottoms out of them in defended harbors. The only way you can make things like this safe, is not to do them. So, selection and training is hard on purpose, because if the first time you run into something hard and dangerous is on an actual mission, you will fail in that mission and you’ll die along with your teammates.”

 

CORONADO, Calif. (Sept. 2, 2015) Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL (BUDS) candidates wearing helmets and reflective life vests getting sandy during surf passage training. Surf passage involves rubber inflatable handling in difficult surf conditions. It is also about recovery procedures should the raft capsize in the waves. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Michael Russell/Released)

The Navy Reacts

The death of any service member automatically triggers an extensive safety and process investigation in the service branches.  It’s an examination of processes and regulations which are mostly written as the result of other incidents resulting in death or serious injuries. They are also looking to identify unforeseen circumstances that require new safety regulations be put in place.

We reached out to Naval Special Warfare Command on these allegations and they were eager to answer our questions initially offering this statement;

“The circumstances surrounding the tragic death of Seaman Kyle Mullen remain under investigation. Naval Special Warfare Command continues to examine events leading up to his death, including medical practices, prohibited performance-enhancing drugs (PEDs) testing, and BUD/S safety protocols to identify and address areas that may have contributed to the loss of our teammate.  We are committed to a thorough, accurate, and impartial investigative process. The safety of our SEAL candidates remains paramount during every evolution of NSW’s demanding Assessment, Selection, and Training pathway.”

In a series of follow-up questions, we asked NSWC to share with us any policy changes the navy may be considering in the wake of the unusual death following the end of Hell Week. They offered the following, which is printed without edits;

 

Naval Special Warfare Policy and Procedures

This unfortunate incident has afforded Naval Special Warfare Command an opportunity to closely examine current medical practices, prohibited performance-enhancing drugs (PEDs) testing protocols, and identify areas of unforeseen risk that require immediate action to address with changes to policies and procedures.  These substantive changes will reduce the risks inherent in NSW’s demanding Assessment, Selection and Training pathway.

Numerous changes have already been implemented and many more are in the process of implementation. The changes immediately implemented upon SN Mullen’s death include:

  • Institution of a cardiac screening program
  • Increased prevention measures for pneumonia
  • Extending the observation period post-BUD/S Phase 1 Assessment and Selection and SWCC crucible events to 24 hours
  • Mandatory shift turnover between medical providers
  • PEDs testing
  • Creation of Training Selection Assessment Team

If you prefer more detail to the specific changes:

  • Numerous changes have already been implemented and many more are in the process of implementation. The changes immediately implemented upon SN Mullen’s death include:
    • Cardiology.  Institution of a cardiac screening program that incorporates recommendations from multiple cardiologists across all service branches.  This includes purchasing of ECG machines with improved artificial intelligence to screen for underlying conditions which may result in sudden cardiac death in athletes.  These are used during orientation and reviewed by Naval Medical Center San Diego (NMCSD) cardiologist prior to entering first phase.
    • Pneumonia Prevention. Increased prevention measures for pneumonia based on recommendations and data from NMCSD Infectious Disease department.  An intra-muscular injection of Bicillin is being administered the week prior to both Phase 1 Assessment and Selection crucible event for SEAL candidates and Tour Week for Special Warfare Combatant Craft Crewmen.
    • Observation Post-Hell Week. Basic Training Command has extended the observation period for 24 hours post securing both BUD/S Phase 1 Assessment and Selection and SWCC crucible events.  Candidates now recover in the Recovery Observation Center (ROC) located in an open bay barracks in the Howell Classroom.  A medical provider and Hospital Corpsman remain on site in building 637 medical spaces until candidates are secured after medical checks on Saturday morning.  The leading watch stander is now a qualified high-risk instructor.
    • Turnover. Mandatory shift turnover between BTC Medical on coverage and NSWCEN Medical duty provider to discuss medical status of candidates.
    • Limited PEDs Testing. “Medically safe-to-train” PED testing through urine tests with the NMCSD laboratory for the safety of accession candidates within the limitations of existing policies and directives.
    • Creation of Training Selection Assessment Team (TSAT).  The TSAT was formed in April 2022 to strengthen oversight and identify latent risk of BTC and Advanced Training Command (ATC) courses.  It is composed of the Command Warrant Officer/Training Officer at NSWCEN, a senior civilian, a senior enlisted from both the SEAL and Special Warfare Combatant-Craft Crewmen (SWCC) communities and Reservist Support.  Third party participation with Naval Education and Training Command (NETC) is in staff coordination to strengthen the objectivity of this effort.  TSAT focuses on three areas: 1. Professionalism of instructors with students; 2. Instructors following proscribed curriculum/schedule/remediation; and 3. Training safely (EAPs created and followed, equipment available, on-site, and functioning).
  • Naval Special Warfare Command is also working aggressively to change the following policies and procedures:
    • SIPE. SIPE protocol be reviewed for effectiveness and issued in an instruction to ensure uniform application of the protocol throughout Assessment and Selection.  The protocol will emphasize the potentially serious medical consequences of SIPE.
    • Medical Screening. Clarify the use, purpose, and procedures of data collection regarding recordation of respiratory complaints or abnormal lung sounds in candidates, including the Pulmonary Complaint form, and codify it in written instruction.
    • More Clarity Regarding Duties of Duty Medical Officer. Codification of an instruction governing the purpose, role and responsibilities of the Duty Medical Officer.
    • Connection Between PEDs Use and Pneumonia. Force Medical will further study the correlation between PED use and contracting pneumonia, beyond the anecdotal correlation presented in this investigation, and brief WARCOM to determine whether this correlation should be requested for further research in current Department of Defense studies.
    • PEDs Policy. We are relentlessly pursuing a comprehensive and permanent PED testing protocol for the future. NSWCEN has submitted through the Navy Staff for consideration to expand the authority to test Naval Special Warfare candidates for PEDs.  This action will strengthen our understanding of the scope of PED use, and help us counter unauthorized PED use within the force.
    • Improving Candidate Culture. Finally, additional inquiry will be made into the cultural tension between the expectations that candidates will push through adversity to demonstrate grit and that SEALs will recognize and report health information to remain medically fit for mission.  The SEAL and Combatant Crewman ethos must be reinforced through all phases of Assessment, Selection and Training.

Current drug testing procedures

The current drug testing procedure for Performance Enhancing Drugs (PEDs) at the Naval Special Warfare Center consist of a urine lab sample to analyze the T/E ratio. The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) standards for Testosterone to Epitestosterone (T/E) ratio is 4.0. If a sample shows abnormal results based on WADA (World Anti-Doping Agency) standards, the candidate is removed from training and will undergo an additional urinalysis test, authorized via probable cause from the first test, through a DOD approved SMRTL lab for a full performance-enhancing drug panel. Out of the 794 PEDs tests that have been conducted this year, 33 were positive.

NSW is relentlessly pursuing a comprehensive and permanent PED testing protocol for the future. NSWCEN has submitted through the Navy Staff for consideration to expand the authority to test Naval Special Warfare candidates for PEDs.  This action will strengthen our understanding of the scope of PED use, and help us counter unauthorized PED use within the force.

The word SIPE appears in the above quote and it refers to Swimming Induced Pulmonary Edema, a condition where fluid collects in the lungs. It is generally triggered by swimming in colder open water. In addition to surface swimming, SIPE is also found to occur during scuba diving, snorkeling, and free diving. The Symptoms of SIPE include coughing, shortness of breath, tightness or pain in the chest, and in some cases hemoptysis (blood in the sputum). It can be fatal in some cases, but symptoms generally lessen after leaving the water and are gone entirely within 48 hours. Not a great deal is really known about SIPE, it was first identified in scuba divers in 1981 and the number of studies done on the condition is sparse because it is rarely fatal and the symptoms clear up rather quickly once someone is out of the water. Studies of the condition(admittedly limited in number) have not found any known deaths from SIPE.

In BUD/S training, instructors not only see SIPE occur in trainees but many have experienced it themselves.  While Seaman Mullen suffered from an underlying acute Strep infection, the symptoms he presented while training looked very much like SIPE, a non-life threatening condition with a very low incidence of death, especially in young fit males.

Screening for Performance Enhancing Drugs is not a new policy. These substances are not illegal narcotics in the military like marijuana or cocaine and the normal drug screenings performed on personnel will not detect PEDs.  The World Anti-Doping Agency standard mentioned above includes a 20-page list of substances prohibited to competitive athletes and the list is updated every year as new drugs are introduced. And the tests are not cheap, they cost about $400 for each one administered. The question then becomes how often such tests are administered during the two-year training program and at what point are they administered? What about after training when these new Naval Special Warfare Operators go to the Teams?  In the information released above the navy states that this year they have already conducted some 794 PED tests on trainees and found only 33,  or just over 4% tested positive.

