Air Force Special Operations

Ode to the FOGs, Another 12-Miler Done, But For a Good Cause

A couple of weeks ago, we posted a piece on here about the good fellas over at GORUCK who are putting together a fundraiser for the wonderful efforts of the Green Beret Foundation. It is a fun idea that anyone can not only donate to but get out and exercise a bit and feel like you’ve taken an active part of.

GORUCK is a company founded by and manned by former active duty Green Berets and they recreate some fun and very challenging training events for those in the civilian sector that would like to see what it is like to get a slight taste of what it is like in Selection by providing events centering around… rucking. What else? It is the one constant that all Special Forces training is based around. GORUCK has created this fun and intriguing way to raise money for the Green Beret Foundation.

Here is how it is done:

PRE-PURCHASE A PATCH THROUGH NOVEMBER 15 – Pledge miles & pre-order your patch online with GORUCK. Your donation amount is based on the distance you pledge to ruck: 5K, 10K, 13.1, 26.2, 50 miles, 75 miles, and 100 miles. T-shirts are also for sale with all proceeds benefiting Green Beret Foundation.
COMPLETE YOUR PLEDGED MILES – You choose the weight (we recommend 20-30 lbs.) and complete the distance whenever you want (you’re on the honor system). Don’t forget to tag all your social media posts with #RuckingForGBF so we can keep up with all the action.
GET YOUR GEAR – The beginning of December you will be rewarded for completing your miles and all patches and tees will be shipped. Shipping and handling fees for patches cover overhead and the cost of the patch in addition to shipping.

The Green Beret Foundation provides direct and continuous support to the Green Beret Community and its families. The Green Beret Foundation facilitates the transition of Green Berets and their families whether that transition is from wounds sustained in combat, illness, injury or “merely” from numerous deployments and/or retirement.

They provide casualty support for the Special Forces soldiers who are wounded in combat, extended support for those who are seriously injured and require a long rehabilitation program, family support and transition services for those warriors who are leaving the service. Over 88 percent of the monies raised goes to their programs. They have provided support to more than 2,515 Special Forces families since inception and have invested over $8M supporting our community.

As part of our daily articles here on SpecialOperations.com we post a daily physical preparation workout for those of our readers who are prospective members of the Special Operations Forces community. We always get a lot of emails, tweets, and questions as to what is the best way to prepare for the various Selection courses. While I am no personal trainer, (I go to one four days a week), I do have personal experience in Special Forces, having spent over a decade there and worked at Selection.

We encouraged our readers to sign up for this Challenge and our PT Prep for Sunday, October 29 included a 12-mile ruck march, which even this FOG (do you need a translation?) was going to do. Some further background on myself, I’ve had two back surgeries, which forced me out of the service and a “clean-up” on each knee which got rid of loose cartilage and fixed a torn meniscus in each. Needless to say, both knees and the back now have arthritis…the joys of being a FOG…

But since writing the pieces on the PT preparation, especially the rucking, I’ve been re-bitten by the rucking bug. While I’m no longer loading up a 75-85 pound ruck and going on a long-range movement, on days when I’m fairly limber (stress on the fairly), it is fun to put a 45-pound sandbag in there and get back out there.

Which in a very roundabout way brings us to the subject of this particular 12-miler. The weather, later in the day and night 29th and the 30th are supposed to have periods of heavy rain with high winds with gusts up to 55-65 mph. So, with that in mind, I decided to set out early in the morning before the rain hit and walk along the sides of the road and railroad before things got mucky and muddy. There was also a lesser chance to get hit by a car that time of morning on a Sunday….or so I thought. Let’s just say, there were some drivers who were either under the influence of something or just really tired as at least three times I did a double take on cars weaving badly in the road.

Immediately upon having my phone alarm wake me this morning, I knew it was going to be a tough go. The drop in barometric pressure when rain is approaching sets off arthritis in my knees and I spent a good ten minutes trying to loosen them up before heading out. It was already beginning to rain, so the light jacket that I planned on wearing was ditched in the ruck for my rain jacket which I chose to leave mostly unzipped to not overheat. I popped in my iPod headphones and began listening to some U2 to get the juices flowing. First two miles were faster than I envisioned or planned and I was breathing heavy like I’d almost been running which is what I almost had been doing.

