Special Operations Forces

Special Operations Forces Selection PT Preparation Week 7, Day 3

Tuesday is our favorite Leg Day at the gym, but we’ll begin with pull-ups, squats, and lunges to build up the strength in your lower body. That builds the muscles necessary for carrying a rucksack, which is the bread and butter of SOF.

Then a four-mile run in 32 minutes or less which is the standard.

Training:

Continue to prep for the UBRR

3 x Pullups 10 reps

3 x Towel pull-ups 10 reps

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

3 x 10 Deadlifts reps

4 x Sled push heavier weight or Fireman’s Carry

3 x 10 reps Dumbbell Lunges

3 x 20 Side planks

4-Mile run (32-minutes maximum)

Stretch well after completion

Don’t Expect Anything to Come From Kerry’s Disdain for the Logan Act

The news this week has shown that since the pressure is being ramped up to repeal the Iran nuclear deal that John Kerry has been openly working behind the scenes, contrary to what the administration is saying and trying to save the Iran nuclear deal that he helped push thru with the Obama administration.

The Boston Globe published a piece that had Kerry engaging in shadow diplomacy behind the scenes meeting twice with Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif trying to find ways to keep their deal in place. He’s also been in contact with German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, who not so coincidentally is Germany’s most strident anti-Trump voice. During the 2016 elections, Steinmeier, who was a big supporter of Barrack Obama called Trump a “hate preacher.”

Kerry met with the High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Federica Mogherini who was part of the Iran deal on the European side. Mogherini has been criticized as someone who is far too soft on Iran and gave a speech stating that “Islam belongs in Europe politics.”

Kerry has also met with French President Macron twice, in NY and Paris to discuss sanctions and the regional nuclear question.

His actions have widely called for him to be charged under the Logan Act. He’s had 40+ years of violating it, as he’s constantly been at odds with it. Even Alan Dershowitz has said that if the Logan Act were to be enforced, Kerry should be charged.

But first what is the Logan Act and why was it put on the books.

The Logan Act was written in 1798 while President John Adams was in a period of increased tensions with France. After several envoys from Adams’ Federalist Party made no headway with the French, Dr. George Logan, a state legislator, and pacifist met with several French leaders. It was a big scandal of the day because Logan’s meetings deliberately undermined the policies of the current administration.

The law passed in 1799 by a 58-36 vote in the House and 18-2 in the Senate states:

953. Private correspondence with foreign governments.

Any citizen of the United States, wherever he may be, who, without authority of the United States, directly or indirectly commences or carries on any correspondence or intercourse with any foreign government or any officer or agent thereof, with intent to influence the measures or conduct of any foreign government or of any officer or agent thereof, in relation to any disputes or controversies with the United States, or to defeat the measures of the United States, shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than three years, or both.
This section shall not abridge the right of a citizen to apply himself, or his agent, to any foreign government, or the agents thereof, for redress of any injury which he may have sustained from such government or any of its agents or subjects.

The writers of the act left the language somewhat vague as to allow the government certain flexibility in using or possibly abusing it. However, only twice since 1799 has anyone ever been charged under the Logan Act. Once in 1802 and another in 1852 and neither one resulted in a conviction.

Kerry has a very long history of siding with the people who are not our friends or allies and several of these may be violations of the Logan Act. They include but are not limited to:

During the Vietnam War, Kerry likened Ho Chi Minh to George Washington and falsely claimed that U.S. troops were widely committing war crimes.
Joined Cuba and the Soviet Union in denouncing the U.S. invasion of Grenada in 1983
Called President Reagan a warmonger for wanting to beef up U.S. missiles in Europe.
Denounced U.S. aid for the Contras in Nicaragua and openly solicited talks with Daniel Ortega
Called the bombing of Libya and Gaddafi “unjustified”
Sided with PLO Chairman Yasser Arafat and was against Israel putting up a border fence for security
Kerry argued that Iran needs nuclear power and while they continue to try to build nuclear weapons which will be used against allies in the Middle East, continues to push the agenda.
Kerry’s organization, called Diplomacy Works, consisting of many of his staff from Washington is making dozens of phone calls, writing newspaper pieces, producing television snippets, all in an effort to undermine the current administration and its policies.