Can 4% disobeying clearly stated regulations about using PEDs be fairly called a “culture” of drug abuse? Given the trainees limited exposure to the SEAL community in a few weeks is BUD/S the reason for this culture or are trainees bringing these habits with them when they arrive?

We asked the spokesman at the Naval Special Warfare Center what the consequences would be for a trainee or later SEAL caught using PEDs. They stated that a second test would be done to confirm the positive results and then the service member would be processed for an administrative separation from the Navy. This differs from the Bad Conduct or Dishonorable Discharge given to service members caught using illegal narcotics which represents criminal offenses, but it is also a zero-tolerance policy. Get caught and you are out of the navy whether in training or actively serving on the Teams.

 

 

180413-N-PJ969-3899 Coronado, Calif., (Apr. 13, 2018) U.S. Navy SEAL candidates participate in Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL (BUD/S) training. SEALs are the maritime component of U.S. Special Forces and are trained to conduct a variety of operations from the sea, air and land.(U.S. Navy photo by Petty Officer 1st Class Abe McNatt)

 

A Culture of Brutality

SOFREP asked about Instructors being negligent in handling trainee safety and we were told by our source who was an instructor at BUD/S,

“Virtually every second of BUD/S training is carefully scripted in great detail.  We exercise almost no discretion when it comes to going past proscribed limits in training.  Trainees spend 15 minutes in the ocean, no more no less, then 20 minutes of calisthenics on land, then another 8 minutes in the water, no more no less.  We might make it seem to the trainees that they will be in the water forever, but the time limits represent safe limits and we stick to them very carefully, We could get everyone to quit or just die by leaving them in the cold ocean for hours, but we aren’t trying to do that.”

Medical personnel monitor the condition of trainees and are present during the entirety of Hell Week Training. There are even ambulances standing by in case of an emergency.  As Hell Week progresses the medical checks become more and more frequent.

When asked about why Mullens didn’t ask for or seek medical attention during Hell Week, the Chief told us, “These guys try to hide how sick they are sometimes because they want to push themselves through.  We aren’t going to tell them what their limits are unless it’s obvious to us they are no longer able properly assess that for themselves.  We had a trainee on the fourth day of Hell Week dislocate his shoulder and was still pressing on.  We noticed the way he was moving and I and the other instructors had a brief conference about his condition.  We weren’t sure what the problem was at the time, but something was definitely wrong with one arm. We pulled him out and sent him to medical”

SOFREP asked if this injury meant the trainee would have to recycle and repeat Hell Week, did he fail?  “Oh no, we passed him. It was Day 4, and this guy wasn’t willing to quit with a dislocated shoulder. That’s the kind of determination we are looking for in a Navy SEAL.”

In a recent Salon interview, the writer of the New York Times piece, Dave Phillips stated that some of his sources were trainees who had quit BUD/S and that they would be good sources because they would be upset they did not pass the program. Of course, the problem with these men as sources is that many of them left the program in the First Phase of BUD/S during Hell Week which is the fourth week of actual training. A few weeks in SEAL training before they quit the program and returned to the fleet is all some of Mr. Phillips’ sources know about what goes on in BUD/S, a program that takes some two years to produce a SEAL ready to go to an operational team for even more training.

“One of the things I learned really quickly is the front door is not a good way to report. In this BUD/S selection course, the statistic they’re most proud of is only 25 percent of people who show up make it through. The vast majority quit. I was like, “Oh, the vast majority quit! They’re not SEALs, but they were there.” That’s a heck of a lot of people who have a pretty good idea of the dynamic there is, and probably have reason to talk because maybe they felt like they weren’t treated very well. So, that’s really the angle I started working. It’s just a mass attack on these former candidates and reaching out to them cold. My failure rate on that approach is really, really, really high—95 percent, if not more. But you don’t need that many to get a beachhead. If I can get one or two guys and talk, not only is that really good firsthand information about what happened, but if I talk to someone for two hours, I have a much higher success rate with someone they know than I do with a cold call. So slowly, piece by piece, you build this landscape where you can figure out what happens. Bit by bit, I get enough to tell a story.”-Dave Phillips, New York Times

 

Brandon Webb, publisher of SOFREP spent more than 13 years in the navy, was a navy SEAL for most of it, a Chief Petty Officer, and the program manager for their elite sniper program.

“The Teams have gone a long way to clean up their public image in the last four years and it’s well known inside and out of the community that all illicit drugs are off limits. That extended to other legal supplements when I was a SEAL. I’ve been through high-risk instructor training and worked Hell Week as a guest instructor. The cadre is tough but extremely sensitive to medical issues, and if any instructor understood the severity of Mullen’s condition they would have sent him to the hospital immediately.  Students sometimes hide injuries to their detriment. They call it high-risk training for a reason. You can’t make diamonds unless they are subjected to extreme pressure over time. This is BUD/S.”

Webb bristled at the New York Times writer’s accusation that a culture of “brutality” exists on the Teams; “Brutality is cruelty and violence done without care for anyone but yourself. Navy SEALs are willing to give their lives not just for their country but also for each other.  That willingness to sacrifice yourself for others doesn’t come from a culture of brutality.”

Russia’s Trump Card: Is Wagner’s African Playbook Running in Ukraine?

As the war in Ukraine continues, there is increased scrutiny of the Russian government’s global activities. In Africa, the newest development uses Russian mercenaries, most prominently the Wagner group, to achieve Russian interests. Even if the mercenaries are not particularly effective at defeating rebel groups, their appeal to African leaders and ability to implant themselves into the host country’s political system makes them difficult for the international community to counter. 

Using mercenaries offers the Russian state several benefits. Firstly, it allows Moscow’s most controversial activity in Africa to remain deniable, even if Wagner’s connections to the Kremlin are common knowledge and Wagner’s deployments are preceded by a deal with the Russian government. It also allows Russia more access to gold, diamonds, and other precious resources, which are suitable for the economy and a small way to mitigate the impact of Ukraine-related sanctions. Furthermore, because Wagner’s ability to operate depends on its link to the Kremlin and the Russian state’s willingness to overlook the constitutional ban on mercenaries, there is almost no risk that Wagner will operate against Moscow’s interests. Lastly, When Wagner mercenaries die, which is not infrequent, Russia owes the public no explanation.

The largest Wagner Group telegram channel posted this image (left) of their contractors posing with a sledgehammer in Kherson Oblast [Source: Twitter/@GuinieZoo_Intel]
Wagner initially fought for Russian interests in Eastern Ukraine and Syria but quickly secured contracts in Africa supporting then-President Omar Al-Bashir in Sudan and Libyan warlord Khalifa Haftar. However, in the Central African Republic and now Mali, they developed their playbook of opportunistically exploiting ill-will towards France and the E.U. to secure lasting contracts and political influence.

The Wagner Playbook in Africa: The Central African Republic and Beyond

Wagner’s appeal to some African leaders is simple. They offer to train the military, act like a praetorian guard, and conduct counterinsurgency operations at a relatively low cost. The deal is incredibly enticing if a state or its people are unsatisfied with its current security assistance. Former French colonies, particularly those with an ongoing conflict and French military presence, are especially susceptible. The Central African Republic, for instance, relied on French, EU, and U.N. missions as their primary security partners from 2014 until 2018. Then, as it became clear that peacekeepers and French forces were unable or unwilling to stem the violence or defeat CAR’s many rebel groups, President Touadera reached out to Russia. Alongside a shipment of weapons, some 170 mercenaries arrived under several names, including Sewa Security Services and COSI.  

https://twitter.com/banko416/status/1544638366049763328

Wagner’s presence jumped dramatically in response to a rebel offensive on the capital. Rebel coalitions overthrew the government multiple times in CAR, making the newest effort, led by a former President, an existential threat to President Touadera and Russian interests. Reinforcing over 2,000 personnel, Wagner halted the rebel advance and launched a counterattack that reconquered massive territory in a few months. 

Wagner also offers a few ways to pay for its services. The traditional way to pay mercenaries costs thousands of dollars per mercenary per month. Some countries, like the Central African Republic, offered Wagner access to resources such as gold and diamonds. 

Engagement with Wagner also comes with a constellation of other companies linked to the same group of Oligarchs, most notably Putin associate Yevgeny Prigozhin. The oligarch’s companies range from security, such as Wagner and Sewa Security Services, to mining and resource extraction, such as M-Invest. Wagner protects resource extraction sites, such as in Sudan, and secures mines to bring Russian mining interests or extort the miners and seize the resources. There are also media and disinformation efforts, such as Prigozhin’s infamous “troll farm.” Wagner produced a trilogy of films about itself, the first of which Touriste was shot in the Central African Republic and screened to the Central African audiences in the capital city, Bangui.  