After jogging down an incline, I reached the railroad tracks and the first 500 meters or so was already muddy from the rain earlier in the week. So contrary to what I wanted, I walked to the ties on the outside of the rails, which messes with your stride. Feeling like I was slowing down, once I hit a downhill grade, I picked up a jog again. At the four mile mark (I had this course mapped out). I was ahead of time.

The cool wet air, gave me a false sense of security and rather than keep the pace I picked it up, the next four miles were even faster than the first four and I was well ahead of the 3-hour standard and just four miles to go. It was at this time, I began to think that FOGs still rule. Then karma set in.

At about the 8.5-mile mark, that old familiar pain in the knee started to creep back in, just a little bit. Another mile and the pain was starting to affect my stride. At the ten mile mark, I stopped. Putting my knee sleeves on each leg and changing socks, the 6 minutes spent I figured would be well worth it. Just two miles to go and still within the standard.

All was well for the first mile and the pace quickened. Then just prior to hitting the blacktop for the final leg back home, the sky opened up and the dirt turned into a quagmire. That really slowed things down and by the time I hit the blacktop I had about pounds of mud on each boot clinging for dear life. By the time I had the last half mile, I began to jog, ….screw the pain in both those knees. Why? Because I’m a stubborn old fool who never failed to meet the standard, and wasn’t about to now. My time was slower than the one we did in the summer, which pissed me off.

So, I sat down with my morning coffee and an ice bag on the knees and am taking the rest of the day off, thank you very much. Watching the Patriots and eating are definitely on the agenda. I need to start rucking some more now the cool weather has hit. So if you see a FOG trudging down the road, down run him over nor throw empties at him (yeah I will recognize that truck if I see it again).

But it was a for a great cause, the Green Beret Foundation is manned by some of the best people and serves some of the best anywhere, so it was worth it. And I pledged 13.1 miles but having already 6.5 miles before today, puts me at 18.5. So I’ll hit the 26-mile mark before the 15th, which shouldn’t be hard. But it won’t be in the next couple of days…. I’m walking around the house like Walter Brennan from the Real McCoys. The hot tub will feel good later tonight. We didn’t have those around in Selection back in the day. Being a FOG does have its privileges. Oh and my time? It was still within the standard, but barely, which is why even old guys need remedial training. Two hours 58 minutes and 49 seconds. Even at my age that is unsat. More rucking is on the agenda.

Photos US Army, GORUCK, author

Special Operations Forces Selection PT Preparation 10.30.2017

A quick workout to start the Monday morning and week off right. Start off with the basics of pushups, sit-ups, and crunches, then to the bar for V-ups, pull-ups, and dips before a 5-mile run in a mini UBRR test. Remember to stay hydrated and mark your progress in your workout log book.

So how was your time in the 12-miler on Sunday? Were you under the standard of 3 hours? If not, then you know what needs to get worked on. Check out our post later this morning on the ruck march.

Training:

More preparation for the UBRR

1 x 1-minute Pushups

1 x 1-minute Sit-ups

1 x 1-minute, Crunches

1 x 1-minute, V-ups

1 x Dips as many as possible to muscle failure (No time limit)

1 x Pull-ups as many as possible or to muscle failure (No time limit)

5-mile run (40 minutes maximum)

Stretch well after completion

Special Operations Forces Selection PT Preparation 10.29.2017

Sunday morning 12-mile Rucksack march. Do a quick warmup of pushups and sit-ups before heading out. Head out over varied terrain and try to go as fast as you can without running.

Stretch well both before and after the event. Remember to drink plenty of water and stay hydrated out there. Even with the cooler fall weather, and it has been cool the last few mornings…drink plenty of water and don’t be a heat injury.

Training:

Warm up

2 x 20 Pushups

2 x 20 Sit-ups

12-mile Rucksack march over varied terrain with a 45-pound minimum. Remember the standard is 3 hours…. I’m getting a head start and hit the trail around 4-ish to do it in the coolest part of the day.

