Special Operations Forces

Calls To Boost Military Budget Adding to Growing Unease in UK

The United States and Great Britain have been staunch allies thru World War I, World War II, the Korean conflict as well as in the Balkans, Iraq, Afghanistan and in Syria. But the lack of spending in the British military has some fearing that the UK’s military prowess will be looked upon as irrelevant unless they receive a huge shot in the arm with budget boosts.

“There is a concern that the U.K. is falling ever further behind and becoming even more useless from a U.S. point of view,” said Andrew Dorman, an associate fellow at Chatham House, a think tank in London.
Britain has traditionally seen itself as one of the world’s leading military powers, and its annual defense spending of 35.3 billion pounds (around $46.6 billion) is still the largest in Europe
But years of squeezed budgets and rising demand in other areas, such as the publicly funded National Health Service, have dented Britain’s military prowess, some warn.
At risk, these experts say, is the so-called special relationship with the U.S., a widespread source of pride among many politicians and the defense establishment.
The British Army has shrunk to 82,000 personnel, which the BBC pointed out is the smallest it’s been since the Napoleonic Wars some 200 years ago.
And in January a government spending watchdog warned that the Ministry of Defense’s shopping list over the next decade was “not affordable” — leaving it as much as 21 billion pounds short (about $27.7 billion).
On Tuesday, lawmakers in the U.K.’s Defense Select Committee published a report urging the government to boost military spending by at least 8 billion pounds a year (around $10 billion) to plug this gaping “black hole” and improve capability elsewhere.
Not only does the U.K. risk “failing both its citizens and its allies,” the report said, but it is also in danger of becoming obsolete in the eyes of its American partners and losing traction in NATO.
“Defense spending is an area where a strong message needs to be sent to our allies and adversaries alike,” said Defense Committee chairman Julian Lewis.

There are many in the British government that fear with President Trump calling for the European allies in NATO to pull more of their own share in defense spending, that the UK will be left far short to defend itself from threats, mainly from the east.

To read the entire article from NBC News click here:

Photo courtesy Wikipedia

Special Operations Forces Selection PT Preparation Week 15, Day 2

Monday morning means our weekly mini-UBRR test to judge where our fitness level is at. Start off with pushups, sit-ups, and crunches, then to the bar for V-ups, Pull-ups, and dips before a 5-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)

5-mile run (40-minute maximum)

Stretch well after completion

Special Operations Forces Selection PT Preparation Week 15, Day 1

Sunday morning 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. With hot, sticky temps in the 90s all week, you don’t want to become a heat-related injury. And if you do it will really set you back in your preparation.

Training:

Warm up

1 x 20 Pushups

1 x 20 Sit-ups

8-mile Rucksack march over varied terrain with a 45-pound minimum. Go as fast as you can without jogging. And mark your times in your workout log book.

Stretch well after completion

Special Operations Forces Selection PT Preparation Week 14, Day 7

Let’s kick off this Saturday morning right and head back to the gym for a shoulder and back workout. Pulldowns, pullups and some shoulder work 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 Seated Rows

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

Russia Withdrawing Troops and Aircraft from Syria

Russia’s President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday that the Russians have withdrawn a large number of troops and aircraft, according to state-run news agency Tass,

Putin said they withdrew more than 1,000 military personnel and more than 20 aircraft from Syria in the last few days.

“Only over the past several days, 13 planes, 14 helicopters and 1,140 personnel have been pulled out [of Syria],” the Russian leader said, state news agency Tass reported. Putin explained that Russia has been removing its forces from the Middle Eastern country since he visited in December.
Tass also reported on Thursday that the Black Sea Fleet frigate Admiral Essen had “accomplished” its mission in the Mediterranean and is headed back to the city of Sevastopol, on the Crimean Peninsula. Russia has a permanent task force in the Mediterranean, with a naval base located in the Syrian coastal city of Tartous.
Putin praised the Russian military’s success in Syria, saying the “army clearly demonstrated its growing potential and better coordination among military units in the struggle with terrorists.”
Earlier this month, Assad said in an interview that he believes the conflict will come to an end in “less than a year.” He added that his army will take back “every inch” of the country, claiming that he has the “support” of his people.
Assad’s army has turned its attention to the country’s southwest region, as the last remaining pockets of rebels have been defeated near Damascus and Homs. Now, the military aims to reconquer the opposition-held area near the border of Jordan and the disputed Golan Heights, which are claimed by Israel and Syria.
But the region has recently become more complicated, with neighboring Israel launching strikes on Iranian-backed militias, which support Assad, stationed in the region. According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, Iran and Tehran-backed militias began withdrawing from the disputed Golan Heights border with Israel last week, as part of a Russian-brokered deal with Israel.

President Trump has reportedly been seeking the help of Putin to curb the Iranian military presence in Syria. Their basing of rockets, especially along the Golan Heights on the border with Israel will only lead to further warfare in Syria and beyond.

