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“What is Your Religion?” … “Special Forces”

Every now and then you’ll come across something on the internet that catches your eye and you click and it completely resonates with you. It doesn’t matter where it is from or who said it but it is perfect. And it shows, despite the differences we all have, deep down the same things that drive us, that makes us WHO and what we are, are exactly the same.

Today I was scouring the news and was looking for one thing and found quite another. I saw a post from the Hindustan Times that quoted a Colonel Saurabh Singh Shekhawat from the Indian Army. I don’t normally read the Hindustan Times but was certainly glad I did today.

Colonel Shekhawat is the commander of the 21 Special Forces unit and also among the most decorated soldiers in India. And he was filmed in a very short clip as he spoke to and was filmed by another officer and talked about being in the military and what it means to act like a unit to the soldiers in it.

“… When I was commissioned and when I joined special forces, I was asked by my NCO, ‘What is your religion? What is your caste?’ I said, ‘Hindu Rajput’. He said, ‘Bloody chap, take a dip in that dirty water!’ So I went and took a dip. Then I realized I had said something wrong,” Col Shekhawat said in the video.

The colonel says, that he was asked the same question and his reply was a little different. “Then again he asked the same question and I replied, ‘Sir my religion is special forces and my caste is special forces’. He then told me that you are an officer and so your religion is the religion which is the religion of your boys … So, as an officer you are everything,” he says.

“If you apply this kind of template in the country, most of the problems will be solved … All the religions are there, all the classes and clans are together and still they are one unit,” he adds. The Colonel described that everyone in the army lives as a “pluralistic secular society.”

We here in the U.S. share much of what Colonel Shekhawat had to say. Those same things, maybe worded a bit differently but essentially the same thing could easily be said at Ft. Bragg, Ft. Benning, Camp Lejeune, at Coronado or at Eglin. His comments about a pluralistic secular society, fit the very tenets of what makes the United States.

What is Secular Pluralism? Secular Pluralism can be defined as a system which is not under the control of any religion or singular belief system, nor does it give precedence to any religion.

Secular Pluralism has been at the forefront of our culture ever since the founding fathers placed the phrase “E Pluribus Unum” as a motto found on the Great Seal of the United States. They also placed the words on the one dollar bill and on all U. S. coins.

The meaning of this Latin phrase is “Out of Many, One.” Originally it was thought to represent out of many colonies emerged one great nation. However, in our contemporary times, we now believe that out of many has come to mean: peoples, races, and ancestries which have consequently emerged a single people and a great nation, typically referred to as the great melting pot of the United States.

That is a great metaphor for the military and a perfect one for Special Forces. In Special Forces, no one cares what your background was, who your father was or what religion you do or don’t believe in. We’re united by a purpose. We train and fight for one another. Our bond is as strong and many times even stronger than the family bonds that we were raised in.

Our teams are as varied as can be. When I look back at some of the guys I had the pleasure and privilege of serving with, we came from completely different backgrounds. Tex-Mex guys with Cowboy hats, Southern boys who grew up hunting and fishing, Spanish guys from Puerto Rico, guys from the West Coast, cool surfer dudes and laid back guys from the Northwest and of course an abnormally large amount of guys from NYC and Boston. Everyone spoke with a different accent but we all spoke a common language, Special Forces.

Religions? Some were Southern Baptists, Catholics, Protestants, Jews, Muslims, a Buddhist with an atheist or two thrown in for good measure. It didn’t matter, we were a family. And like a family, we’d fight at times like cats and dogs, but we always had each other’s back.

It is a great teaching point for the young troops wanting to become Special Forces and are actively aspiring to be that one day. As a Special Forces soldier, you’ll be tasked to work with every kind of foreign allied soldier that you can shake a stick at. You’ll live with them, eat with them, train them, lead them into combat, fight with them and sadly in some cases, you’ll die with them.

But before you will have the privilege to do that, you’ll have to prove yourself worthy in the Regiment. And we are the greatest “pluralistic secular society” that you’ll find in anyone’s military anywhere. So, for the aspiring Special Forces candidates… are you ready for the challenge?

“What is YOUR religion?

DOL

Photo Courtesy: US Army

Chinese Military Working on Exoskeleton For Special Operations Forces

The Chinese military unveiled its second-generation military exoskeleton, a body brace designed to help infantry or Special Operations members carry some 100 pounds of weapons, supplies, and ammunition. Norinco, China’s state-owned manufacturer of armored vehicles and heavy ground munitions is the builder of the exoskeleton.

