SOF

Land Navigation Practical Exercise – Resection

In some of our previous articles, we’ve tackled the issues of preparing yourself to pass the Land Navigation course which is always a very tough one. Today we’ll do a practical exercise on finding your location if you are unsure of your exact map placement.

The official term is Resection for finding your exact location on a map by determining the grid azimuth to at two or more well-defined locations that can be pinpointed on the map. For greater accuracy, the desired method of resection would be to use three or more well-defined locations.

For the purposes of our practical application, we used only two but obviously, three or more is ideal. There are three methods of using resection, using the map and compass method, the straightedge method and the modified method. In this exercise, we used the map and compass method, but we’ll go over the second two as well.

Map and Compass Method

Orient the map using the compass and terrain association
Identify two or three known distant locations on the ground and mark them on the map.
Measure the magnetic azimuth to one of the known positions from your location using a compass.
Convert the magnetic azimuth to a grid azimuth.
Convert the grid azimuth to a back azimuth. If the magnetic azimuth is less than 180 degrees add 180. If the azimuth is more than 180 degrees subtract 180.
Using a protractor, draw a line for the back azimuth on the map from the known position back toward your unknown position.
Repeat the same steps for a second position and a third position, if desired.

The intersection of the lines is your location. Determine the grid coordinates to the desired accuracy, an eight-digit grid being the preferred accuracy for our purposes.

Straightedge Method:

To accurately find your position, the successful navigator must:

Orient his map using his compass and/or terrain association
Locate at least two known distant locations or prominent features on the ground and mark them on the map.
Lay a straightedge on the map, in this case using the compass and a known position as a pivot point.
Rotate the straightedge until the known position on the map is aligned with the known position on the ground.
Draw a line along the straightedge away from the known position on the ground toward your position.
Repeat the same process using a second known position that you can see from your location.

Where the intersection of the lines meet on the map is your location. Determine the grid coordinates to the desired accuracy. You then should be able to get an eight-digit grid coordinate and find your way to your point.

Modified Method:

The modified method is the least preferred and the least accurate method but is useful in certain situations. If you’re not certain of your exact location but are located on a linear terrain feature such as a road, creek or similar body of water, this can pinpoint your position.

Orient the map using a compass and/or by terrain association.
Locate a point in the distance that can be easily identified on the ground and on the map.
Determine the magnetic azimuth from your location to the distant known point.
Convert the magnetic azimuth to a grid azimuth.
Convert the grid azimuth to a back azimuth, using the add or subtract 180 accordingly depending on the degrees.
Using a protractor, draw a line for the back azimuth on the map from the known position back toward your unknown position.

Your location is where the line on the map crosses the linear feature. Determine the grid coordinates to the desired accuracy, for our purposes an eight-digit grid coordinate.

Check out the attached video, we’re still trying to iron out some issues with these, it is process. But it does show you the practical exercise to get the correct information.

Photo courtesy of 19th Special Forces Group

SOF Selection PT Preparation 4.09.2017

A little warm up and a good long Sunday ruck march. As always be sure to stay hydrated during the ruck march. It should be a habit that will carry over to Selection and training afterward.

Becoming dehydrated during a long training event such as a ruck march or long range movement is a guarantee for bigger problems and failure, keep sipping on the water during the course.

Training:

Warm up

2 x 20 Pushups

2 x 20 Sit ups

8-mile rucksack march over varied terrain. Try to keep your pace better than the standard. And mark your times in your workout log book.

Stretch well after completion

SOF Selection PT Preparation 4.08.2017

Back in the gym this morning before heading out for a run. We’ll break up the routine next week with some speed interval running, that will help to build up your short area quickness and speed.

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 Seated Bent-Over Delt Raise

3 x 10 Dumbbell Shoulder Press

3 x 10 Arnold Dumbbell Press

3-mile run

Stretch well after completion

International Community Supports Trump’s Syria Air Attack

While the fallout from the US airstrike that hit the Syrian airbase at Shayrat on Thursday night was mixed here in the United States, the majority of the reactions coming from the international community is one of mainly support.