Once Wagner is in the country, the results on the ground are more mixed than the sales pitch. They can be effective in a conventional fight against lightly amred rebel groups, as demonstrated by their counteroffensive in the Central African Republic, but they struggle to win counterinsurgencies. In Mozambique, Wagner took severe losses against Islamist militants in Cabo Delgado, and their relations with the Mozambican government deteriorated to the point of ending the mission. 

In terms of public relations and international image, employing Wagner undermines goodwill towards African leaders. Wagner is almost always too heavy-handed in its operations, leading to systematic abuses against civilians in pursuit of rebels. Worse still, they encourage the local security forces they accompany to do the same. U.N. reports from the Central African Republic found that Wagner and the Central African Armed Forces (FACA) were responsible for nearly half of all confirmed instances of abuse. 

Wagner and Russia use the international isolation of their host states to increase their influence. The President of the Central African Republic has a Russian national security advisor, mandated teaching Russian in schools, and now seeks to make Russian an official language, along with a raft of changes allowing him to run for a third term. More importantly, CAR appears no closer to peace as fighting continues, and Wagner-led FACA forces create more grievances for people in central and eastern CAR than they solve. Wagner’s ability to personally protect the President means that his fortunes can rise even if his country falls. Russia supported anti-French protests and fund some civil society figures, accompanied by legitimate anger at France for its decades of paternalistic policies in Africa, ensure that there will be some level of support in Capital cities independent of the performance of presidents and juntas as heads of state. 

Wagner in Mali, The Newest Mission

Mali, Wagner’s newest mission in Africa, follows the same playbook as the Central African Republic. Mali’s years-long conflict against rebels and Al-Qaeda and ISIS-affiliated extremist groups led to French intervention, an E.U. training mission and task force, and one of the U.N.’s largest current peacekeeping missions. After a series of coups in 2020 and 2021, the governing junta decided to close the airspace over Mali and expel the French mission. In September 2021, press reports revealed that the committee was negotiating with Russia to send Wagner forces to help fight extremists.

Wagner and Russia played on the Malian government’s dissatisfaction with France’s inability to restore order and the post-coup junta’s poor relationship with the international community to push anti-French propaganda and promise results in exchange for monthly payments and access to resources in the Southwest of the country. Like CAR, the mission has grown in scope, pushed the junta away from its traditional security partners, and now wields significant influence. 

Wagner has already engaged in severe human rights abuses in Mali. U.N. reports note a 300% increase in civilian deaths compared to prior years, a disproportionate number committed by security forces. The numbers are likely higher since Wagner, and the Malian government refuses to cooperate with U.N. investigations. The prime example is the town of Moura, where the Wagner and the Malian Armed Forces (FAMA) likely killed 300-600 people while “liberating” it from extremists. According to eyewitness accounts, Wagner and FAMA detained, interrogated, and executed most men in the town, regardless of affiliation with extremists. Malian authorities refused to allow the U.N. to investigate with support from Russia in the U.N. Security Council. They even detained investigators when they approached the town.

The E.U.’s Plan to Counter Wagner

Several countries are looking for ways to contain and degrade Wagner’s operations in Africa. The U.S. Department of Treasury and its European counterparts have Prighozhin and other associates under sanctions. In addition, Wagner will likely feature prominently in the Countering Malign Russian Activities Act, which passed the House of Representatives and awaits approval. The U.K. Foreign Affairs Committee has also launched an investigation into Russian mercenaries. 

While most anti-Wagner efforts are nascent at the national level, a recently leaked E.U. report from the European External Action Service (EEAS) proposes taking ambitious steps to contain Russian mercenaries. According to the EEAS, Wagner’s activities in Mali forced the E.U. to suspend its training mission, leading to the erosion of democratic principles and worse humanitarian outcomes. The EEAS wants to launch three missions in West Africa and the Gulf of Guinea that go beyond the typical E.U. training mission. These missions would be trained, equipped, accompanied, and virtually guaranteed that E.U. soldiers would enter combat. 

Without overwhelming support from its member states, the E.U.’s plan is dead on arrival. Brussels is betting that improving its reliability as a security partner and making some efforts to counter Russian disinformation will prevent other West African nations, particularly Burkina Faso and Niger, who face the same security environment as Mali and are reportedly next on the Wagner hit list. However, the obstacles to implementing the plan are likely insurmountable for the E.U. in the near term. 

For all the talk of launching a broad effort across West Africa, doing so actually requires the countries in West Africa to be on board. Niger and Burkina Faso requested E.U. support, but only for logistical support. While they may be interested in an E.U. training, equipping, and accompanying the mission, overstepping their request dramatically might undermine public confidence in their governance and appear to have less sovereignty over their affairs. 

It is also unclear if there is sufficient appetite for the E.U. member states to contribute troops for three additional missions with a more aggressive mandate. In terms of deployments, smaller countries might be squeamish about large implementations. The E.U. might be worried that deploying former colonial powers like France would make the missions susceptible to the same kind of Russian propaganda they seek to counter. Most democracies are casualty-averse, meaning that any significant reversal could compromise participation. Lastly, with Europe’s newfound concern for Russia comes a desire to keep within their borders or contribute to NATO’s frontier with Russia. 

It’s always possible that the E.U. and other efforts contain the group, but generally, Wagner is defeated by its host government. For example, the Mozambican government ended Wagner’s mission following its poor performance, not an E.U. mission in a neighboring country. Moreover, detaching Wagner will be tough without sustained diplomatic and political pressure for those increasingly relying on Wagner to prop up the regime and personalize control over the state, such as CAR and Mali. 

This is a user-submitted piece by Marcel Plichta. Marcel Plichta is a Ph.D. Candidate in International Relations at the University of St Andrews and a former intelligence analyst for the U.S. Department of Defense. He has written on African security issues for Newsweek, Defense One, and World Politics Review. All views are his own.

Want your analysis published here in SOFREP? Send your pitch to our editorial team at [email protected].

SOCOM Taps the Sig Sauer MCX Rattler as Its Personal Defense Weapon of Choice

Small but Mighty

US Special Operations Command (SOCOM), on May 19th, issued a notice of intent to buy an undisclosed quantity of  Sig Sauer’s MCX short-barreled rifles as personal defense weapons (PDW) under a five-year sole source contract. As a result, special Operations Forces (SOF) will finally be receiving a much-requested ultra-compact PDW to help blast their way out of tight places. Known as the “Rattler,” this Sig will be chambered in .300 blackout and standard 5.56X45mm ammunition.

The Sig MCX Rattler is destined to be an operator’s new best friend. Image Credit: Sig Sauer

The official US Government notice of intent reads, in part:

“The Government hereby submits a notice of intent to award the Commercial Personal Defense Weapon (PDW) contract to Sig Sauer. This IDIQ (Indefinite Delivery, Indefinite Quantity contract) will provide complete PDW weapons (Sig Rattlers – 5.56mm and .300 Blackout caliber) that includes suppressors (SL series), cleaning kits, magazines, quick barrel change kits and force on force training kits. Furthermore, parts, sustainment, and New Equipment Training will also be part of this IDIQ. The PDW system will allow Operators to have maximum firepower in a concealable weapon.”

A Long Time Coming

SOCOM had explicitly requested a weapon chambered in .300 blackout as it delivers more stopping power when launched from a short-barreled rifle (the Rattler has a 5.5-inch barrel) and boasts improved performance over 9mm offerings in the subsonic velocity band. If an operator decides to fire 5.56 NATO rounds instead, the switch is simple.   All one has to do is change the barrel. As you’ll note above, quick change barrel kits are included.

The cartridge base is identical on both rounds fired by the MCX, so the bolt and bolt carrier are unchanged. For this same reason, magazines are interchangeable as well.

Here, the factory experts tell you all about this compact yet powerful firearm. Video courtesy of YouTube and Sig Sauer.

In both configurations of the Rattler, the barrel is married to a familiar AR-15 style lower receiver. With the folding aluminum stock fully extended, the total length of the .300 Blackout version is 23.5 inches, a half an inch longer than the configuration chambered in 5.56mm. Both versions weigh roughly six pounds. Both feature Sig’s M-LOK free-floating handguard topped with a Picatinny accessory rail and ambidextrous charging handle. Operators will be provided with Sig Sauer’s SL series suppressors, which add an additional 8.8 inches to the length of the weapon when attached.

The Rattler should require less maintenance in the field when compared to other AR-15/M16 platforms. It utilizes a physical gas piston to cycle the action rather than a direct impingement system that would blow propellant gas directly into the weapon’s inner workings.

The Sig Sauer ROMEO4T red-dot and Sig JULIET magnifier have proved to be ideal companions for the MCX Rattler.