So while several conservative media outlets are calling for Kerry to be charged under the Logan Act, if you think it is going to happen, don’t hold your breath. First of all, finding a prosecutor who wants to go down that slippery slope will be extremely hard if not impossible to find. No one wants to touch this political hot potato. Why?

Despite several Republicans calling out Kerry for undermining the Trump administration, they don’t want to see Kerry charged because they don’t want the same law being used against them. And rest assured, many Republicans are just as cavalier with the act as are the Democrats and in this case Kerry.

Democrats were quick to point the finger at Mike Flynn with his meetings with Russia after the election. But the difference, at least there was that Flynn was representing the administration that was getting set to take over, not one who had been out of office for more than a year.

John Kerry is the former secretary of state and former senator holds no governmental office. He is not authorized to speak on behalf of the United States. And there can’t be any question now that he is actively trying to undermine current American foreign policy by trying to salvage the nuclear deal with Iran that he in part negotiated.

Will the current Secretary of State and former head of the Central Intelligence Agency Mike Pompeo order him to stand down and to stop negotiating on behalf of the United States? That is possible but if done so, will probably be done quietly and with little fanfare. Of course, if ordered to do so, there is also little doubt that the President’s own phone will be relaying the details thru Twitter.

But will Kerry face the music in court for violating the Logan Act? Those odds would be astronomical. He’s skated by for more than 40 years now, why would anything change?

Photo: Wikipedia

Green Berets Helping Saudis Target Missile Sites in Yemen

Despite publicly stating that they are trying to stay out of the Saudi Arabia – Yemen conflict, the Pentagon is expanding their presence by sending Green Berets to help allied Saudi forces target and knock out Houthi missile sites.

Late in 2017, a team of Special Forces soldiers deployed to Saudi Arabia to aid the targeting of Houthi missile sites. The Houthi rebels are closely allied with Iran.

Details of the Green Beret operation, which has not been previously disclosed, were provided to The New York Times by U.S. officials and European diplomats.
They appear to contradict Pentagon statements that U.S. military assistance to the Saudi-led campaign in Yemen is limited to aircraft refueling, logistics and general intelligence sharing.
There is no indication that the U.S. commandos have crossed into Yemen as part of the mission.
But sending U.S. ground forces to the border is a marked escalation of Western assistance to target Houthi fighters who are deep in Yemen.
Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., a member of the Armed Services Committee, on Thursday called the Green Berets mission a “purposeful blurring of lines between train-and-equip missions and combat.” He cited the report in The New York Times and called for a new congressional vote on the authorization for the use of military force, war-powers legislation used by three successive presidents in conflict zones around the world.
Beyond its years as a base for al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula, Yemen has been convulsed by civil strife since 2014, when the Shiite Muslim rebels from the country’s north stormed the capital, Sanaa. The Houthis, who are aligned with Iran, ousted the government of President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi, the main U.S. counterterrorism partner in Yemen.
In 2015, a military coalition led by Saudi Arabia began bombing the Houthis, who have responded by firing missiles into the kingdom. Yet there is no evidence that the Houthis directly threaten the United States; they are a group with no operations outside Yemen and have not been classified by the U.S. government as a terrorist group.
The Green Berets, the Army’s Special Forces, deployed to the border in December, weeks after a ballistic missile fired from Yemen sailed close to Riyadh. The Saudi military said it intercepted the missile over the city’s international airport, a claim that was cast in doubt by an analysis of photos and videos of the strike. But it was enough for Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to renew a long-standing request that the United States send troops to help the kingdom combat the Houthi threat.

The commander of the US Central Command, General Joseph Votel told Congress in March that the U.S. was authorized to help the Saudis protect their border through intelligence sharing, logistics support and through military advice. Just a few weeks ago the Armed Services Committee in the Senate was briefed that there are 50 U.S. personnel in Saudi Arabia and they are “largely helping on the ballistic-missile threat.”

To read the entire article from Seattle Times, click here:

File Photo Wikipedia of a Special Forces soldier targeting insurgents

Iraqi Prime Minister: Air Force Hits Islamic State Targets in Syria

Iraqi air force planes have attacked Islamic State targets in Syria that were reportedly occupied by ISIS commanders. They targeted the positions as the terror group is still a threat to them as well.

The airstrike was confirmed by Iraqi Prime Minister Abadi’s office in a statement released on Sunday morning.