At 3:45 a.m. local time, US Navy warships launched a reported 59 Tomahawk cruise missiles at the Syrian airbase, located near the city of Homs. It was from this base that Syrian air forces used to bomb their own people on Tuesday in a chemical weapons attack that killed scores including children in an early morning raid.

President Trump said that after seeing the video of the victims in the chemical air attack, his thinking had changed on Syria and the US moved forward with the attack to stop Syrian President Bashar al-Assad from using the base as a staging area for any more attacks in the future.

Although Russia and Syrian state television blasted the move as “aggression,” leaders from around the world solemnly praised the act as a measured and fair response to dictator Bashar al-Assad’s suspected use of chemical weapons in the town of Idlib on Tuesday.
Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a statement that “In both word and action” Trump “sent a strong and clear message” that “the use and spread of chemical weapons will not be tolerated.”
Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull told reporters that the Australian government supported the “swift and just response” of the U.S. airstrikes.
“This was a calibrated, proportionate and targeted response. It sends a strong message to the Assad regime, and … has been struck at the very airfield from which the chemical attack was delivered,” Turnbull said.
Turkey welcomed the airstrike, calling it an “important and meaningful” development, but urged the world to take an even tougher stance on Assad.
“We see the (airstrikes) as positive, but we believe that this should be completed,” Deputy Prime Minister Numan Kurtulmus said. “The Assad regime’s barbarism must immediately be stopped.”

The Russians and the Iranians roundly condemned the attacks as they are supporters of the Assad regime in Damascus. Russian envoy to the UN Vladimir Safronkov said Russia had warned the U.S. to “think about what military actions have led to in Iraq, Libya, and other countries.” The Iranians characterized the strike as a “unilateral action that is dangerous, destructive and violates principles of international law.”

To read the entire article from Fox News, click here:

Photo courtesy the DOD

Mass Congressman, Marine Vet Seth Moulton Blasts Trump’s Syria Attack

Within hours of President Trump launching more than 50 Tomahawk cruise missiles at the Syrian airbase at Shayrat, a Massachusetts Congressman took to Twitter to blast the President over the use of force against the Syrian government of Assad without congressional approval.

Seth Moulton, (D-Mass), is a former Marine Corps officer with multiple tours in Iraq, also took exception to the bombing as well as Trump’s ban on refugees entering the United States.

“So @POTUS cares enough about the Syrian people to launch 50 Tomahawks but not enough to let the victims of Assad find refuge & freedom here,” tweeted Moulton less than an hour after the strike.

Moulton’s outburst found plenty of play on Twitter with his tweet getting over 31,000 likes and being retweeted more than 21,000 times. Moulton teamed up with fellow Congressman Steve Russell, (R-OK) to issue a bipartisan statement blasting the attack.

Russell also is an Iraq war veteran, and the two want to hear what the President’s long-term plan for ending the war in Syria is.

“We cannot stand by in silence as dictators murder children with chemical weapons. But military action without clear goals and objectives gets us nowhere. We look forward to hearing the President present a plan for Syria to the American people, for Congress to agree in bipartisan action, and for America to partner with the World Community to help bring this treacherous conflict to an end.”

Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren who never misses an opportunity to take to social media to blast anything concerning President Trump also released a statement in which she reiterated the tone of Moulton and Russell.

“The use of chemical weapons against innocent Syrian men, women, and children is a clear violation of international law. The Syrian regime must be held accountable for this horrific act, and its actions underscore why the United States should embrace innocent people who are fleeing in terror.

But the Constitution gives the power to authorize the use of military force to the legislative branch. Expanded military intervention in Syria requires action by Congress. If President Trump expects such an authorization, he owes the American people an explanation of his strategy to bring an end to the violence in Syria. We should not escalate this conflict without clear goals and a plan to achieve them.”

To read the entire article from Boston Globe, click here:

Photo courtesy the Boston Globe

Preparing for Selection? Squats are Important and Overlooked

Over time, the longer you are around Special Forces units and troops the more you will hear the latest catch phrases and words that essentially re-invent the wheel. Everyone while trying to build a better mousetrap is giving us a new vocabulary to learn, which is fine as long as we don’t lose sight of the ball.