Stretch well after completion

Special Operations Forces Selection PT Preparation 10.28.2017

Saturday morning and heading back to the gym for a shoulder and back workout. Towel pull-ups if you have no access to ropes or climb 20-25 ft. ropes if they are available. Followed by a four-mile run. Log your numbers down in the workout notebook

Training:

More Preparation for the UBRR:

3 x 10 Lat Pulldowns, rear

3 x 10 Barbell Dead Lift

3 x 10 Wide Grip Pull-ups

3 x 10 Towel Pull-ups

3 x 10 Dumbbell Side Raises

3 x 10 Seated Bent-Over Delt Raise

3 x 10 Dumbbell Shoulder Press

3 x 10 Arnold Dumbbell Press

4-mile run (32 minutes maximum)

Stretch well after completion

Preparing For Selection, Breaking Up Your Training Routines

For many of our readers who are preparing for taking the big leap into one of the Selection courses, we try to help you get ready for the challenges here by posting a daily piece on the physical training program that we feel will help you achieve your goal.

But sometimes it is good to change things up a bit, challenge yourself in different ways and break up the training monotony that can set in doing the same things over and over. And in doing so, we decided to take a look at what some of the college and NFL football teams are doing in their strength and conditioning programs to get their players ready for the rigors of their seasons. So, we’ll incorporate some of their training to mix things up a bit for a change.

It is funny, that in the past dozen or so years, many of the football programs have adopted this military type mentality, they bring in Navy SEALs, Green Berets and such to show them the way the Special Operations guys do it in the military. There is a great deal of good as well as bad with that.

The football programs in the college and pro ranks have a great deal of respect for the military, especially the Special Operations Forces and their own jargon is full of military-type terms. The physical toughness and endurance of Special Operators along with the “never quit” attitude is something all coaches try to instill. That is good.

Some will incorporate the endurance events teamed with an SFAS-like team event where the players have to work together as a team to get over an obstacle while pushing themselves in ways they’ve never done before. That aspect of team building is of tremendous value and many of the players will never forget how hard it can be.

But putting players into Log PT training sessions cold can be dangerous for the players. Rusty Whitt, the Texas Tech Red Raider Strength and Conditioning Coach knows both sides of the coin. Whitt was a Special Forces Radio Operator on an A-Team and now coaches in the Big12.

Whitt posted an article to warn other coaches about the dangers that Special Operations Forces face in their training that the players may not be properly prepared for and therefore the risks would be too great. He wrote:

“YOUR PLAYERS ARE NOT SEALS, and contrary to some opinions in the conditioning world, these Special Operators are not competitive athletes. They are warfighters. Sure, they do have athletic abilities. They have to run extraordinary distances, carrying excessive amounts of equipment, they have to be proficient and coordinated under high amounts of stress.
Through the mass media explosion of the last twenty years, along with social media, video games, books, movies, TV shows and documentaries, the public has become acutely interested in elite level military training. However if you mimic their training you could get your players hurt, or maybe something far worse could happen.”

Flipping the Script: So we said we’re going to change things up a bit. So let’s try to do some of the things that the football programs are doing. You can mix these into your training prep and it can help you break things up a bit.

Whitt posted the basic exercises that the Texas Tech conditioning program is using to properly prepare their players in the offseason training program. You’ll find it was pretty similar to much of what we preach here as well.

Weight Room Movements
Back Squat
Front Squat
Power-Clean
Snatch Pull
Power and Push Jerk
Pull-ups
Upper Body Presses
DB Unilateral and Bilateral movements
Open chain and close chain abdominal exercises
Mobility drills for the ankles, knees, hips, thoracic spine and shoulders

Agility, Speed Training and Conditioning movements on the Field
Dynamic mobility movements
Change of direction skill work
Plyometric drills
Sled Pushing and Pulling
Reactive Agility competition drills
Anaerobic conditioning sprints

So what are some of the other football programs doing, the Georgia Bulldogs football program has a tremendous challenge that they throw out to their players and fans. Every Thursday, the Strength and Conditioning Coaches have “Throwdown Thursday” where they encourage watchers on their YouTube videos to try to emulate their challenge for the week. The theme this month is “Squatober” and will be of interest to our future candidates getting ready for those long ruck marches.

One consisted of wearing a 45-pound weighted vest and walking/marching from the practice fields to the main campus where they then did squats with a 45-pound bar and the other coaches were adding their weighted vests to the bar while one of the other coaches spotted the squatter.

But their best was a body weight smoker where the coaches climbed to the top row of the Georgia football field in Sanford Stadium and did a squat in each row of the stadium all the way down to the field level. That is an exercise that anyone can do with access to normal bleachers in their hometown on or off-base and it will be guaranteed to smoke your legs on a day where you’re looking to break things up. And those squats will most definitely help in toting the rucksack over long distances. While we’re gearing up for our Selection preparation, a little variety never hurts, especially if you’re getting training value out of it. And these exercises are bound to push you in different ways.

