Special Operations Forces

Chief of Staff – Special Operations Forces the Model to Prepare for Future Wars

The US Army is still embroiled in wars in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Syria but is already planning on the next one, battling it out in mega cities. And the model that their using is being patterned after US Special Operations forces.

Army Chief of Staff Mark Milley stated this week that military will have ten years to prepare for combat in what he categorized as mega cities with a population of 10 million people in the surrounding urban area and said that the structure of Special Operations Forces will be the key to operating in the next great conflict.

“What this means then — and I have discussed this with the Army leadership — we are going to have to … optimize the Army for urban warfare. […] The Army will definitely have to organize differently, probably into smaller, more compartmented groups,” Gen Milley said at the Future of War Conference 2017.
“We will have to have, what I think, is a lot of relatively small formations that are networked and can leverage Air Force and naval-delivered joint fires.”
“If you think of how some of our special operations operate today, that may be a preview of how large your Army operates in the future,” the officer continued. “That doesn’t mean you do away with battalions and brigades, but the fighting element will probably end up having to be a much smaller entity. […] If you stay stationary for any length of time, say more than a couple of hours, you are probably going to get killed.”

Milley was speaking at the Future of War Conference 2017 in Washington, D.C and stated that while divisions and brigades will still play a large role in the military, the smaller units, the battalions will play a big role in urban combat.

But he warned that the Army will not become “Special Forces on steroids.”

To read the entire article from the Washington Times click here:

Photo courtesy DOD

The GORUCK Challenge is a Fun, Interesting Event While Prepping For Selection

While preparing to go to Selection, there is a lot of individual work that must be put in. Finding and breaking in the best boots for your feet and prepping your feet for the long road ahead. Then there is the Land Navigation training and map reading which, if you aren’t ready for can be daunting. Then, of course, is the physical training, and finally, the rucking that goes in to prepare. No one says you can’t have a little fun while rucking and preparing for Selection which leads us the GORUCK Challenge.

What is GORUCK? GORUCK is a company that was started by Jason McCarthy after his Special Forces service with the 10^th SFG(A). He originally was trying to just sell his gear that he was manufacturing. But then he got an idea to promote the gear and let people, many of whom had never rucked or experienced anything close to being in the military a little taste of what Selection is like.

But this event is built on having fun, sweating up a storm, working within a team and accomplishing a goal under the watchful gaze of a Special Operations cadre member. It is built around events that you’ll encounter in Selection, doing PT in the sand, or in some cases the water, carrying heavy objects as a team, (logs, telephone pole sections) and then building an apparatus that has to carry about 500 pounds and then moving it around a city in the US. Sounds strangely familiar?

The different GORUCK events last anywhere from:
The Light – 4-5 hours, 7-10 mile distance

The Tough – 10-12 hours, 15-20 mile distance

The Heavy – 24+ hours, 40+ miles distance

Selection – 48+ hours, 80+ miles distance (has a less than 5 percent finish rate)

They also have an Orienteering course, a Scavenger Hunt, as well as others.

So, while you’re having fun, you are also getting some difficult and useful training in. Preparing for Selection is a lot of work. It is demanding, tough and generally a lonely process, as the onus is on yourself to get ready for the challenge ahead.

This is a chance to put together a like-minded group of individuals to enjoy the camaraderie of the course, getting some challenging training in, all while in a much more light-hearted atmosphere than the Selection courses.

If you want to give your friends a taste of wait awaits you or just want to get training partners involved in a break from the monotony of singular training than the GORUCK challenge would be a fun way to do just that. And if your Land Navigation is a particularly weak area, the 36-hour Navigator course, taught by Special Forces cadre members will be a good, learning tool while also being taught some survival skills.

Now don’t think that this is a harbinger of things to come at Selection. There is no way, I’d ever try to sell you that and the GORUCK people wouldn’t either. Their course is based on having fun while you’re working your tail off.

I’m in the midst now of trying to convince some friends and family members to put together a team and attempt one of the challenges that are upcoming in the next few months. My wife thinks I’m insane to want to do this, “After all this time, you want to go back to being in selection?” Perhaps she has a point.

But being a Special Forces guy means always being up to the challenge, right? That’s what it is all about. That and doing what we love and most importantly doing it with the ones we love. That being said, I doubt I’ll have any luck convincing anyone to do the Selection challenge, but hey, it is time to throw the ruck on and get outside and work out the kinks this morning. Let’s go rucking.

Photo courtesy of GORUCK

SOF Selection PT Preparation 3.22.2017

Back to the gym today. Unlike last week where we went heavier weight with less reps, we’re going the opposite this time, building up the endurance.