When we’re talking about fitness and preparing not only for Selection but for a career in Special Operations it is building a complete level of fitness which will carry you thru a career and get you back again. To carry close to the insane amount of gear around all day long and be able to fight while carrying it requires strength, stamina, and speed.

And the best exercise to prepare for all of that? The squat.

Squats are probably the most misunderstood and least taught exercise in the military. Why? I have no idea but there is no better exercise for helping build overall fitness…oh, yeah the correct catchword now is functional fitness. The conventional military steers soldiers away from those exercises and they shouldn’t be. It should be in everyone’s pre-Selection program.

I’m no exercise physiologist or personal trainer but after a long time in the saddle, I know what works. Squats build strength, and that is what you’ll need. If the man beside you goes down and you have to carry him, his gear for 100 meters at a dead sprint, that isn’t going to take a marathon runner, it is going to take a guy who has the strength and stamina to do just that.

The operators in the units know this. They incorporate squatting now in their physical training programs because they build overall strength and muscle, increase flexibility, and prevent injuries, build core strength, build healthy bones and joints and helps you maintain mobility and balance. The special operators today are training smarter and doing the workouts that give them the most benefit to doing their jobs.

No one likes leg day at the gym because it is frequently the hardest workout of the week. Squats are a functional exercise for special operations because so much of what you do is tied in directly with the movement itself.

And squatting will improve your speed, just take a look at the best world class sprinters. They all have the maximum development of their glutes, quads, and hamstrings. It isn’t a coincidence that they are all built like that.

The issue is doing them correctly, and many people don’t. One guy that I swear by (and this isn’t a paid endorsement by the way) is Dr. Aaron Horschig. He’s a regular on Twitter @SquatUniversity as well as Instagram and YouTube. His videos are a must watch and he regularly goes thru the questions and issues that most people will have.

He also shows video demonstrations of other core stability exercises that will help with your overall “functional fitness”. His book, “The Squat Bible” is out on Amazon.com and is worth checking out. He’ll help you achieve your goal, even if you’re a not-so-young guy with arthritis in both knees.

Professional athletes have the luxury of off-seasons, and preseasons where they get to train up and get their bodies prepared for the rigors of their season. In Special Operations, every day is the World Series or the Super Bowl.

The individual units and the operators must get creative and take advantage of any kind of down time away from missions to keep themselves in peak condition. This is especially true when it comes to rest and sleep as well as nutrition.

Squatting should be a regular part of any pre-Selection workout along with other core building exercises. It will increase your overall functional strength and mobility, increase your vertical jump and explosion, increase your sprint times, as well as your balance and upper body strength.

So, it is Friday and it must be Leg Day at the gym….Let’s go do some squats.

Photo courtesy DOD

SOF Selection PT Preparation 4.7.2017

Continue to prep for the UBRR. A second Leg Day this week as we’ll blast them good today in the gym. Make note of your times in the run and your workouts in your workout log book.

Training:

3 x 10 Pullups

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

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

3 x 10 Barbell Squats

3 x 10 reps Standing Arnold Press

3 x 10 Romanian Lunges

30 x “V” ups

3 x 1 mile run with 1-minute rest in between. Run those as fast as you can

Stretch well after completion

Capture of Kony No Longer a Priority for US Special Operations

United States Special Operations Forces will no longer be hunting for the African warlord Joseph Kony. Kony, the head of the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) has seen his number of followers dwindle down to around 100 is no longer a priority to capture for US forces.

Kony was branded a “specially designated global terrorist” by the International Criminal Court, based out of Geneva, in 2005 for war crimes and crimes against humanity. Particularly heinous was his abduction and forcing into the sex-slave trade of thousands of children.

A spokesman for the U.S. Africa Command said that troops were being withdrawn because of the apparent weakening of Kony’s fighting force, which reportedly has dwindled to about 100 soldiers from a peak of 3,000.
The U.S. will “transition to broader-scope security and stability activities that continue the success of our African partners,” the military group maintained.
Prior to the announcement, Michale Omona, a key aide to Kony, surrendered to Ugandan forces. This proved the “degraded capacity” of the rebel group, said a Ugandan military spokesman. Omona was in charge of communications for Kony.
The LRA, which began in the 1980s, was internationally reviled for its cruelty towards civilians in Uganda, Congo, Central African Republic and what is now South Sudan. Some 20,000 children were reportedly abducted.