To read the entire article from Newsweek, click here:

Photo courtesy Wikipedia

US Military Ends 70 Year Stay in South Korean Capital

The United States formally ended seven decades of military presence in Seoul, South Korea’s capital Friday with a ceremony to mark the opening of a new headquarters.

Camp Humphreys, about 45 miles south of Seoul, has opened and many of the U.S. troops have already moved there. The rest of the command will relocate there by the end of the year.

The U.S. military had been headquartered in Seoul’s central Yongsan neighborhood since American troops first arrived at the end of World War II. The Yongsan Garrison was a symbol of the U.S.-South Korea alliance but its occupation of prime real estate was also a long-running source of friction.
Located in the western port city of Pyeongtaek and close to a U.S. air field, the new 3,510-acre (1,420-hectare) command cost $11 billion to build and is the largest overseas U.S. base. South Korea has paid about 90 percent of the cost.
“This headquarters’ building, within the headquarters’ complex that surrounds it, represents the significant investment in the long-term presence of U.S. forces in Korea,” Gen. Vincent Brooks, the commander of U.S. Forces Korea, said during the opening ceremony. “U.S. Forces Korea will remain the living proof of the American commitment to the alliance.”
In a message read out at the ceremony by an aide, South Korean President Moon Jae-in said that the headquarters is the cornerstone of the U.S.-South Korea alliance.
“In opening a new era of the U.S. forces headquarters in Pyeongtaek, I hope that the U.S.-South Korea alliance will develop beyond a ‘military alliance’ and a ‘comprehensive alliance’ and become a ‘great alliance,'” Moon said in the statement.
The relocation is part of a broad U.S. plan to realign its 28,500 troops and their bases in South Korea into two major hubs: one in Pyeongtaek and the other in the southeastern city of Daegu. U.S. officials say they want to move out of highly populated areas and improve efficiency and military readiness.
“Modern warfare is all about concentrating and deploying forces quickly, and Pyeongtaek in these terms has many advantages because it can really function as an outlet, unlike Yongsan, which was stuck in the middle of a population center,” said Yun Jiwon, a security professor at Pyeongtaek University.

The Yongsan area has always had a foreign military presence. The Chinese, when they occupied the country in the late 19^th century, the Japanese from 1910 thru the end of World War II, and finally the U.S. after the Japanese left occupied it from 1945-1949 but returned a year later when the Korean War began all based in Yongsan.

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

Photo courtesy AP

Special Operations Forces Selection PT Preparation Week 14, Day 6

Friday is Leg Day at the gym. Start off with our favorite, Squats – (Front, Dumbbell Goblet, and Barbell), then 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. Remember….keep hydrating, even in the rain.

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 Deadlifts

3 x 10 Dumbbell Lunges

3 x 10 Romanian Lunges

3 x Weighted Sled Push or Fireman’s Carry

5-mile run (40 mins. Max)

Stretch well after completion

Special Operations Forces Selection PT Preparation Week 14, Day 5

Back to the gym this morning for a Chest and Triceps 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 20 Plank Step Ups

3 x 20 Shoulder Touch Planks

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

Rucking…Time For Another 12-miler Already?

In our recent (6-24) post in the PT Program, we wrote that it was time for the next 12-mile rucksack march. And of course, like the old warhorse that runs to the sound of the gunfire, it seemed like a great idea at the time to do another dozen miles under the pain pill to write about it for our aspiring (and much younger) Special Operations candidates.

I have in the past and continue to push that you read and follow the PT Program that we publish daily here at SpecialOperations.com and if you can do that, then the feeling is here, you’ll be ready to tackle the physical parts of the Special Operations Selection courses.

So on Sunday a little after 4 a.m. in a cool misty rain, we set out and did just that. And we’ll get to the ruck in just a bit. But first some refresher information for our younger, aspiring SOF candidates out there.

Much to the surprise at some of our novice ruckers out there, I’ve stated that our PT preparation work focuses a lot on shoulder work. Why? That is one spot that you’ll find as a novice that will be really sore, sometimes even sorer than your feet. You don’t have to be a bodybuilder to pass selection but if your shoulders are strong, it will take a lot of the stress and strain off when carrying a rucksack as well as climbing the ropes that you’ll experience.

I found, a long, long time ago that I loved rucking and took to it like a duck takes to water. Everyone has their niche, some guys ran (and still do) run like deer. I was never one of those guys. I ran fairly well but it was never a case of anyone mistaking me for Bullet Bob Hayes or Ben Johnson on steroids.

Nope rucking was my thing and I still enjoy it, although my body continues to say otherwise. Having read everything I could get my hands on prior to going to Special Forces, rucking was the rite of passage and the basis of nearly all SF training. There is something tangible and macho about rucking that running and runners don’t necessarily have. Maybe that has always been the appeal for the SOF types, as well as running and lifting.

Once learned the correct way, a good SF trooper learns to handle the rucksack like it is an extension of his own body. And as I’ve written before, I personally found rucking a bit easier for me, being over 6 feet tall. Your leg muscles are the driving forces in rucking. And it is your hips that put everything in good working order. Do some really good hip stretches, (some good ones) and not just before a ruck march but daily and you’ll notice a big, big difference. Speaking of which, I know of one FOG (does anyone need that acronym translated?) that needs to take his own advice and practice those much more.