Training:

More Preparation for the UBRR:

Run 3 miles and record your time

Then, head into the gym:

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

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

3 x 10 Pull-ups

3 x 10 reps Standing Arnold Press

3 x 20 Push ups

30 x “V”ups

Stretch well after completion

US Drops Special Operations Near Raqqa, Cuts Off ISIS Escape Route

The US-led coalition has dropped both American and Syrian fighters behind the city of Raqqa in an effort to cut off the ISIS escape route out of the city. That’s an encouraging sign that perhaps the battle to drive out the insurgents from Syria is going well.

According to reports from inside Syria, five helicopters, supported by five fighter jets, dropped US Marines and dozens of Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) fighters near the northern town of Shurfa on Wednesday afternoon.

The purpose of the operation is to seize the key Tabqa dam across the Euphrates River. This will isolate Raqqa from the remaining ISIS-controlled territory in Syria. Raqqa was named the capital city of the self-styled caliphate.

The group said in a statement that the operation was in preparation for an assault on Tabqa, an ISIL redoubt 28 miles west of Raqqa.
They claimed to have captured four villages and severed the main artery running between the extremists’ de facto capital and the western countryside.
Top officials from the 68-nation alliance are set to meet in Washington today to hear more about a revised plan drafted by the Pentagon and presented to US President Donald Trump in February.
The meeting was the first of all the coalition’s top diplomats since September 2014.

Meanwhile, the US and President Donald Trump are having discussions on whether or not to continue to support the YPG, the Kurdish group that is fighting ISIS but is considered a terrorist organization by Turkey and President Erdogan. If the US should shift its allegiance away from YPG, it could signal a thawing of relations between Washington and Ankara.

The US is also ramping up plans to add another 1000 troops to Syria in support of the SDF.

To read the entire article from the Telegraph click here:

Photo courtesy DOD

Special Operations At the Forefront Of Trump’s Counter-Terror Plan

President Donald Trump is using Special Operations troops to carry the fight against Islamic terrorists across the globe in an attempt to minimize large conventional troop deployments.

Trump will continue the plan put in place by the Obama administration to train, equip, advise, and support the indigenous forces in the region rather than post large American conventional forces on deployments overseas.

The global reach of Special Operators is widening. During the peak of the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan, nearly 13,000 Special Operations Forces were deployed on missions across the globe, but a large majority were assigned to those two countries. Now more than half of the 8600 of the elite troops overseas are posted outside the Middle East or South Asia, operating in 97 countries according to the Special Operations Command.
Still, about one-third of the 6000 American troops in Iraq and Syria are Special Operators, many of whom are advising local troops and militias on the front lines. About a quarter of the 8400 troops in Afghanistan are special operators.
In Africa, about one-third of the 6000 troops assigned there are special operators.

The Special Operations forces of the US continue to do the work in trying to eliminate the terrorist enclaves around the world. And the president is removing some of the shackles that have constrained them under the previous administration, such as loosening the constraints on drone attacks, as seen by the strike recently against Al-Qaeda extremists meeting in a mosque, despite claims that they were civilians.

The US is expanding its influence in Africa, conducting counter-terrorism exercises in Chad, equipping and training local forces and building a $50 million dollar drone base in Niger that will monitor the ISIS insurgents that operate between Chad and Senegal.

To read the entire article from the New York Times click here:

Photo courtesy DOD

SOF Selection PT Preparation 3.21.2017

Today is a swim day, which hasn’t been a big focus on here recently but should be.

Remember the swim test is a big part of the initial testing phase and many candidates fail to properly prepare for it.

Warm up first – 3 x 30 seconds each of Mountain climbers and Spider-Man planks

Swim 300 meters with fatigues and boots. Ensure you wear the uniform and boots because when you’re swimming with them as on the Selection test it will feel like little gremlins are pulling you down in the water from the corners of your uniform.

Stretch well after completion

Special Operations Sustainment Brigade Gets New home at Fort Bragg

Special Operations troops from Ft. Bragg have the only airborne sustainment brigade in the US Army. And the 528^th Special Operations Sustainment Brigade has a new home on Ft. Bragg.

The unit had been spread around the post but now occupies a 70,000-square foot facility, which is more than four times of the old one. The new headquarters is located in the new Yarborough Special Operations Forces Complex. Besides the 528^th, it also holds units from the 3^rd Special Forces Group and the 95^th Civil Affairs Bn.

The brigade will furnish support in the areas of parachute rigging, logistical support, signal support, military intelligence and medical support for the Special Operations community according to the Brigade’s commander, Col. Lance Curtis.