With the United States’ withdrawal, the onus on stopping the remnants of Kony’s forces falls to the soldiers of the Ugandan Army. The troops assigned to hunting his forces down number around 1500.

A member of President Trump’s transition team reportedly said that Kony had never attacked US interests so the US shouldn’t care about him and that since the Ugandans no longer view him as a threat due to his force structure dwindling, that the United States should no longer view him as one either.

To read the entire article from the Wilmington Journal click here:

Photo courtesy DOD

With Operational Tempo, Already High, SOCOM Readies For Higher Commitment

Despite taking the brunt of the operations in the wars in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Syria while only being a fraction of the total force in the US military, the Special Operations forces are readying for even more responsibilities in the wars ongoing.

General Tony Thomas on Wednesday was speaking to a large group at the SOCOM Patriots Awards ceremony and stated that “We are an approach short of a lot heavier U.S. military commitment.”

Thomas’ comments come at a time when many leaders of the US in Congress are already wondering if the force is being pushed too hard, too far to keep up with operational commitments. Thomas and the SOCOM staff, however, are already in the contingency planning phase of sending, even more, troops into the fray.

Thomas said special operations forces are not “redlining,” but they are “pushing a hard tempo.”
“We may be making it look easy, it’s anything but easy … We’re not redlining but we’re pushing a hard, hard tempo. There hasn’t been a peace dividend for Special Operations lately and there’s not going to be, more than likely, for the next few years,” he said.
“We’re a valuable commodity that ironically, that keeps this nation from going to war more wholesomely, you know – more completely – with more folks on the ground. I’d like to think we keep the nation from sustaining more casualties by the very nature of our activities,” he added.
“Their biggest concern – Secretary Mattis [said] to me the other day, ‘How are we going to slow the tempo down for you? … [Senator Sen. John McCain was] adamant that we are burning SOF too hard: ‘You’re going too fast. How do we throttle this thing down?’” he said.
“It is absolutely a concern of our leadership. We want to be able to control the tempo, the pace, and the prioritization for our special operations forces — that they are being used appropriately, effectively across-the-board. We are not looking to sit back and not be used, but we want to hit that right balance.”

So, regardless of how hard the operational tempo has been for Special Operations Forces across the board, that is due to increase. Right now, there are “officially” 5262 troops in Iraq and quite possibly much more due to some units being there on a temporary basis., and 503 in Syria, and that isn’t counting Afghanistan, Yemen, and other countries as well where Special Ops personnel are working.

To read the entire article from the Breitbart, click here:

Photo courtesy DOD

Remembering SGT Brian Buker MOH From Vietnam KIA April 5, 1970

It was 47 years ago, today that US Army Special Forces SGT Brian Buker would lose his life in a battle for a Viet Cong mountain stronghold at Nui Khet. For his actions in the three-day battle, Buker would posthumously be awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor.

Buker was killed by a combination of rocket and mortar fire while leading numerous charges against a bunker complex at the top of the mountain while acting as a platoon leader with the 513^th Company of the 5^th Mobile Strike Force Command (Mike Force).

Buker was born on November 3, 1949, in Benton, Maine and came from a military background. His three older brothers Victor, Gerald, and Alan had all enlisted and gone to Vietnam and had returned home. Buker joined right after high school at the age of 17, he also went to Vietnam returning safely. But he went back for a second tour.

As the story goes, Buker arrived in Vietnam and was told he was going to be diverted from the 5^th Special Forces Group to the 4^th Infantry Division. Buker, as young soldiers are prone to do, took matters into his own hands.

He hitch-hiked across Vietnam to Nha Trang, where the 5th Special Forces Group had their headquarters. He went with his hat in hand to the Mobile Strike Force Command (MIKE Force) compound next to the Group Headquarters and got an interview with the Company Sergeant Major.

He voiced a compelling argument in his interview and his orders were immediately changed to the 5th SFG(A) MIKE Force – Detachment B-55, immediately.