One of the strikes targeted a position south of the town of Deshaisha, the statement said.
ISIL commanders, according to Abadi, used the base, situated near the city of Deir Az Zor in the country’s east.
Iraq launched air raids on Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL, also known as ISIS) positions several times over the past year with the support of the Syrian government and the US-led coalition fighting ISIL.
ISIL, also known by its Arabic acronym “Daesh,” controlled significant portions of Iraq and Syria. At its peak, the group ruled over roughly 110,000sq km between the two countries.
By October 2017, the group’s territory had been reduced to about 10,000sq km, mostly in Syria’s east.
ISIL’s administrative capital was once in Mosul, a large city in western Iraq. Mosul was freed by the Iraqi military and militias collaborating with the US-led coalition in July 2017 after nearly a year of battles.
Abadi stated at an April meeting of his ruling Darwa party that Iraq’s “land war with Daesh has ended. We have saved all the land of our country and taken control of the Syrian border.
“But the danger of Daesh’s ideology and sleeper cells remains. I should warn everyone about that,” he said.

The Iraqis were being proactive in targeting the ISIS positions, they know as the noose tightens around them in Syria, they’ll be looking to slip back into Iraq once again.

To read the entire article from Al Jazeera, click here:

Photo :Wikipedia File photo of Iraqi pilot firing a Hellfire missile

Special Operations Forces Selection PT Preparation Week 7, Day 2

Some good pretest work for the Upper Body Round Robin (UBRR) with many of the exercises that will be tested. Always go for perfect form when doing the pushups, it will be an area that is always looked at hard during the PT tests in Selection.

After the exercises, a three-mile run, the standard is 24 minutes, we’ll look to do better than that. Mark the time in your workout logbook

Training:

More preparation for the UBRR

2 x 1-minute Pushups

2 x 1-minute Sit-ups

2 x 1-minute, Crunches

2 x 1-minute, V-ups

2 x Dips as many as possible to muscle failure (no time limit)

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

3-mile run (24-minutes maximum)

Stretch well after completion

Special Operations Forces Selection PT Preparation Week 7, Day 1

It is time for our Sunday morning ruck march. We’ll do a six-mile course today over varied terrain, aim for a time better than the standard of 90 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

6-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

Special Operations Forces Selection PT Preparation Week 6, Day 7

Back to the gym on Saturday for some shoulders and back work. The towel pull-ups are for those who don’t have access to climbing ropes. We’ll finish off today by running some speed (sprints) work for cardio.

Ensure you stay hydrated and drink plenty of water, stay in the habit. Log your numbers down in the workout notebook

Training:

More Preparation for the UBRR:

3 x 10 Lat Pulldowns, rear

3 x 10 Barbell Dead Lift

3 x 10 Wide Grip Pull-ups

3 x 10 Towel Pull-ups

3 x 10 Seated Rows

3 x 10 Seated Bent-Over Delt Raise

3 x 10 Dumbbell Shoulder Press

3 x 10 Arnold Dumbbell Press

4 x 25-meter Shuttle Run

10 x 50-meter sprints

Stretch well after completion

Germany Planned to Stockpile Vast Cold War Chemical Munitions

The West German military during the Cold War planned to stockpile vast amounts of chemical weapons to stave off a Soviet Union invasion into the west. They also planned on using them, despite long-time denials by the government.

War, Auschwitz, chemical weapons: never again. This was what the newly formed Federal Republic of Germany swore after the horrors of two World Wars. The German Empire had, after all, been responsible for the first ever use of poison gas during World War I, and the majority of chemical weapons were developed by German chemists — including Zyklon B, which the Nazi regime used until 1945 to commit mass murder during the Holocaust.
Yet less than 20 years later, the West German government planned to break this taboo. In 1961, West Germany initiated a debate in top-secret meetings with NATO. It called for the United States not to be the only country with the deterrent and retaliatory capability of chemical agents.
“We cannot do without such a means,” Friedrich Foertsch, the inspector general of Germany’s military, the Bundeswehr, said at the time. In the event of a Soviet attack, NATO anticipated a swift chemical weapons strike via the Warsaw Pact countries.
The documents that have now been disclosed and made available to a team of journalists from German regional public broadcasters NDR and WDR, and daily Süddeutsche Zeitung, attest that in 1963 West Germany Defense Minister Kai-Uwe von Hasse secretly asked the US to supply his government with chemical weapons.
The US Department of State, however, expressed serious reservations. “That was very serious business. The political problem would be immense,” remembers Matthew Meselson, a chemical weapons expert who was an adviser to the US government at the time.
“This was a really hot potato, and only the president could decide that.”
Washington considered the proposal in detail but in 1966 ultimately decided against a transfer. The US did, however, leave open the possibility of making chemical weapons available to its allies in the event of a war.
Concurrently, from 1962 until at least 1968, a small group of high-ranking Bundeswehr officers were making detailed plans for a possible chemical weapons attack — on the instructions of the inspector general, and in consultation with defense ministers and deputy ministers. The documents show the military suggested procuring 14,000 tons of chemical weapons for the Bundeswehr from the US and, if war broke out, using artillery and the air force to deploy them against Warsaw Pact troops.