Compared to a previous Norinco exoskeleton, which came out in 2015, this second generation has a better battery, more robust hydraulic and pneumatic actuators, and a streamlined harness.
The new version is also lighter, which will likely reduce strain felt by the exoskeleton’s wearer, making it a better choice for troops in mountainous terrain. (Hence all the press photos that look like REI ads.) These refinements in weight, ergonomics, and power supply could also boost the second-generation exoskeleton’s coefficiency ratio. Basically: the higher the ratio, the less physical effort is needed to wear it.
A ratio of 5:1 means that the wearer’s body only needs to exert the effort it takes to carry 10 pounds in order to carry 50 pounds. The company’s also claiming that the reduced weight increases battery performance, which would make sense. Norinco’s first-generation exoskeleton had a top speed of 2.8 miles per hour, for 12 miles. They say this new version improves on that, but doesn’t say by how much.
Norinco isn’t the only Chinese exoskeleton builder. Last month, the China Shipbuilding Industry Corporation’s (CSIC) 707th Institute showed off its own powered exoskeleton to senior Chinese military officers. CSIC is marketing theirs as ideal for the shipyard, where people are expected to carry huge loads. In addition, Chinese military engineers at EEAE have developed the L-70 exoskeleton, which we saw first in 2014 and again in 2016. Before that, the Nanjing Military Region’s General Hospital built an exoskeleton that helped its wearer lift up to 80 pounds.

The new exoskeleton is built very similarly to the one developed by Lockheed Martin for U.S. Special Operations troops that SOFREP profiled after the SOFIC conference last May. The write up on the American version can be found here:

This type of exoskeleton is a workable solution for SOF troops carrying a heavy load of equipment into battle. Not to be confused with the “pie-in-the-sky” TALOS system, the Iron Man suit is many years from having a working system, these can be used now.

To read the entire article from Popular Science, click here:

Photo courtesy Wikipedia

US Airstrikes Kill 100 Syrian pro-Assad Forces in Syria

US-led coalition troops came under attack by Syrian forces loyal to President Assad which prompted artillery and air strikes in retaliation, killing 100 pro-regime fighters, said a spokesman for the US coalition on Wednesday.

The coalition said the strikes had been carried out after forces allied with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad “initiated an unprovoked attack” against a well-established Syrian Democratic Forces headquarters where coalition advisers were working with US-backed Syrian fighters.
Some 500 pro-regime troops carried out the attack using artillery, mortar fire and Russian-made tanks, a US military official said.
“Syrian pro-regime forces maneuvered T-54 and T-72 main battle tanks with supporting mortar fire in what appears to be a coordinated attack on Syrian Democratic Forces approximately 8 kilometers east of the Euphrates River de-confliction line in Khusham, Syria,” the military official said.
The official said that about “20 to 30 artillery and tank rounds landed within 500 meters” of the Syrian Democratic Forces headquarters before the US-backed fighters and coalition forces “targeted the aggressors with a combination of air and artillery strikes.”
The official said no coalition or US personnel had been killed or wounded in the engagement but that one member of the Syrian Democratic Forces was wounded.
He said the coalition suspected that pro-regime forces were attempting to seize territory, including lucrative oil fields, that the Syrian Democratic Forces had liberated from ISIS in September.
They “were likely seeking to seize oilfields in Khusham that had been a major source of revenue for Daesh from 2014 to 2017,” the official said, using the Arabic acronym for ISIS.

While rumors persist, that Russian contractors were with the loyal forces of Assad attacking the coalition, that hasn’t been confirmed. Nor has the fact that those forces were from an Iranian militia fighting for Assad.

The U.S. had been in contact with Russian forces on the agreed upon hotline and informed them that the pro-regime forces were building up near the de-confliction line but what the Russians did was unknown.

Coalition forces did not fire on pro-regime forces that returned across the river.

To read the entire article from CNN, click here:

Photo courtesy Wikipedia

Special Operations Forces Selection PT Preparation Week 11, Day 5

Thursday morning is a Chest and Triceps workout at the gym before heading out for a 5-mile run. Flat and Incline Bench Presses as well as Flies, Pushups, Pushdowns, and Dips ought to have your triceps feeling the pump. Then a 5-mile run over varied terrain in 40 minutes or less. (Be safe out there today, conditions are far from ideal)

UBRR Preparation 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

5-mile run (40 minutes maximum)

Stretch well after completion

Most SOF Veterans Are Not Ready For Transition Out of Military Pt1

Special Operations Forces are the most highly trained members of the military, both in the United States and among our allies. They are also the most prepared troops to tackle any job, anywhere, anytime… unless it has to do with their own separation from the military.