Maj. Gen. James E. Kraft, commanding general of the brigade’s higher headquarters, the 1st Special Forces Command, said the headquarters was a “world-class facility” for “world class soldiers.”
He praised the soldiers for their efforts in support of Special Forces, psychological operations, and civil affairs troops. The 528th is the only sustainment brigade in the special operations community and the only airborne sustainment brigade in the entire Army.
The unit provides vital support to ongoing special operations missions and currently has about 125 soldiers deployed across 20 countries.
“Thanks for all you’ve done,” Kraft said. “Thanks in advance for all you’re going to do.”

This project is part of a huge overall plan to modernize and update the Special Operations community on base. It has been in the works for more than a decade in the making and allows with the demolition of the brigade’s old, outdated headquarters at the corner of Reilly and Gruber roads to make room for updated construction at the John F. Kennedy Special Warfare Center and School.

Eventually, all of the Special Operations forces will reside in the Yarborough Complex which is located on the site of the post’s old ammunition supply point.

To read the entire article from the Fayetteville Observer click here:

Photo courtesy US Army

Special Operations Forces Industry Conference to Meet in May at Tampa

Thousands of government, defense, and industry professionals within the Special Operations community are expected to attend the Special Operations Forces Industry Conference (SOFIC) in Tampa, Florida. The conference which will take place from May 15-18 at the Tampa Convention Center, will showcase the latest technology and provide opportunities for interaction and collaboration among academia, government, industry leaders and the Special Operations Forces (SOF) community.

USSOCOM will open the conference with their “USSOCOM Marketplace” an available resource that will allow prospective customers an opportunity to explore doing business with USSOCOM. It will be especially valuable to those attempting to do business with USSOCOM for the first time.

“SOFIC provides the best opportunity to network with and engage the Special Operations Forces community,” said NDIA President and CEO Gen. Craig McKinley, USAF (Ret.). “As we seek to maintain the edge in technology and maintain our advantage, it’s important that these conversations take place among industry, the military, academia, and other stakeholders so we can work together to find the best solutions to enhance our capabilities.”
More than ten thousand attendees are expected at 2017 SOFIC and 400 companies and organizations will display their products and services in a sold-out exhibit hall. The complete list of speakers and current agenda for 2017 SOFIC can be viewed here.
Please follow updates on Twitter using #SOFIC and on YouTube at YouTube.com/SOFICTV. Additional information can be found at sofic.org.

In addition, there is expected to be numerous panel discussions and industry updates on the latest technology as it applies to Special Operations. On May 16-17 there is a presentation by the manufacturers of the TALOS “Iron Man” suit for Special Operations Forces as well as “Operation SOFtalk” a networking opportunity to discuss different facets of USSOCOM with the command’s senior leaders in an informal environment.

To read the entire article from PRNewswire click here:

Photo courtesy DOD

What NOT to Do If You Want to Pass Selection

Passing Selection is the rite of passage for every Special Operations unit in the world. And that is why we’re here right? The courses are designed to be incredibly hard for a reason and a very good one. The operating environment that Special Operations many times must perform in is often extreme. Carrying a lot of gear on your back in the heat of Iraq or in the mountains of Afghanistan isn’t a walk in the park. And all the while you’ll have a determined, hardened enemy that is trying to kill you.

In past articles, we’ve described at some of the obstacles that you’ll face in the course and the tips and best ways that we’ve come across in our experiences that will help you navigate thru the course and get selected. But this piece is the other side of the spectrum, in this one, we’ll deal with the negative, an area Special Operations people don’t dwell in. These are the things you shouldn’t do, ever if you want to get selected and move on to an active Special Operations unit.

Not Taking Everything Seriously: This will sound crazy perhaps but many of the candidates get off on the wrong foot on Day 1 and it can end up costing them down the road. Many of the young soldiers coming into Selection are focused on the physical side and only that. There is a good reason to, the courses are designed to smoke you and wear you down. But remember “Assessment Never Ends”, you’ll hear this often. Remember it and don’t ever forget it.

You’ll be asked to take a battery of psychological tests and they’re quite lengthy. Some of the questions will seem odd and make no sense. And you’ll get asked the same questions multiple times but it will be worded differently. It is designed that way to see if you’re telling the truth and taking it seriously. It is designed to identify potential psychopathic or sociopathic tendencies in some candidates.

While working at SFAS, there were a few, not a lot of soldiers who took this part of Selection as a joke. This isn’t the time to be cavalier, it matters, everything does. Not answering truthfully will raise its head in the test and it may ultimately cost you.

Being Late, Light, or Last: These three little sins will get a candidate washed out quicker than any other. You’re being assessed on your potential to be in one of the premier Special Operations units in the world. And showing up late ever isn’t the way to impress upon the cadre that you want to be there.