 

SOCOM began looking for a new PDW in 2017, at first thinking they might be able to have one built around the M4 carbine’s receiver. But the Sig MCX was already in production, so they acquired ten of them in 2018 for testing purposes. Their stated goal in that search was to “find a new PDW with a highly concealable .300 Blackout upper receiver group (URG) and buttstock kit solution for the M4A1 platform.”

As it turned out, the Rattler worked out nicely to meet SOCOM’s intent for the new PDW. If you want to buy one of these bad boys for yourself, they can currently be purchased online for about $2,299. I just found a new item for the top of my Christmas list.

Ukraine SITREP for April 3rd (Graphic Content)

SOFREP is on Telegram, joining the ‘Information Terrorists’ plaguing Russia

Given the news blackout in Russia on anything critical of the Putin regime and the difficulty in getting news into that country that doesn’t pass through the filters of state-controlled media like Sputnik, Russia Today(RT), and Pradva.

Putin slammed a law that makes it a crime to spread false information or fake news about Russia’s armed forces or, to report anything that denigrates Russian soldiers in any way. The law also punishes statements perceived to promote restrictions that harm the country, like the commentary on the sanctions. And there are serious penalties, not only in fines but up to 15 years in jail.

Russia has throttled social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter for not censoring content that was critical of Russia and its invasion of Ukraine, while in Ukraine itself, the Telegram messaging app is widely used to share and pass information about the war there.

If you don’t know, Telegram is a popular messaging app in Eastern Europe begun by two Russian brothers named Pavel and Nikolai Durov(Yeah, we had suspicions about that too).  They had founded the messaging app “VK” previously but had to abandon it under pressure from Putin to share information with the government on users and messages.  Russia wanted a back door into VK to surveil its users.  The brothers refused and sold off their stake in the company and chose exile over compliance in 2014.  Telegram was originally headquartered in Berlin with distributed servers to handle its cloud-based traffic, but problems with getting residency papers for the core team required another move to register the company in the British Virgin Island and Dubai. The brothers are now said to live pretty much on the run, moving from country to country with a core team of 15-20 people.

Our hope and intention with this channel are to be able to get our information into Russia and Ukraine.  If you have a Telegram account yourself, follow us at @sofrepnews and spread the word.

Are The Russians Withdrawing or Retreating?

Some of both we think. The Russian army has suffered serious combat losses among its fighting units, to these may be added casualties from the cold weather and other medical casualties from their dire supply situation, poor sanitation in the field, desertion, and surrenders to the Ukrainian forces.  There are also other causes. In Kharkiv, the civilians gave Russian troops of the 3rd Motor Rifle Division cakes laced with poison.  Two were reportedly killed with 28 hospitalized.  In the 3rd MRD, as many as 500 troops may be in the hospital from alcohol poisoning. If Ukrainian civilians put rubbing alcohol into vodka bottles and left them lying around for Russian troops to find, that would do the trick as Isopropanol is pretty toxic when consumed.  It’s the leading cause of accidental poisonings in the US.

The Russian will not report these casualties as combat losses.

Ukraine’s offensive advances lead to Russian forces dug in around Kyviv being encircled on three sides short on supplies and short of men.  They either had to be withdrawn before the Ukrainian army closed the encirclement and wiped them out or forced their surrender.  According to Ukraine’s Defence Intelligence Agency, these are the Russian losses so far,

Personnel, killed, captured, and wounded ‒ about 18000 people,
tanks ‒ 644
combat armored machines/APV ‒ 1830
artillery systems/artillery systems ‒ 325
Multiple Launch Rocket Systems ‒ 105
Anti-aircraft warfare systems ‒ 54
Planes/aircraft ‒ 143
Helicopters ‒ 134
Cars/vehicles ‒ 1249
ships/boats/ cutters ‒ 7
fuel trucks ‒ 76
UAV operational-tactical level ‒ 89
mobile ballistic missile launcher systems ‒ 4

People may quibble about the accuracy of these numbers, but the fact that the Russians are unable to advance and are withdrawing would suggest they can’t be too far off.

Russia is withdrawing some of these units because their losses make their combat ineffective. The armored units Russia employed in this campaign are equipment heavy and light on personnel.  Tank and APC crews take time to train and replace.  We also know that Russia’s main tank manufacturing facility is all but closed due to supply chain problems.  That will make it hard for Russia to replace its losses with new gear and they will have to repair broken tanks and APCs in their depots and send them to these units.  The units mauled in the last five weeks of fighting are pretty beat up and will need rest and refitting.  Their morale is also shot.  It’s not as easy as just feeding new troops and equipment into these units and sending them back into the fight.  Their low morale and state of health will negatively affect the replacements as well.  What Russia ought to do, is replace these mangled formations with new units drawn from other districts.  Given the absurdly bad moves, Putin and his army have made so far, they may do the exact wrong thing again and feed fresh troops into these degraded and demoralized formations and send them back into the fight. The results will not be any better.

That fight will not likely involve trying to get back to Kyiv and subdue the entire country.  As they have stated, the Russian effort has contracted and will be directed towards consolidating their gains in Donbas and creating a land bridge via Mariupol to their occupation in Crimea.

Russia will probably play for time with the negotiations to give itself time to reorganize its forces and align them for new attacks on Crimea, Donbas, and Luhansk.

Russian speaking Ukrainian separatists wearing the red and orange armband of pro-Russian militias in Kharkiv in Donbas

Ukraine will Investigate Accusations of War Crimes Against Russian POWs.

A video widely circulated on social media purports to show Ukrainian Army troops shooting Russian POWs in the legs after their capture near Kharkiv.  An advisor to President Zelensky released a video calling for all members of the Ukrainian armed forces to adhere to the rules of armed conflict when it came to the treatment of prisoners.  In an interview with Brett Bair at Fox News, President Zelensky confirmed that the perpetrators were members of the Azov Battalion(Now a Regiment) which are neo-Nazis.  He also confirmed that they are under the authority of the Ukraine government since the war began within the National Guard but are not a “regular army” as we would say in the US.  Looking at the video it is apparent by their miss-matched gear that the Ukrainians are not regular members of the armed forces while one of the prisoners is a civilian dressed in black and wearing a red and orange armband. He is not a Russian soldier but a member of a pro-Russia Ukrainian militia group made up of Russian-speaking Ukrainians. Pro-Russian Ukrainians wear the red and orange St. George’s ribbon as s symbol of past Russian imperial power and to recall the glory of the era of the old Soviet Union.

screen capture of a video purporting to show Ukrainian soldiers shooting Russian army prisoners.

It is important to understand that Ukraine is fighting two wars right now, one against an external invasion by Russia and a civil war between Ukrainians in Donbas, Luhansk, and Crimea.  Central to the fight in Donbas is the so-called Azov Battalion which is widely painted as neo-Nazis. The Russians have used this group as the pretext for invading Ukraine, believing that the Azov Battalion exists everywhere in Ukraine.

The Azov Battalion sprung up in 2014 after Russian-backed separatists began grabbing a large part of Ukrainian territory in Donbas with little resistance from a wholly inadequate Ukrainian army.  Initially comprise of rabid and violent fans of soccer clubs.  The militia itself was begun by Andriy Biletsky, an ultra-nationalist political figure who believed in racial purity for Ukraine and led the openly neo-Nazi Social-National Assembly (SNA).  Biletsky himself says that the neo-Nazi label is incorrect.  Their core beliefs centered on Racism, Socialism, and Great Power.  His group does not adhere to the Nationalist Socialism of the German Nazis but favors 3rd Way Socialism instead and claims that it is more Nationalist than the Nazis and less Socialist.  In the fashion of modern European politics which has nothing on the Right like the limited government, and maximum individual liberty of the American Conservative movement, the Authoritarian Nationalist Socialists of the Azov movement are called “right-wing” while the Authoritarian Communists are called “left-wing.”  Complicating the labeling of the Azov Battalion as “Nazi” a significant amount of their private funding in arms and equipment came from wealthy Jewish oligarchs in Ukraine.

All that said, the Azov are a pretty brutal bunch and we think that is who is responsible for the mistreatment of these Russian soldiers and the pro-Russian Ukrainian seen in the video, and not troops of the regular Ukrainian army.  That is not to say that Ukraine’s army hasn’t skirted the edge of mistreatment of POWs while still claiming to adhere to international laws on their treatment.  There are numerous videos of Russian prisoners being videoed calling their families saying they had been captured and were unaware they were going to Ukraine.  It’s against the rules to use prisoners for things like this.

On March 2, the Facebook page of Ukraine’s Special Forces posted a chilling message to Russian troops that read,“The SOF Brotherhood sends greetings to Russian artillerymen! You made it: after you shelled our peaceful cities, our relatives, and children most brutally – you worms have become our primary target (…).