In a startling “SOF For Life” survey conducted and developed by the Global SOF Foundation and the Honor Foundation, the majority of Special Operations veterans are not properly prepared for their transition to the civilian workforce nor are they receiving the support needed to transition smoothly.

The Global SOF Foundation is a non-profit professional organization for Special Operations Forces and the global moniker is true. They have members across the world and their events are extremely well attended worldwide. The Honor Foundation is an organization founded for Navy SEALs and the Special Operations community whose stated goal is to advance the career goals of this SEAL community for life.

The “SOF For Life” survey began in the late summer of 2016 and up to the present time they have had over 550 responses from SOF and SOF support personnel who have already transitioned from active duty, whether through retirement or separation.

We’ll get to the survey results below, which showed major issues with the soldiers medical benefits, physical health and well-being as well as their mental health. The issues that the respondents have with their financial preparation for separation and their career placement are issues that the SOF For Life program is designed to address.

But first, SpecialOperations.com reached out to Global SOF Foundation President Stu Bradin. We saw the survey, and the results and were more than a bit surprised as the common feeling was that this generation of SOF troops were better positioned for transition than a generation or two before.

Bradin spent over 30 years in the military and about 25 of those were as a Special Forces officer. He began his SF career leading an A-Team in the 7th SFG during Operation Just Cause and led his team at the Pacora River Bridge fighting the Panamanian mechanized/armor unit Battalion 2000. He finished it at USSOCOM as a member of Admiral McRaven’s staff.

Bradin said that the results speak for themselves, that actually the numbers are actually skewed a bit on positive side because the number of officers responding was about 40 percent of the total. “If we were to get an accurate picture of the force, it should be 80-20 in terms of enlisted and officers,” he said.

“Look,” he said. “The majority of the guys are really unprepared to find and keep meaningful employment after they leave the military.” He spoke about the education that many of troops have but added it wasn’t enough. “I’ve spoken with a few guys who’ve gotten their Masters which is excellent, but many of them want to leave the military sector and go to work in a true civilian environment.”

“The problem is, as Special Operations guys, no one has any experience in the civilian world. The only thing they can point to and understand is the leadership aspect…so, what happens then?”

Bradin said the SOF For Life program is working with some companies and SOCOM to give the troops who know they’re getting ready to transition and opportunity to intern with companies prior to separation. They’re still drawing military pay and allowances but away from the flagpole and would work in a civilian job market that is alien to most operators.

Results of the Survey: There were 555 respondents to the survey. The vast majority were in the Army. And currently, coincidentally, 63 percent of deployed SOF personnel are in the Army. The other 6 respondents were foreign SOF personnel. Ninety-nine percent of the respondents were male, where in SOF, isn’t at all surprising.

It is here where Bradin stated the officer ranks were a bit skewed as to the actual force. And the officers here in the survey reflect 43 percent of the total respondents. Where in the actual force the numbers would be closer to 80-20 in favor of NCOs to Officers.

It is here where Bradin stated the officer ranks were a bit skewed as to the actual force. And the officers here in the survey reflect 43 percent of the total respondents.

With 84 percent of the respondents separating between 2004-2016, they served in the time frame of the wars in both Iraq and Afghanistan.

Health Questions: This was an intriguing part of the survey. Forty-nine percent of the respondents agreed with the statement “I am in excellent health” and 31% disagreed with this statement. Another 20% neither agreed or disagreed with the statement “I am in excellent health.” Yet overall, it shows that less than half of the respondents believe their health is excellent which would suggest attention to medical benefits prior to separation would be a top priority for many.

With 49 percent stating I am in excellent health it begged the question then why 89 percent of the respondents reported some level of disability. 52 percent of the respondents indicated they separated with a medical disability rating of 50 percent or greater. Almost 20 percent of the respondents were 90-100 percent disabled and an equal number stated that they did not have any level of disability. Of those that indicated they had no disability at all, 70 percent of them (119 respondents) were badged SOF operators.

If you are separated, retired, or medically retired, what is your level of disability?	Count	%
10-29%	62	11%
30-49%	80	14%
50-69%	91	16%
70-89%	97	17%
90-100%	106	19%
I do not have any level of disability	119	21%
Total	555	100%

Planning And Preparation for Civilian Life: Of the respondents, only 41 percent did any kind of planning for the transition to civilian life. Of those that did do planning, 72 percent 12 months or less.

Many military service members take career assessments at some point prior to separation. Forty-four percent of the respondents to the survey indicated that the career assessments they took prior to separation did not leave them better prepared to begin a new professional career. Only 23% of the respondents agreed with the statement “the career assessments I have taken prior to separation from military service have better prepared me to begin a new professional career.