We’ll incorporate some of the speed work that some NFL teams use in upcoming pieces in our PT prep series. The increase in speed and explosion will help with your overall endurance and distance running. And it serves a very useful purpose in real-world training.

There may be a time, whereas a Special Operator, you’ll have to sprint with your kit, 40-60 meters into a hot area and pull one of your teammates out of harm’s way. To do so, you’ll need speed, explosion and strength to hoist him and his kit and get both of your butts safely out of there.

So keep grinding and by all means, mix it up a bit. No Days Off. DOL

Photo: US Army

Special Operations Forces Selection PT Preparation 10.27.2017

Friday is the end of the week for some and our Leg Day at the gym. Start with Squats – (front, dumbbell goblet, and barbell), then some Lunges and the Weighted Sled Push. Follow it all up with a five-mile run. Mark your progress down in your workout log book and stretch well after the session. No Days Off!

Training:

Continue to prep for the UBRR.

3 x Front Squat 20-15-12 reps (lighter weight)

3 x Goblet Dumbbell Squats 20-15-12 reps (lighter weight)

3 x 10 Barbell Squats

3 x 10 Dumbbell Lunges

3 x 10 Romanian Lunges

3 x Weighted Sled Push/ or Fireman’s Carry

5-mile run (40 minutes maximum)

Stretch well after completion

Special Operations Forces Selection PT Preparation 10.26.2017

Back to the gym this Thursday morning for a Chest (Flat, incline bench, Flies, pushups) and Triceps (Cable pushdowns, dips) workout before heading out for a 4-mile run. Remember to stretch well before and after and to stay hydrated. Mark your progress down in your workout log book.

Training:

More Preparation for the UBRR:

3 x 12 Bench Press

3 x 10 Dumbbell Flies

3 x 10 Dumbbell Incline press

3 x 20 Pushups (alternate sets with wide, narrow and shoulder width)

3 x 10 ‘V’ Ups

3 x 20 Sit-ups

3 x 20 Cable Push Downs (rope)

3 x 20 Dips or until muscle failure

4-mile run (32 minutes maximum)

Stretch well after completion

Special Operations Forces Selection PT Preparation 10.25.2017

Shoulders and back day in the gym before heading off to do the SOF (Special Operations Forces) Triathlon. A run, a rucksack march, and a swim with fatigues and boots. If you can do all three of these things well, you will have the inside track for most of the Selection courses.

Training:

More Preparation for the UBRR:

3 x 12 Lat Pulldowns, behind the neck (go as heavy as possible)

3 x 12 Lat Pulldowns, front

3 x 10 Dumbbell Side Raises

3 x 10 Dumbbell Front Raises

3 x 10 Dumbbell Arnold Press

3 x 8 Shoulder Shrugs

3-mile Run (24 minutes maximum)

3-mile Rucksack march (45 lb minimum, 45 minutes Maximum)

300-meter swim in fatigues and boots (no time limit)

Stretch well after completion

Special Operations Forces Selection PT Preparation 10.24.2017

Tuesdays are always our Leg Day at the gym followed by a 5-mile run. Begin with pullups and towel pullups for those who don’t have access to climbing ropes. Then squats, lunges, and the sled or Fireman’s carry followed by a 5-mile run

Training:

Continue to prep for the UBRR

3 x Pullups 10 reps

3 x Towel pull-ups 10 reps

3 x Front Squat 20-15-12 reps (lighter weight)

3 x Goblet Squats 20-15-12 reps (lighter weight)

4 x Sled push heavier weight (or Fireman’s Carry)

3 x 10 reps Dumbbell Lunges

3 x 20 Side Planks

5-Mile run (40-minute maximum)

Stretch well after completion

Heating Up of Africa, Requires Beefing Up Intelligence Requirements

On Friday, Sen. Lindsey Graham, of the Senate Armed Services Committee announced in a press briefing that the United States will be looking to increase U.S. Special Operations counter-terrorism missions within Africa.