West Germany was forbidden to possess chemical weapons at the time and the recent document that has brought into the light the desire to not only possess but use these highlights the fears of a Soviet invasion back then.

Officially the German government owns no chemical weapons.

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

Photo courtesy Wikipedia

Russian Troops Getting New, Updated Rifles AK-12, AK-15

Russian military troops will soon be fielding new weapons systems, the AK-12, and AK-15 rifles will replace the Cold War era AKM which is based on the venerable AK-47 design.

Russian soldiers currently carry the AK-74M assault rifle. This 5.45-millimeter rifle is descended from the 7.62-millimeter AK-47, which was introduced in 1947. The AK-74 was introduced in the 1970s and modernized to the -M standard in 1991. The Russian Army retains a stockpile of approximately two million AK-74s in different variants.
The Russian military has long wanted to field a new rifle but having more AK-74s than soldiers made this a relatively low priority. Russia also wanted a rifle with a sufficient increase in performance to warrant the cost, Meanwhile, the country’s defense budget has yo-yoed over the last decade due to the price oil and the effects of economic sanctions, causing more delays.
The AK-12 and AK-15 rifles are similar to the AK-74M on the inside and out. The main difference between the two new guns is that the AK-12 is chambered for the same ammunition as the AK-74M, 5.45 x 39-millimeter, while the AK-15 is chambered for 7.62 x 39, the same ammunition as the older AK-47. It’s not clear why Russia will buy two different caliber rifles, but bear in mind that its military is also sitting on a mountain of Cold War-era 7.62 x 39 ammunition, and AK-15s could be assigned to rear area and low-priority combat troops.
The main difference between the AK-74M and the AK-12/15 appears to be the new rifles are set up to accommodate weapon accessories that have become must-haves in modern, high-tech armies. The AK-12/15 features two Picatinny rails, an accessory mounting system invented by the U.S. Army’s Picatinny Arsenal for attaching items such as rifle scopes, red dot sights, and laser pointers. The AK-12/15 features a second rail under the barrel for attaching a vertical foregrip. The new rifles also have what appears to be an M-4 carbine-style buffer tube for attaching buttstocks and adjusting the weapon’s length of pull.
The manufacturer, Kalashnikov concern, says the rifles are 34.64 to 37 inches long, feature a 16.33-inch barrel, and weigh 7.7 pounds unloaded. Both rifles have a rate of fire of 700 rounds a minute and use 30-round magazines.

So, it appears the Russian troops will soon have plenty of weapon accessories copying the American model. Isn’t imitation being the sincerest form of flattery?

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

Photo courtesy Kalashnikov

Special Operations Forces Selection PT Preparation Week 6, Day 6

Friday morning at the gym means that it is Leg Day our favorite day of the week. Start off with some Squats – front, dumbbell goblet, and barbell. After the weighted sled push, and some lunges mixed in there as well, we’ll finish off with a 4-mile run.

The leg training is very important as it will help your strength and endurance during the ruck marches and will prepare you for life in the operational units where the rucks and gear get heavier.

Training:

Continue to prep for the UBRR.

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

3 x 10 Deadlifts

3 x 10 Barbell Squats

3 x 10 Dumbbell Lunges

3 x 10 Leg Extensions

3 x Weighted sled push of substitute Fireman’s Carry

4-mile run (32 minutes maximum)

Stretch well after completion