Because of the nature of the military, 66 percent of the members in the survey said, that they’d be willing to move 100 miles or more to secure the job of their choice.

In another surprising revelation, only 59 percent of the respondents reported having a professional resume done before departing the military. With no professional feedback on their most important document, their work history and this is particularly important when translating military skills to the civilian workplace.

Only half of the respondents reported that they’d built a professional network that would help them secure job opportunities in the civilian marketplace.

Sixty-two percent of the respondents indicated that they had “developed interviewing skills that would allow them to translate their military knowledge, skills, and experiences so that non-military professionals could understand and appreciate what I could offer.” This left 38 percent who indicated they had not developed effective interviewing skills.

When we return with Part II, we’ll look at some of the financial planning and more importantly what is out there for transitional troops to help ease the transition for the troops into the civilian workforce.

Photo: DOD

Free Syrian Army Seeks Help From Turkey Against Assad

The Free Syrian Army has joined Turkish soldiers in the attack into northern Syria against the Kurds in Afrin. The FSA formed to fight the Assad regime and supposedly for democracy, but now they are back Erdogan’s forces hoping to gain support from Turkey.

In mid-January, a delegation from the Free Syrian Army (FSA) traveled to Washington, seeking to convince the CIA to resume the military aid frozen under President Donald Trump. Otherwise, the group argued, Iran’s influence would continue to grow in Syria. There was little they could do to counter that on their own, said Mustafa Sejari, an FSA commander.
The situation was urgent, Sejari told the Reuters news agency. “It is time to turn words into action. Until now on the ground it’s the Iranian militias that are expanding without serious resistance,” he said. “We asked for the resumption of aid and explained the dangers of leaving moderate FSA forces without support.”
Events a week later showed what Sejari was talking about.
Around 35,000 FSA fighters moved into the Kurdish enclave of Afrin, side-by-side with Turkish forces. The FSA was formed in July 2011 as a group of secular opponents to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, and now, in January 2018, it is fighting Syrian Kurds— that is, the citizens of the very country whose democratic and republican nature the FSA once defended.
“The Free Syrian Army practically doesn’t exist,” Kamal Sido, a Mideast expert at the human rights group Society for Threatened Peoples (GfbV) told Germany’s Deutschlandfunk broadcaster. “The Free Syrian Army is a smokescreen hiding various names, and if you look at the names, at these groups’ videos, you’ll find they are radical Islamist, Jihadist groups.”

The U.S. never fully trusted the FSA and their concerns are now coming true. The FSA is now attacking Kurds in the Afrin area with Turkey. Which are the people and the republic that they are claiming to defend.

To read the entire article from Deutsche Welle, click here:

Photo courtesy Wikipedia

Special Operations Forces Selection PT Preparation Week 11, Day 4

Wednesday is a back and shoulder day at the gym followed by a 6-mile rucksack march. Look to better the time that is the standard which is 90 minutes and remember to hydrate throughout the march. Don’t forget to mark your progress in the workout log book and stay hydrated.

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

6-mile Rucksack march (45-pound minimum, 90 minutes maximum)

Stretch well after completion

Positive Mental Attitude Essential For Passing Selection

One of the catchphrases that most, if not all Special Operators use and that the candidates aspiring to be in the units perhaps don’t fully understand is Positive Mental Attitude.

Most candidates for SOF hear that and will take it to mean “Don’t Quit.” And while yes, that is certainly a big part of having a positive mental outlook, there is much more to it. But yes, don’t quit, should be the first thing to come to mind. Don’t ever quit at anything should be a mantra for the successful candidate to live by.

In an earlier post, we wrote about “Embracing the Suck” factor of meeting the standards of being selected for Special Operations units. And as we have mentioned earlier as well, with the colder months here, the Selection courses are in full swing and our emails and Twitter messages are always asking about the physical challenges of the courses and how best to prepare for them.

Here, we feel one of the best ways to prepare yourself mentally is having an extremely strong base of physical fitness and toughness. The two are, in our humble opinion, inexorably linked. Have you ever heard the old saying, “Fatigue makes cowards of us all” or something similar? It is very true.

Fatigue will lead to making mistakes, getting sloppy results and trying to cut corners at times that would normally never happen with an individual. Selection courses are designed to bring those situations to the forefront and the successful candidate will be able to push thru the obstacles in front of him or her.

Embracing the suck factor and never quitting is the first, and important step. And having a strong physical makeup is a big factor in combating the fatigue issue. You’ll get tired, hungry, cold, and wet. And frequently all of those will occur at the same time. Having that strong physical base will obviously be the first tool to stave off any creeping doubts in your own mind. So what are the other factors in getting your head screwed on straight and tight for the rigors of Selection?