From now on, there will be no more captive Russian artillerymen. No mercy, no “please don’t kill me, I surrender” will fly. You shall all be slaughtered like pigs no matter the position: commander, driver, the one aiming the gun. “

While this may be a PSYOP meant to intimidate Russian troops, threats like these will not sit well with US military advisors assigned to Ukraine’s military.   US support is not unconditional and widespread abuse of Russian POWs by Ukraine would be a deal-breaker for the US and NATO in terms of aid and assistance.  Zelensky needs to put the breaks on this stuff ASAP or he puts the support of the West at risk.

Photo: pivnichniy.kordon / Facebook

Ukraine Border Guards Turn Back Trans-women at the Border, ‘You are a man, go to the war.’

There are reliable reports that Ukrainian trans-women are presenting themselves at the border to enter Poland, Hungary, and Romania and are being turned back and told they are men and therefore obligated to serve in the army in the fight against Russia. When the invasion of his country began, President Zelensky declared martial law and a general mobilization order binding on all males between the ages of 18 and 60.

While Ukraine does not have a state religion as a matter of law, its de facto religion is Ukrainian Orthodox which separated itself from the Russian Orthodox church which continues to claim jurisdiction over it.  These claims of jurisdiction have also been supported by the Russian government as well.

As Ukraine is a deeply religious country it does not hand out gender reassignments that change people’s names and genders like candy.  a person seeking a legal reassignment of their gender from male to female, or vice versa has to go through a lengthy process first. Before 2017, trans people underwent a period of supervision in a mental institution before they could begin transitioning. While that requirement has been discontinued people seeking gender reassignment still undergo an outpatient psychiatric examination before approval and they must undergo “irreversible medical intervention” as well. Those in the midst of this process don’t have the documentation that says they are officially female and are being turned back at the border and told to join the army and fight.

Claims of Russian Atrocities Against Civilians

As Russian forces withdraw and Ukrainian forces advance, there are increasing reports that are finding evidence of atrocities committed against civilians. We have sources in Ukraine sending us pictures like the above and what follows below.  The individuals above appear to be all-male, none of them are in military uniforms.  The picture was not taken on an apparent battlefield, nor are there any signs they were killed by a bomb, rocket, or artillery shell. At least three are stripped to the waist despite the cold. One has his hands bound behind him with white tape. We think there are at least 9 bodies present. We see no signs that it was staged or photoshopped. They appear to have been executed. We are told these bodies were found in Bucha which is just northwest of Kyiv by advancing Ukrainian forces after Russian troops pulled out.

On March 23 Olga Sukhenko, the mayor of the village of Motyzhin 10 miles west of Kyiv went missing with her husband and son. Ukrainian forces are claiming their bodies were found in a shallow grave, with her husband’s body thrown down a storm drain. All were said to have signs of being tortured before their deaths. The body of the person wearing blue jeans has his hands tied behind his back. The man in the storm drain has something tightly tied around his neck.

The Al-Qurayshi Raid In Syria, What We Know So Far

The planning for this raid would have begun months ago, most likely involving signal intelligence, a fancy word for tracking the target’s use of cell phones by him or known associates.  From there the noose would tighten in terms of his exact location.  Once that was worked out to a reasonable approximation, assets on the ground would then do the leg work of surveilling the location to assure the target was present there.

The intelligence gathered would include knowing how many persons lived there, their comings and goings and who visited the compound and where they went afterward.   Photos and video from every angle would be taken and operatives would even go as far as walking past the building or attempting some ruse to gain entry to determine the layout, like a city worker checking for a gas leak or other inspection of some kind.

ISIS leaders know the U.S. is looking for them so they go to great lengths to keep their locations concealed, like bin Laden did, they often take up residence in plain sight hoping to blend in with the local population.  Theirs is an existence not unlike being in a prison of their own making, living in near-complete isolation from the outside world.  Al-Qurayshi was said to never leave the inside of his residence on the third floor except to bathe.

From there, a model would be built of the compound including the surrounding buildings in several scales to plan the method of approach and assault.  A realistic mockup in full size would also be made to allow the operators to practice assaulting the building over and over until they know its layout is cold.

Current reports state the attack began at approximately 0100hrs with the arrival of some 50 helicopters(We don’t believe this number is accurate at all, there aren’t that many in the theater) from a base said to be in the region.  Since the location of the village is only about 20 minutes from the border with Turkey and the administration stated that it deconflicted with several nations before the raid we imagine the raid may have begun from Turkey, or U.S. forces egressed to Turkey after the raid or perhaps both.

Before the raid witnesses claim to have heard a loudspeaker telling inhabitants of the target house to evacuate any women or children and surrender.  Witnesses stated that a family exited from the ground floor. Upon landing the raiding force engaged in what was said to be an hours-long gun battle with those inside the second and third stories and with members of a militant group that heard the battle and tried to intervene in some manner with two of them being killed.

The DoD claims that during the fight, Al-Qurayshi detonated an explosive vest or belt inside the third story killing himself and his wife and two children. Photos taken by a photographer for Getty of the building itself seem to support these claims as the debris is blown outward, the lower floors are not collapsed and there is an apparent lack of fire damage that would accompany a strike by a missile or bomb from an aircraft.

(Photo by Izzeddin Kasim/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)

During the raid, one of the helicopters suffered a mechanical malfunction and was diverted to a landing area safely. It was destroyed on the ground by the raiding force.  Pictures of the destroyed aircraft identify it as a UH-60 Blackhawk in common use and not the kind of special helicopter used in the Bin Laden raid in Pakistan.

Generally, raids like these do not last two to three hours, but the downed helicopter would have added to this time.

About 150 yards from the main house was a garage building that was hosed down with a heavy weapon of 30mm caliber by our estimation.  This suggests the presence of at least one Apache attack helicopter.  This building may have contained vehicles that the targets might have used to escape in. They appear to have entered the aluminum rolling doors of the building at a flat angle which points away from them being fired by an Ac-130H gunship orbiting over the raiding force.

 

We looked at Flight Tracker and found what appears to be the air support for the raid. We believe the tracks show a least one drone in orbit over the area and perhaps four F-16s flying close air support for the mission.  They are stacked between 20,000 and 22,000 feet.

Speculation abounds over which Special Operations Unit conducted the raid or whether it was done by an elite unit belonging to a foreign country like Iraq’s CTF or the Jordanians.  We believe that if any coalition forces had been part of the raid President Biden would have given them due credit in his announcement.  SEAL Team Six is unlikely because they generally operated in Afghanistan while CAG or Delta Force has Syria as their bowl of falafel when it comes to special operations directed at high-value targets. Given the location of the raid and a few other markers, we estimate that CAG or Delta Force conducted this very successful raid.

The fact that this raid occurred in a country wracked by civil war with various Islamist militant groups all vying for control and the urban environment that the raid took place in, killing the target without any fatalities reflects very highly on the people who planned and executed the mission.

Well done.

Gary Beikirch, Green Beret, Medal of Honor, Dies of Cancer at 74 

Green Beret and Medal of Honor recipient Gary Beikirch has died. He was 74 years old.

His daughter Stephanie announced Beikirch died shortly after 3 p.m. Sunday following a long battle with pancreatic cancer.

The Special Operations community has lost two of its heroes over the Christmas weekend. SEAL Team Six’s first commander Richard ‘Dick’ Marcinko, passed away on Christmas evening at 81.

The National Medal of Honor Museum released a statement on Beikirch’s passing.

“Gary was a true American hero. He displayed extraordinary courage on the battlefields of Vietnam and dedicated his life to encouraging and inspiring generations of Americans. As a counselor and man of deep faith, Gary touched and changed thousands of lives. The impact of his uplifting influence will be felt for years to come as his goodness lives on in those who know him. We offer our deepest sympathies to his family as they, together with America and the Medal of Honor community, grieve an amazing man.”

Beikirch with President Nixon and his mom at the MOH ceremony. US Army photo

On April 1, 1970, Beikirch showed incredible bravery during an attack on his Dak Seang A-Camp. He was exposing himself repeatedly to enemy fire to treat wounded comrades, despite his own serious wounds that President Nixon eventually awarded him the Medal of Honor. But his wartime service would haunt him upon returning home to the United States.

Beikirch was born on August 29, 1947, in Rochester, New York. After successfully completing two years of college, he withdrew from school to enlist in the Army to become a Special Forces trooper and go to Vietnam.

In August of 1967, he attended and successfully completed Basic and Advanced Infantry Training at Ft. Dix, NJ. That was followed by the Airborne Course at Ft. Benning, Ga. Beikirch then attended the Special Forces Qualification Course at Ft. Bragg, NC. After that, he completed the Special Forces Medical Sergeant Course and was shipped to Vietnam.