Practice? Did we just say that dreaded Allen Iverson word? Yep, practice, in not only stretching but in constantly rucking will help make this much-ballyhooed exercise a much easier one to master. It is like anything else, It requires constant practice and repetition, just like shooting.

Ensure that your rucksack fits snugly but without rubbing on your back or shoulders because those will turn into sores. Packing your rucksack correctly is an art that many of the younger troops much learn to master. You’ll hear a lot of different methods and techniques. Find the one that works for you. Speaking just for myself, what worked best was packing the ruck so that the weight is higher up between your shoulder blades. For weights 45 pounds or over I like to ensure that the waist strap is buckled.

For the purpose of this 12-miler, I broke out an old pair of military desert boots from Bates. I like to have a minimum of a couple of pair of boots broken in and ready to go, and for the purpose of this one, I broke out the old ones, which was probably a mistake.

The Bates boots are very good ones and I have a great pair of insoles in them. But in the past, the left boot seems to rub on the two small toes of my foot after a few miles. Sunday would be no exception. So instead of my standby Merrell MOABs, I went with the others. That would be one of only a few issues.

The misty rain, which I mentioned above, picked up at times and I kept getting a steady drip of cold water right down my spine, which while not a show stopper was just annoying as hell and no amount of fiddling with my collar and turning my hat around with the brim facing backward helped….Is there anything more f***ing irritating than water running down your spine? By the time I finished, I had a small river of water running constantly down by back to the crack of my a$$ that felt like the Nile.

The rainy, damp weather while keeping you cool also played hell with the old familiar arthritic pain in the knees…LOL. All things being equal, I’d rather ruck 12 miles in cooler weather than 100-degree sunlight, so there’s that. That’s why I always start at about 4 a.m. beside the fact that my built-in alarm clock always has me up at that time anyway.

Around mile one, I came across a beautiful black lab who was bounding away thru the woods, happy as a clam to find another soul playing out in the dark at that time of the morning. He’d stick with me for the entire way.

Much of my 12-mile course, as I’ve written before goes along the railroad tracks in my area. “Note to self…wet, creosote-soaked railroad ties are slippery as hell and should be avoided walking on as much as possible.” As I was crossing the railroad trestle over the Blackstone River, I slipped on a wet rail and tumbled in a heap.

My newfound friend bounded up and hopped around like “Hey dumbass, you’re not supposed to do that!” …ugh, What genius thought this was a great idea, to begin with. However, that was the extent of my pitfalls.

The miles slipped easily and with the lab bounding around we made great time after that. I had no issues until around mile 8 when that left boot began to rub but that was it. Crossing the trestle on the way back, the dog turned and looked at me like, “watch your step, you FOG”…thanks.

I always carry a heavy walking stick with a snapping turtle skull fixed to the top, which I call my staff of Ra. It is a close replacement for carrying a rifle from the old days and works wonders for fending off the odd unfriendly dog that you’ll come across. I waved goodbye to my traveling companion at the old train station in town which now serves as a senior center. He went bounding back down the tracks, whence he came from originally. Thanks for the company bud.

Coming back thru the center of town, the sun was now up although it was still raining a bit. A local cop stopped at a traffic light called out, “how many miles did you go?” And then added, “You fall down? You look a little muddy.” LOL everybody is a comedian.

Despite the cool wet rain, the need to hydrate constantly while out training is a must. I emptied my Camelbak system that I got from the Crate Club. And it is a habit that you should carry over in your prep work and into the course. With the summer months here, becoming a heat injury can happen quickly. Don’t let that happen to you.

The 12-miler wasn’t bad at all. However, being a FOG it was the aftermath that was painful. Since Sunday, I’ve been doing my best Walter Brennan imitation walking around. Getting old sucks, but it is what it is. When is the next one?

C-ya on the rucking trail. “Boots, boots… there’s no discharge in the war”

If anyone has any questions, feel free to send them along to [email protected] or at my Twitter page @SteveB7SFG and I’ll be glad to answer them.

Photo courtesy of US Army

Special Operations Forces Selection PT Preparation Week 14, Day 4

Wednesday is a light Shoulders and Back training day in the gym before heading off to do the SOF (Special Operations Forces) Triathlon. A 3-mile run, a rucksack march, and a swim with fatigues and boots.

These are three things that you’ll have to be able to do well to pass Selection. If your plans include being a Marine Raider or a Navy SEAL, then being a good swimmer and being more comfortable in the water with your gear on is a must.

Training:

More Preparation for the UBRR:

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

2 x 12 Lat Pulldowns, front

2 x 10 Dumbbell Side Raises

2 x 10 Dumbbell Front Raises

2 x 10 Dumbbell Arnold Press

2 x 8 Shoulder Shrugs

3-mile Run (24 minutes maximum)

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

100-meter swim in fatigues and boots

Stretch well after completion