Have a Clear Set of Goals: This sounds rather simplistic and yet for many candidates they don’t really know what they want in life. Of course, they want to pass the course, meet the standards and get selected. But beyond that, many of the candidates didn’t have long-term goals and were unprepared for what was to come after.

When serving as a cadre member at SFAS, one of the tasks that the candidates were given in those late night classroom sessions was to either write or sometimes draw where they saw themselves in five years if their careers were successful in passing the course. And surprisingly, many of the candidates really didn’t have a plan after getting selected. (Other than the one former graphic artist who sketched the most badass “Rambo” type of picture that I’d ever seen….which ended up in the cadre office on the wall)

But have a long-term plan, set long-term clear-cut goals and have a detailed plan on how you plan on achieving them. So what if those have to be tweaked as time goes on? The better the plan you have, the easier you’ll find it is to find your way to the finish. But use the KISS Principle, Keep it Simple, Stupid.

Build Up Emotional Intelligence/Toughness: Special Operations Forces have one of the most difficult and rewarding careers in the military. And what makes them so good at what they do is their versatility. One day a SOF trooper can be taking down a target in a high-risk, high-stress combat Direct Action mission. The next day it could mean being part of a humanitarian assistance mission or dealing with foreign forces and diplomats.

The SOF trooper continually operates in a high-stress, high-risk, competitive environment. And sustained stress can lead to damaging the troopers minds as well as their bodies. This involves training the mind and body together to condition oneself to endure the long haul.

Having the proper self-control will allow SOF troops to adapt to changes on the very diverse battlefield, relate to other troops or allies, solve problems and cope with the daily demands of the job. Does it mean that you’ll never get pissed off at someone or something? Not likely. But the more self-aware you are, the better decisions you’ll make.

Situational Awareness/Stress Tests: These two go hand in hand. The good SOF troops have to be always aware of not only where they’re at and what’s going on around them but what will invariably occur next. This prevents the unexpected or problems from arising.

Being situationally aware will bring a sense of calmness, awareness and gives the SOF trooper the ability to think through any problems and quickly find solutions. Stress is one of those things that either people can handle or they can’t.

One of the hallmarks of Special Operations training is that candidates are placed in highly stressful situations and they’re required to think up solutions and operate while fully under control. These situations are designed to see who can think on their feet and logically, coolly and quickly solve problems. The more one is subjected to working through stressful situations, the easier it will become to deal with.

Small Wins Scenarios: Part of a proper positive mental attitude in Selection sometimes may consist of what many call the “Small Wins Scenario” during the course. About a year ago, an interview I did with a Navy guy who passed BUDs highlighted this. And sometimes, a small win scenario can be as simple as noting, that your goal for that day can be just surviving the morning until lunchtime.

In SFAS, many know about the smoker Log PT session which is a prime example of that. Don’t worry about the entire course, your focus is, remain standing until that session and the run afterward is over. Mission accomplished. You’ll be amazed what a positive mental attitude win a small scenario like that can lead to.

Set those small wins when needed and it will do wonders for reaching the long-term goals that you’ve set for yourself. Sometimes just way you carry yourself physically after a big event can be a win.

Stay strong, no days off. DOL

Photo: US Army

Special Operations Forces Selection PT Preparation Week 11, Day 2

Monday morning, we kick our week off right. Head to the gym where we’ll do our workout with the basics of pushups, sit-ups, and crunches, then to the bar for V-ups, pull-ups and dips before a 4-mile run. Remember to stay hydrated and mark your progress in your workout log book.

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 Pullups as many as possible or to muscle failure (no time limit)

4-mile run (32 minutes maximum)

Stretch well after completion

Special Operations Forces Selection PT Preparation Week 11, Day 1

It is time for our Sunday morning ruck march. Since it is Super Bowl Sunday, we’re going to do a super-ruck this morning before the expected rain/snow get in. It is an eight-mile course today over varied terrain. Strive to better the standard time of 120 minutes. Do a quick warmup of pushups and sit-ups before heading out.

Stretch well both before and after the ruck march. Remember to drink plenty of water and stay hydrated out there. And wear your second pair of boots today.

Training:

Warm up

2 x 20 Pushups

2 x 20 Sit-ups

8-mile Rucksack march over varied terrain. And mark your times in your workout log book. If your feet are hurting after completion, then that second pair of boots may need more break-in time. Don’t wait for Selection to get that done.

Stretch well after completion