Beikirch deployed to Kontum Province, Vietnam, in July 1969. During his deployment, he was the medic for Detachment B-24 of the 5th Special Forces Group, assigned to the remote Montagnard village of Dak Seang in the central highlands of Vietnam. The camp was very remote, about 3 miles from the Laos border.

Beikirch, in an interview later, said that due to his affinity to the Montagnard people, he “went native,” living with the mountain people, and went days at a time without speaking any English. The SF A-Team with 12 men had about 500 Montagnard “strikers” who the Green Berets trained. The remainder of about 2300 personnel in the camp were civilians, mostly families of the men who were being trained and led by the Americans.

It was a strategy that worked well for the Americans Special Forces A-Teams. The Montagnard strikers fought much harder when their families were inside the isolated A-camps.

Beikirch in an official Army portrait. US Army photo

On April 1, 1970, three regiments of North Vietnamese troops numbering 10,000 began shelling Camp Dak Seang, intent on taking the camp. The North Vietnamese artillery pounded the camp, and Beikirch was wounded when shrapnel from a 122 mm rocket bruised his spinal column, he could not stand or walk.

The NVA artillery rounds hitting the camp had caused several casualties among the camp’s defenders. Unable to move on his own, Beikirch had his two Montagnard medical assistants carry him around the camp under heavy, intense fire to treat the wounded American and Vietnamese defenders.

Beikirch, with complete disregard for his own safety, moved out into the open while everyone else around him was ducking and hiding from the artillery. The “Bac-Si,” or doc as the tribesman called him, went down to the aid station where he assisted the other American medic until he collapsed.

Coming to, he urged the medic to help him up, where his Montagnard medics carried him from place to place in the compound. He then would help them get to the aid station. His love for and loyalty to his Montagnard partners was reciprocated. One of his tribesmen medics,  Dao, covered Beikirch with his own body at one point during the shelling getting killed in the process. He was just 15 years old.

Beikirch again refused treatment and continued searching for other casualties until he collapsed again. He said the last thing he remembered was the sight of a helicopter coming in. “And then I remember these hands, picking me up and throwing me into the chopper,” he said. The medics onboard the helicopter immediately stuck IVs in Beikirch, telling him he would be okay.

He was taken to Pleiku, then to Japan, and then finally to the Valley Forge Medical Center, where he remained for six months, recovering from his injuries. He exited the army and went back to college, majoring in pre-med after his experience, but the country wasn’t a great place for Vietnam veterans, especially the college campuses.

Spat on and called a baby killer, Beikirch had enough. He took off for the White Mountains in New Hampshire. His hair grew long, halfway down his back. He was living in a cave on Mount Washington as a hermit when he came down into town for supplies. He was told to wait for a call that evening.

“Is this Gary Beikirch who served with the 5th Special Forces in Vietnam?” the person asked. When Beikirch said that it was, he was told that he was being awarded the Medal of Honor. “It was things I was trying to forget,” he said. “It all came back.”

For his gallantry during the battle of Dak Seang, President Nixon awarded Sgt. Beikirch the Medal of Honor in 1973. He didn’t go out to celebrate that night. He stayed in his hotel room. The feelings of unworthiness and the horror of war flooded back to him. For many years, Beikirch didn’t participate in many of the other events that veterans and other Medal of Honor recipients participated in.

Beikirch in later years conducting an interview with the American Legion. YouTube photo

But as time passed, he became more at peace with it and frequently said that the Medal isn’t about him or anything that he did but represents men and women who value something so strongly that they are willing to die for it and be willing to defend our country for it. He became a counselor and helped thousands of others in his later life. 

It is, he said, a valuing of something greater than self.

Beikirch’s other awards and decorations include the Distinguished Service Cross, Silver Star Medal; Bronze Star Medal; Purple Heart Medal with one oak leaf cluster; Good Conduct Medal; National Defense Service Medal; Vietnam Service Medal; Vietnam Campaign Medal; Vietnamese Cross of Gallantry with silver star; Combat Medic Badge; Parachutist Badge; and Vietnamese jump wings.

Medal of Honor Citation:

For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity in action at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty, Sgt. Beikirch, medical aidman, Detachment B-24, Company B, distinguished himself during the defense of Camp Dak Seang.

The allied defenders suffered a number of casualties as a result of an intense, devastating attack launched by the enemy from well-concealed positions surrounding the camp. Sgt. Beikirch, with complete disregard for his personal safety, moved unhesitatingly through the withering enemy fire to his fallen comrades, applied first aid to their wounds, and assisted them to the medical aid station.

When informed that a seriously injured American officer was lying in an exposed position, Sgt. Beikirch ran immediately through the hail of fire. Although he was wounded seriously by fragments from an exploding enemy mortar shell, Sgt. Beikirch carried the officer to a medical aid station. Ignoring his own serious injuries, Sgt. Beikirch left the relative safety of the medical bunker to search for and evacuate other men who had been injured. He was again wounded as he dragged a critically injured Vietnamese soldier to the medical bunker while simultaneously applying mouth-to-mouth resuscitation to sustain his life.

Sgt. Beikirch again refused treatment and continued his search for other casualties until he collapsed. Only then did he permit himself to be treated. Sgt. Beikirch’s complete devotion to the welfare of his comrades, at the risk of his life, is in keeping with the highest traditions of the military service and reflects great credit on him, his unit, and the US Army.

Beikirch’s interview with the Medal of Honor Society can be seen here:

South African Special Forces (Recce) Selection

The South African Reconnaissance Regiments are one of the lesser-known or understood groups of soldiers in the world today. They have been through many phases and missions under the command of very different governments, especially in the last quarter-century. Today’s ‘Recce’ is often attached to missions of the United Nations for peacekeeping missions in various parts of Africa. The old SADF (South African Defense Force) was primarily a highly specialized unit born in the midst of a growing fire of communist insurgencies across the continent.

Similar to the big Army mindset of the United States that was against any type of Special Forces, South Africa did not see the need for anything beyond the vaunted airborne forces known as the Parabats. A few visionary soldiers saw the need for highly specialized and mobile forces, able to perform deep recon and direct action behind enemy lines. In 1967, Jan Breytenbrach, a highly innovative officer in the Parachute Battalions secured permission to take 12 of his men to Rhodesia and undergo SAS selection in an attempt to bring that training back and multiply it and eventually form up a successful Counterinsurgency (COIN) unit of its own.

Many growing armies in war and peace seek knowledge from other countries who have experience in the areas they want to strategically employ. Breytenbach and all of his men were ground down with intention but passed Rhodesian SAS selection in good shape. This nucleus would be the beginning of a unit that would be permanent and legendary.

The initial training of a special operations soldier is generally referred to as Selection. There are other terms such as Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL (BUD/S) but Selection is a word that holds significance. The magnitude of what men go through to make it into a unit is intended as a mutual selection. The instructors get a chance to determine the suitability of a candidate through whatever means they can devise but equally important is the soldier’s chance to select whether he truly wants to follow through and be standing at the end.

Each unit has its own tried and true methods to strip everything away down to raw and bloody will and each soldier must find a way, inside, to not only stay in the game but to find a way to perform up to standards.

Recce operators before conducting a cross-border operation during the South African Border War.

The Recces went through their own learning curve to find the best men. In the beginning, a traditional SAS-style course was undertaken. Half of the cruel and unusual punishment came from the landscape and wildlife of Africa itself. The heat, terrain, and ability to endure it would ensure Darwins ‘Survival of the Fittest’ had some say so in the Recces.

Once the unit became official in the mid-1970s the recruiting and training classes commenced, the cadre often found themselves searching far and wide for candidates. With the rigorous process of applying, showing physical fitness, and a suitability interview with a psychiatrist much was invested in prospects before they showed up for Selection.

A series of events in 1975 proved that the ‘head shrinks’ would be an invaluable tool and that the evolution onto a plain of pain and endurance was indeed a large part mental.

One class began with 14 candidates. Only one of them graduated. He was on the course alone for a great part of it. General Fritz Loots, who had become the General for Special Forces command and development with Breytenbach was quite distressed. Missions for the Recces were available and a lack of manpower was holding the entire concept hostage.

The course officer had also reported that a further eight of them had the potential to become operators. Both Loots and Breytenbach decided that until further notice, no one would leave the course without permission. They reasoned that duty with the Recces was chosen and like any other unit, it was their duty to stay on regardless.

Another class of 28 formed up and within a week fourteen men had thrown in the towel. Angered by this, the 14 were ordered back to Selection and several of them continued on to graduation and proved to be useful and capable Recces.

Two psychiatrists were put on duty to be available to help the men on Selection. The idea of seeing a ‘headshrinker’ being for the weak-minded was slowly dispelled and accepted by the majority of the cadre.