Unless things have changed drastically, at Selection the students are kept in the dark about what event is coming next until shortly before it happens. The cadre will update a dry erase board usually 15 minutes or so before the next event and will have the uniform that the candidates must be in. Most classes learn quickly to have a candidate from each hut placed outside near the board to keep everyone appraised of updates.

Being light is a cardinal sin and there is no excuse for it. Your rucksack has to weigh what they said it must weigh and it is always the weight specified without food and water. The instructors will always use the same scales that the candidates use so there will never be a discrepancy there. If the standard says 45 pounds, then 44 pounds,15 ounces is a fail. That doesn’t mean to go overboard either.

One winter class in SFAS, one candidate came in straggling at the rear. His rucksack weighed 75 pounds! That didn’t curry favor with the instructors, in fact, it had the opposite effect. Be safe, be in the green but don’t overdo it. A pound or two over the limit won’t hurt you physically and gives the psychological reassurance that you’re well within the standards.

Being last is, next to being light the kiss of death in selection. Do the math, the failure rate for selection is high, even those who make it to the end aren’t guaranteed to be selected, so being last in any event isn’t a good thing. That doesn’t mean that because you happened to bolo one event that you’re screwed. And we’ll get more to that below but the simple fact is that is a situation you don’t want to put yourself in.

Self-Assessing Yourself: This is a big one. So many candidates take a look around themselves and the daunting task that is selection and psyche themselves right out of the course. They become so self-critical that they’ll convince themselves that they are doing terribly.

One class in SFAS, there was senior NCO who came from an LRSU unit and he positively smoked every run and ruck march during the course. But instead of being back in his unit where he was far out in front of every such event, in SFAS he wasn’t. He took it to mean he was performing substandardly when the total opposite was true. He self-assessed himself and did a poor job of it. He voluntarily withdrew until “I can get my shit together and do the course right.”

You don’t know what or how the cadre is assessing you at any given time and that isn’t your job. To quote my man BB, Do Your Job. Let them do theirs. If you’re still giving 100 percent every day and still standing there in the formation, that is all you should be worrying about. If you’re self-assessing yourself, you’ll be looking at a sad face in the mirror.

Listening to the Rumor Mill: These used to kill me. There is something about Selection that turns good, hardened soldiers into a ladies’ sewing circle. This goes right along with self-assessment. Listening to the rumor mill is an unnecessary drain on your energy and serves no purpose. And invariably the rumors are wrong, to begin with.

Many nights, my bud Doug P. and I as well as other cadre members would move between the huts dressed as the candidates were and gauged their reactions to the training for the day. And to check to see if candidates were sleeping before lights out or eating in the barracks, (heel stomp…you’re always being assessed). By the second week of the course, they rarely if ever noticed our presence as cadre.

And by far, the rumor mill was always the most entertaining. As the course went along the rumors always got better.

Not Drinking Enough Water: This is especially true in the summer classes, but candidates can get equally dehydrated in the winter. Studies have shown that a person that is only 1-2 percent dehydrated is already in danger of making poor decisions. And invariably, one of those always ends up being not stopping long enough to drink water.

You’re going to be tested, pushed, and smoked during the course. That what it was designed to do. Your body will sweat profusely even in the winter during these events. And many times, candidates will think they don’t have to drink as much. Don’t buy that line of thinking.

Getting dehydrated is a sure-fire way to get medically washed out of the course, it can lead to poor decision making, cramping, heat exhaustion, heat stroke and even death as we saw a few years during the SAS selection event in Wales.

Not Being a Team Player: This one is self-explanatory. Selection is an individual assessment conducted in a team environment. So yes, you’re being assessed as an individual. But part of that assessment and a VERY BIG part of it is how well you work within a team.

Lone Wolves don’t cut it. You can ace every individual event but if you aren’t a team player, the cadre will notice and so will your peers. And peer evaluation goes a long way. Certain soldiers will have areas that they’re stronger in than their peers. If they don’t help their teammates, then they’ll ultimately fail.

This is an area where many of the officers not selected ultimately fail. They perform very well when in charge of an event but balk at taking orders from lower ranking candidates when it becomes their turn to lead an event.

SOF Selection PT Preparation 3.20.2017

Continue to prep for the UBRR and get some speed work in on the runs

Training:

3 x Pullups 20, 15, 12 reps
3 x Dips 20, 15, 12 reps. With a 25lb weight tied around your waist
3 x Situps 50 reps each
3 x Pushups 50 reps each
3 x 25-meter Shuttle Run,
4 x 1-mile Run time each and get an average time

Stretch well after completion