It was here that he’d find himself at the end of March of 1970 during Operation INTREPID, the code name for the storming of the Nui Khet mountain fortress which was part of Seven Mountains.

The 513^th Company was assigned to be flank security. The 511^th and 512^th Companies began the assault after an intense bombardment on April 3. They managed a toehold at the crest of the mountain but were driven back by concentrated rocket and mortar fire and hidden troops from 12 concealed reinforced bunkers on the peak.

A second attack that began at dawn on April 4, supported by Cobra gunships from the 7^th Cavalry and the SF mortar crews again managed to make the top only to be pushed back a second time. The companies dug in short of the summit.

Buker volunteered to bring two platoons to ferry water and ammunition to the dug in companies. Halfway up the mountain, his men were ambushed. Buker led the first of many counterattacks into the VC positions and he and his men made it to the dug in companies. Another VC attack was thwarted when Buker personally led a second counterattack thru heavy rifle and B-40 rocket fire.

On the morning of April 5, Buker’s 513^th Company was ordered to replace the beleaguered 511^th on the west side of the mountain. At 0900 they spearheaded a final assault on Nui Khet. The assault cleared several VC bunkers by firing point blank and flushing them out with grenades.

The 512^th and 513^th companies linked up on the summit just after 1200 hours and began flushing out the numerous bunkers on top of the mountain. Two American SF soldiers SGT Strode and SFC Parker were wounded by mortar fire during this time. It was Parker’s third wound of the engagement.

The final bunker complex held out despite four Cobra gunship rocket attacks, forty rounds of direct fire from 106mm recoilless rifles and captured Viet Cong urging their comrades to surrender via loudspeaker systems.

Buker moved his men forward to knock out the last of the bunkers braving machine gun fire and B-40 rockets. During this move forward, Buker spotted a previously unknown bunker that would catch his men in a devastating crossfire if they attempted to withdraw. With his men channeled into a narrow kill zone, he charged.

Miraculously he was unhurt and pitched four grenades into the newly found bunker, neutralizing the threat. But upon regrouping his men, B-40 rocket fire severely wounded him.

While bleeding profusely from his wounds, he still crawled forward to yet another VC bunker and eliminated it with a grenade. It was then shortly after that when Buker was killed by mortar and rocket fire. The final bunker was taken at 5:45 p.m. that evening and Nui Khet was secure. It was one of the last major Mobile Strike Force operations of the war.

For his gallantry, Buker was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor. He was just 20 years old at the time of his death. He was buried at Brown Cemetery in his hometown of Benton, Maine. His Medal of Honor citation reads:

For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity in action at the risk of life above and beyond the call of duty. Sgt. Buker, Detachment B-55, distinguished himself while serving as a platoon adviser of a Vietnamese mobile strike force company during an offensive mission.
Sgt. Buker personally led the platoon, cleared a strategically located well-guarded pass, and established the first foothold at the top of what had been an impenetrable mountain fortress. When the platoon came under the intense fire from a determined enemy located in 2 heavily fortified bunkers and realizing that withdrawal would result in heavy casualties, Sgt. Buker unhesitatingly, and with complete disregard for his personal safety, charged through the hail of enemy fire and destroyed the first bunker with hand grenades.
While reorganizing his men for the attack on the second bunker, Sgt. Buker was seriously wounded. Despite his wounds and the deadly enemy fire, he crawled forward and destroyed the second bunker. Sgt. Buker refused medical attention and was reorganizing his men to continue the attack when he was mortally wounded. As a direct result of his heroic actions, many casualties were averted, and the assault of the enemy position was successful.
Sgt. Buker’s extraordinary heroism at the cost of his life are in the highest traditions of the military service and reflect great credit on him, his unit, and the U.S. Army.

On September 15, 2010, in accordance with his mother’s wishes, the Buker family donated his Medal of Honor and other memorabilia to his alma mater, Lawrence High School in Fairfield, Maine for display.

His awards and decorations include the Congressional Medal of Honor; Bronze Star Medal; Purple Heart; Vietnamese Gallantry Cross; Combat Infantryman Badge. The Buker Learning Center in Fort Devens, MA is the Digital Training Site (DTS) for Distance Learning for Reserve training.

Photos Courtesy US Army