Although eventually men would be allowed to drop or ‘throw in the towel,’ the importance of a strong psychological workup before and during Selection greatly improved their success rate. They also improved the entire pre-selection work up to determine the likely success of volunteers. Sports science was coming into its own and was advantaged by doctors to find out if the cardiovascular system was capable of enduring training. Joint flexibility, wear and tear on knees, hips and lower back was profiled with X-rays and load tests to weed out those who were unable to carry up to 120 pounds on their back.

The old school method of finding bodies and letting them sink or swim was not proving useful and amounted to a waste of time and money to a fledgling organization. In essence, men who showed up had nothing standing between them and success except the unforeseen injury.

The cadre learned as well. Simple mistreatment and discouraging an individual did not gain positive results. Pushing a man to his limits and instilling desire while holding to the rigorous standards gave the best results.

However, these changes did not lessen the difficult nature of the course. Recce Selection proved to be one of the most difficult in the world. As with any mission, the terrain dictates the type of training needed. Operating in the subtropic heat and arid environment proved to be the downfall of many men.

Some people simply could not acclimatize to the heavy workload in the heat. Endless marching through rough terrain with packs, rationed food, and water day after day was simply too much for many men.

Being able to map read and keep yourself and your team on a ruler’s edge to an objective was fundamental. Doing so after a 24-hour march shouldering an 80-pound ruck with blood pouring out of your boots from raw skin and limited food and water became exceedingly difficult.

A man’s temperament was constantly under surveillance, especially at these key times. A cool head in the midst of extreme physical discomfort was paramount. A man who would lose his head with another candidate or God forbid an instructor could lead to a swift ticket home. The Recces needed the type of mentality that could ruck 150 klicks, recon a target, and hoof it back on foot with the enemy in pursuit, being out of food and searching for water.

The wildlife of Africa was a built-in part of the course that could not be avoided and would always be present in combat operations. A notorious exercise to quell the natural fear of predators including the crocodile is presented in Harry McCallion’s book “Killing Zone.” McCallion had served in the British Paras and sought adventure in South Africa. Upon arrival, he was offered a slot to try out for the Recces. He was accustomed to the extreme physical fitness required and endless marching but one exercise nearly caused him to leave straight away.

The class was conducting evolutions near a lake. The men were brought up to see the crocodiles that slithered up and down its banks and into the water. Later into the night after endless log and rifle PT and hard running they ended back up at the lake. They were instructed to dress down to their skivvies and swim across a croc-infested lake. There was a lot of protesting, and especially from McCallion.

Why in the world would he risk his life during Selection? A rope was there to help you get across. Twenty men refused to swim the 100 yards and disqualified themselves. McCallion decided that he had some and pass the course, alive or dead, and went for it. He lived as did the others.

Later a course instructor came to him and told him the reason for the evolution. A similar situation had occurred recently on a hot extraction after contact. Several chanced it and made it but two men refused. A scout happened to have found a narrow place farther upriver. The whole team’s life was in jeopardy due to fear. They didn’t want mindless men. They wanted men who could face their fear in the direst of circumstances, overcome them and continue the mission.

Almost all selection courses have their version of Hell Week. After my personal interviews with two Recces one thing stood out that the South Africans required of the men during the most mentally and physically grueling part of the Selection course to determine if they had the fortitude to become Recces. The intentional lack of food for 5-6 days. Whereas in BUD/S they are fed up to 6000 calories/day, potential Recces had a handful of rice here, a fruit there. In fact, one of the Recces I interviewed said that was the hardest part and probably the thing that messed with their will to finish the most.

When the body is beyond empty and at a physical low, the South Africans believed they could find a man’s deepest desire. Taking one of the most powerful needs that humans have and depriving them of it while continuing the demands of endless marches and PT could reveal the men who could stick around and endure the missions required by these Soldiers.

All of the bushcraft, tracking, counter tracking, minor tactics, assaulting tactics, reconnaissance fieldcraft could only be given to the men who were physically, mentally, and morally able to undergo the fear, deprivation, and punishment that is Selection for the Reconnaissance Commandos.

Below you will find a Recce candidate’s notes during the equivalent of Hell Week. It contains many gems and insights. The translation belongs to Willem Ratte, one of the most experienced small unit reconnaissance operators in the world (thank you, Mr. Ratte).

  • Wednesday (4.5.75): We got wet in the rain that night and it was bloody cold.
  • Thursday (6.5.75): Start 6 am with PT running through water and over sand dunes With a full sandbag. Lectures. Went to Sibaya lake where we had to swim. Nearly saw my ass. At 6pm we started our z (bedford) BD with ropes too sore. Waiting now for the next trick.
  • Friday (7.5.75): The next trick was to walk to Sibaya lake with full sandbag 16km. This morning we had to double 16 km back to camp. Then we had to run with kit on the beach and the crawl through the surf. Midday we had a compass lecture, practical. We walk up to our hips in a huge swamp. Then shooting practice. 8pm we start to walk, until 2am, approx 20km.
  • Saturday (8.5.75): the night was heavy & cold. 6am we started to pull the bedford with ropes, until 9am, approx 4km. Suffer heavy because we have been without food for 2 days now. 10am we start walking until 1.30pm, approx 8km. Midday we do observation skills. Tests that evening. 8pm we must do 16km again. GREAT EVENING FOR ME.
  • Sunday (9.5.75. 6): Am we double back to camp. Rifle inspection and bush lane. Swim with kit and ambush for night.
  • Monday (10.5.75): after ambush we have to move along beach to our RV. Arrive in the morning at 7am, approx 10km then mountain climbing exercises. We are heavy & hungry. 3 days without food. Get food and sleep well.
  • Tuesday (11.5.75): rest and get kit ready for big thing. Jump tonight for our starting point. We will have to do 400+km.
  • Wednesday (12.5.75): Jump last night and start walking until 2am, approx 20km. start walking at 6am. Do 28km until 12pm. Ha!
  • Thursday (13.5.75): Walk approx 25 km to Sibaya lake. Then row for 20km to the other side of the lake to the next RV.
  • Friday (14.5.75): Walk with the boat for approx 8km. Suffer a lot. Then walk for 30km to coast. Eat lekker (nice) pap (porridge).
  • Saturday (15.5.75): Start walking 5am. Must do 36km before 3pm. get there 4.30. Only group there. Throw food out for us by parachute.
  • Sunday (16.5.75): Wait until 1pm for others. Made nice porridge for breakfast. Must now walk 43km. They take all our kit and food.
  • Monday (17.5.75): It is now 6am and we are hungry and ice-cold. Wait for instructors. We walk approx 40km in direction of Ovbombo mountains. Must go over river. Me and Hein go over first. Half-way the rope breaks. float back to bank. Hein probably kicks off rope which holds rifles, 2 metres from shore. Search but find nothing.
  • Tuesday (18.5.75): Walk until this morning 4.15. We receive orders to walk back 45km with a pole. My feet are one blister.
  • Wednesday (19.5.75): Walk approx 30km until 9,30. my feet heavy & sore. Cross river by boat. Eat coffee and bread. very tired and full of longing.
  • Thursday (20.5.75): get to RV at 9.30am. We cammo ourselves with ash. Think is nearly over. General loots is at RV and we must do buddy rating. We lay an ambush 24km further on.
  • Friday (21.5.75): Get to RV at 8am. Bush was very thick. The next RV 15+12km far. My feet heavy & sore. Take short-cut through swamp. (They) Catch us and take our shoelaces and all our food.
  • Saturday (22.5.75): had to walk 12km further the previous night to emergency RV. From there we start walking at 1am. For 45km. Have no food. with (native) chief we eat porridge, tea and coffee. Full of longing. We are first to get to RV. Tell us to walk along road for 10km. Hope this is the last stretch. (They) chase us all the way. Get there 5pm. 6pm they tell us back 25km. We are heavy & tired, exhausted and hungry. Walk only until 8.30. O ja, ;we ate many dates. Wish I could give them to Hannelie.
  • Sunday (23.5.75) Start walking at 4am. am still stiff. 40km. Get to RV at 10am. First there. Get food and tell us to walk along road, individual test, appr 5km, when instructor in the bush calls us and gives us a beer and tells us the course is over. Bloody glad. Gen Loots also there.

Heavy Breach Cell: The Secret Weapon of Delta Force

Editor’s Note: Geo’s memoir, “Brothers of the Cloth,” a true account of special mission unit soldiers, has sold out in hardcover and will soon be coming out in paperback! You can keep an eye out for it here.

 

I’m put squarely in mind of an amazing brother of mine who went by the call sign “Crapshoot.” It is the vision of him I see just past his breaching through an incredibly thick steel vault door with a Broco exothermic plasma torch.