This bit of welcome news comes on the heels of an operation that cost the lives of four members of the 3rd SFG that were ambushed while conducting a mission in Niger. If you haven’t been following Derek Gannon’s series on SOFREP.com, you’ve been missing out. He’s been on top of this story since the day it broke. Gannon appeared on CNN on Friday morning speaking about the Niger situation as well. SOFREP’s Jack Murphy was also slated to appear on CNN on Saturday morning. So to keep abreast of the situation with the best, most up-to-date information and analysis, stay tuned to SOFREP.com.

While most Americans weren’t aware of the on-going situation in Africa, our Special Operations troops certainly were. They’ve been conducting operations both in Niger and some of the surrounding countries for quite some time. As Gannon pointed out, now the Special Operations troops will have a direct intelligence pipeline to Washington. That element has been sadly missing for quite some time.

Congress, specifically the Armed Services Committee has been admittedly “out of the loop” according to Graham in regards to Niger and Africa as a whole. Graham vowed that this situation is going to change. And in surprisingly strong language, he made it clear that terrorism, especially Islamic terrorism is going to be strongly addressed in Africa. “The American people need to be ready to more, not less [U.S. military] actions throughout Africa,” Graham said. This will relax the rules of engagement for our Special Operations troops on the ground and allow them to take a more offensive role in targeting the constantly changing terror groups.

But just as importantly, this will open up the area for more and better intelligence operations.The U.S. should also push the Niger government politically for a more liberal use of the US’ drone power and allow the drones to be armed in the future. The US has placed drone bases already in Niger and those will now become even more valuable to the overall effort as the US will ramp up activities in Niger and beyond.

The US Special Operations Command will increase the Direct Action (DA) and Counter-Terror (CT) missions but the Special Operations Forces will also increase their footprint by sending increasing units (Special Forces, Green Berets) to assist in Foreign Internal Defense (FID) as well as Security Force Assistance in Niger and other surrounding countries that are now in the “gray zone” between war and peace.

In the intelligence realm, the US will be forced to rely on trained Nigerien proxies in the HUMINT (Human Intelligence) field as American intelligence operatives will not blend in with those type of situations in the field. However, as we talked about back in July, the full range of intelligence activities to include targeting by the Counter-Terrorism Center of the CIA which target specific terrorist groups and leaders will now be given a larger share of their collection activities.

There will be more intelligence requirements to support the overall US objectives in the area. These will include but not be limited to:
• Military and paramilitary organizations.

Economics.
Politics.
Climate.
Geography.
Sociology.
Ethnic composition.
Religious factors.
Personalities.

Much of this information is already generated by Special Forces A-Teams during their pre-deployment area study guides but national intelligence agencies will also keep much of the information up to date.

The most immediate need for Special Operations Forces in the theater will be force protection in the areas where they’ll be based from. Force protection is an extremely important factor in the overall security for the mission. Here, local intelligence nets must be organized and resourced. They can be tailored to fit the mission and the operational area. This expertise has been used since the times of the teams of the Office of Strategic Services (OSS) in World War II. The OSS was the forerunner of both the CIA and the US Army Special Forces.

Special Forces have exceptionally trained personnel and are very well versed in spotting, assessing, developing, and recruiting low-level sources for force protection requirements. These operations are extremely important in the force protection and early warning in the operational areas.

Close coordination with the CIA and other national and theater intelligence agencies may be required to identify potential in-country sources. It is important because the area doesn’t need “cross-pollination” or the duplication of effort and/or assets.

With the expanded role in Africa, Special Operations Forces will once be lead element in the US footprint of the mission there. SOF will build our host nation partner’s capacity, collect intelligence, hunt high-value targets, and conduct other counterterrorism operations in multiple countries across the continent. One can expect to see JSOC (Joint Special Operations Command) much more actively involved once the key players become more involved. JSOC was created in 1980 as a counter-terrorism force but their operations have been expanded to include psychological operations, (military information operations is another name for it that has been frequently used) and sometimes to trace the financial dealings of terrorist organizations thru banking systems.

The US has the capabilities to annihilate the terrorists on the continent of Africa on the field of battle, that isn’t even a question. But now with a renewed sense of emphasis there, the need will also include what LTG Charlie Cleveland called the “exquisite capabilities to manipulate them.” Killing the terrorists is not enough anymore. The U.S. must find ways to generate desired psychological effects, such as shifting a population’s loyalty to a host nation allied government, as well. This requires specific intelligence and a firm grasp of the local situation. Something our policy overall has lacked…for quite some time.

Photo: US Air Force