Crapshoot half crawled and then was pulled out of the hole in the door like a rat. His face was black and he was coughing, having pulled his gas mask off at some point during his ordeal. He had crawled in there with a full leather welder’s apron on over his combat load. It hung down to his knees and was spattered with slag burns.

His hair and mustache were singed and he had smoke coming off him… somehow. He was helped up and sat down with his back up against the concrete bunker. One man was left to stay with him while he rested for a spell and traded the contents of his lungs for actual air. He cradled his rifle in the crooks of his elbows like a man whose hands were burned.

One by one we wormed through the hole in the gargantuan portal door. We all regarded Crapshoot in a positive manner as we passed him: a sap on the leg or the shoulder, a punch in the arm, and a compliment for a job well done. Crapshoot had an imitation grin on his face, but otherwise closed eyes that were so glad to be done fencing with a demon for the last 20 minutes.

A cartoon I did in honor of Crapshoot’s breach through a vault door. It depicts him standing with welders leathers and mask (A-TM) offering to assist our 2-Troop with their share of the breach.

Those were the days of the inception of the Hardened Deeply-Buried Targets (HDBT) problems. The target set that included hunting and accessing nuclear weapons cached in deep underground structures was a unique one, and we had to invent a way to cope with approaching and destroying such threats.

With already full plates on our hands, the HDBT problem was a heaping ladleful of mashed potatoes that started to flow over the edges of those plates. I distinctly remember thinking of my brothers and me as engines that the unit kept trying to put bigger and bigger transmissions on. And when the transmissions weren’t spinning fast enough they just kept trying to soup-up that same engine time and time again — eventually, that engine is going to throw a rod and blow!

It is not unusual for a thrown rod to actually punch through an engine block, especially if the engine is a Japanese POS like this.

If Rod Serling will imagine, we have a fully kitted-out operator ready to lay down some original smoking scunion. Now he has to affect heavy breach operations — how much more can be piled onto this guy?

We practiced chopping through heavy steel vault doors and several feet of reinforced concrete wall — and doing it all while down in bottomless holes and (seemingly) endless tunnels and drifts. So many problems are associated with that sort of work.

In the realm of being nearly overburdened with equipment, all paratroopers are familiar with this painful trudge from their impact point on a Drop Zone (DZ) to a Rally Point (RP); in some cases, the trudge can be thousands of meters — Airborne All The Way!

The atmosphere deep underground may be poisonous or nonexistent; we had to wear open-circuit pressed air or closed-circuit oxygen rebreather systems — all heavy and cumbersome affairs. Now, a breacher wielding a welding torch has to drape himself in a full posture of leather floor-length aprons to be protected against molten slag. Everything was hot and heavy and men keeled over out “cold” from overheating. It was dangerous work, I’m here to tell you.

A closed-circuit rebreathing apparatus used in the mining industry.

Every heavy breach seemed to sport its own personality, each being a major brain-buster to defeat, as well as a physical nightmare to tackle. The buzz phrase for every event became:

“HOLY CRAP — NOW WHAT ARE WE GONNA DO??”

Beyond learning the function of the breaching tools, systems, and apparatus, the pattern of maneuver was on us to figure out. As with most special operators, the temptation was very often too great for the pipe hitters who were responsible for pulling security while the brothers breached. Security kept letting themselves get sucked into the breaching work like they were on the Event Horizon of a Goddamned Black Hole!

I mean some folks might be happy as a pig in shit that they are not caught up in a particular struggle within their eyeshot, but pipe-hitters seeing their bros having a tough time with a thing are all in. “Sucks being you” is an expression that is vigorously filtered through the Unit’s personnel firewall. Indeed, it occurs to me that I may have never heard: “Hey, can you give us a hand over here?” a phrase that is simply not necessary with pipe-hitters.

Delta brothers all pitched in to help dig out Gear-King Markey-Mark “COS” Stephens when his gear collapsed on him in our team room.

The matter ultimately came down to this: the men can no longer be expected to fight and breach. The decision was clear, though it gave rise to the next problem — how to remedy that issue into a cogent solution. The answer in, my what-it’s-worth, opinion was brilliant: We outsource all our breaching to the Chinese! I’m absolutely kidding about the Chinese; I actually wouldn’t even outsource rectal boil lancing to those haters.

The Unit formed another internal group that was to be the dedicated heavy breach cell. The men to handle the work (this was the brilliant part) were 18-Charlie Engineer sergeants from the Green Beret (GB) Groups. It was a stellar deal for the GB Engineers who wanted to be in the Unit but were not necessarily able to pass the Selection and Assessment trials. It also provided a sergeant major with a leadership position to fill, thus allowing him to remain in the Unit.

Such was the fate of a master sergeant (MSG) getting promoted to sergeant major (SGM, Smadge) in Delta. There was no guarantee that there would be a position in the Unit for the new SGM, resulting in him being reassigned outside the Unit — even back to Big Army! That horrifying threat alone was enough to make a brother resort to snorting crushed glass.

A photo of me snorting some lines of crushed glass rather than going back to Big Army.

The new 18-Charlie GB engineer pipe-hitters did a bang-up (no pun intended) job. Well, they did an absolutely remarkable job at an ultimately stellar level. Not only did you have a shit-hot team of heavy breacher bubbas, you still had all the treasure trove of skills and abilities that Green Berets — arguably the most versatile race of people on the planet — bring to every situation.

“By George (no relation), I do believe I am one brilliant son-of-a-bitch!” suggested the Unit commander regarding his decision to establish the heavy breach cell.

“Yes Sir, I do believe you are ready for the post-examination!” brown-nosed his suck-up executive officer.

“How did the breaching get done before the heavy breach cell came to the Unit,” a junior operator once asked me.

“We did it ourselves — we had to. We slung our assault rifles and we breached,” I replied to the incredulous little brother.

It sucked, really (REALLY) truly sucked, but I’m glad I was involved at the inception of the heavy breaching capability. I respect my time standing around in pissing rain with 70 lbs of assault kit and breaching gear hanging off me while staring at a failed breach:

“HOLY CRAP — NOW WHAT ARE WE GOING TO DO??”

In fact, the huge concrete core-cutter barrel did grind its way through the approximately three feet of solid concrete. The cutter was shaped like a huge three-foot hardened steel cup that mounted to the wall hydraulically, spinning and cutting deeper into the concrete as we dumped a steady stream of water into the hollow of the cut. It was a welterweight chore to keep it running.

A large core-cutter barrel mounted to anchor rails above it spins hydraulically and cuts into the concrete barrier.

“WATER UP!” and a pipe hitter with gat slung across his back came jogging up toting five-gallon water cans — one in each hand.

“HEY, YOU PHUQRZ NEED TO GET BACK ON SECURITY — DROP THOSE WATER CANS!”

With the cut complete the core cutter barrel was yanked out of the hole, but the concrete core slid right out of the barrel and lay there in the hole like a giant plug — enter:

“HOLY CRAP — NOW WHAT ARE WE GOING TO DO??”

“By God… that is enough!” hissed the Grinch.

The Grinch (L) seen here in Iraq with sorely-missed, dearly-departed brother Tom Greer AKA Dalton Fury AKA Red Fly.

The Grinch, who was always already pissed off from the very beginning of EVERYTHING, had had enough. He stomped over to a Pinzgauer and started thrashing around with lumber and cargo straps. He configured (I am not shitting you) a battering ram with a 4 x 4 wooden beam strapped firm to the bed of the Gauer protruding about three feet past the edge of the Gauer.

“STAND CLEAR!” someone hollered as the brothers pulled back away from the wall. Grinch backed the Gauer until the ram was just touching the concrete plug. He lined up, then pulled forward about 40 feet, put it in reverse and — slowly at first then picking up speed — he headed at a healthy clip toward the wall aiming for the plug.

6 x 6-wheel drive Austrian Pinzgauer rough terrain vehicle.

The grinch spanked the plug hard and popped it right through and into the building with a helluva din. It had taken one shot, just one shot — badass Grinch!

“I hope nobody was standing in front of that thing!” I shouted to the grinch in the pissing rain.

“I do!” the Grinch certainly shouted back at me with a look on his face that was just a smidge south of enchanting.

We pipe-hitters threw breaching gear away, snatched our gats forward, flung a baker’s bushel of bangers into the gaping hole, and started pouring through the tunnel in the wall, heads-first, spitting lead.

In Delta, it was good to be king, even while snaking through a concrete tunnel in the pissing rain.

Breach affected through a solid concrete wall with a core-cutter saw.

By Almighty God and with honor,
geo sends

My brother MSG Gaetano “Guido” Cutino (KIA) languishing momentarily in the bed of our breaching Pinzgauer.