training

Op-Ed: Why Do Women in Basic Training Make the News? They are SOF Candidates

Just the other day the news broke that the Air Force had a woman in the training pipeline to be a member of the Air Force’s Special Operations Command (AFSOC). By entering the pipeline, she became just the 5th woman to attempt to join AFSOC.

The woman chose the very important and demanding career path to be one the Air Force’s TACP operators. The TACP stands for Tactical Air Control Party. The TACP operators have the tough job of embedding with Army and Marine Corps ground units and calling for airstrikes. Many times these airstrikes are the difference between life and death for the ground units and they have to be on-time, and on-target.

The training to become a TACP is tough physically, mentally and technically. They can talk to any friendly aircraft in the sky and know the capabilities and how to put them to use. Reading that the Air Force has another woman in the TACP training pipeline as well piqued my interest. I started to search articles to find out how these women were doing in her training.

Expecting foolishly to hear that her training was almost done, it wasn’t close to being true. Surprise, surprise, surprise (Gomer Pyle voice), I find out that this woman is just entering basic training at Lackland Air Force Base. Really? Are we as a country, that hung up on female inclusion into Special Operations that we’re going to make a big deal of a poor kid that has just entered boot camp? We’ve heard the same thing with the Navy and a couple of women who hadn’t entered training yet but volunteered for the Navy’s Special Warfare Training.

Thus far, the Air Force has not released the airman’s name and that is the absolute correct answer. I hope they keep it that way. We, as in the American public, don’t need to know anything about her or her progress in training because that’s the way the courses are designed to run. When…and if she graduates her training course, then, by all means, it becomes news and it should be reported on.

Ever since the Defense Department opened combat career fields to women in 2015, few females have attempted the Special Operations career fields of each service. Only a handful of airmen have qualified and entered TACP training, one was injured and was not able to complete the training and another failed for not meeting the standards. That’s why they call it “Special Operations” because not everyone is going to make it and attain the standards. I don’t know the washout rate for the Air Force’s Special Operations TACP program, but having worked with them as well as the Pararescue and CCT (Combat Controllers) of AFSOC, their training levels are high and the demanding courses must have attrition rates similar to the other Special Operations Forces, (SOF).

Then-Defense Secretary Ash Carter announced that all military occupational specialties would open to women. Following that change, while the individual military services moved to open their battlefield programs to women, more importantly however they opted (and correctly so…for now) not diminish physical training standards.

All Air Force troops take their basic training at Lackland AFB, under the auspices of the 737th Training Group. Once completed, the candidates move onto the “Battlefield Airman Prep Course” and the indoctrination course before heading off to their specialty courses. These are carried out by the 37th Training Wing at Joint Base San Antonio – Lackland (JBSA-Lackland). Then they begin the specialty course for Tactical Control Party (1C4xx). The other Air Force Special Operations specialties include the Pararescue Airman (1T2xx), Special Operations Weather (1W0xx), and the Combat Controller (1C2xx)

The last thing either of these candidates or the Air Force needs is to have the airmen or the training staff distracted by the media wanting the know the latest in basic training news. They are barely in the pipeline, so we need to let them and the process be. No one follows the travels of the 18X male recruits into basic training for the Army Special Forces. These women deserve the same anonymity.

We need to give them the same slack as the men attempting to enter Special Operations. Let the courses and the training cadre decide first whether or not they are making news before we flood Lackland or Ft. Benning with requests for media access to see what Candidate X scored on her basic rifle marksmanship.

The motto of the TACP Airmen is, “The strong will stand, the weak will fall by the wayside.” These airmen, known sometimes as the Air Force’s Infantry are the Army and Marine units’ eyes and ears for the air support that they bring to bear on the enemy. They ensure the bombs, artillery or missiles from friendly forces are directed accurately and on time. They are more than proficient in ground combat.

The training pipeline for the TACP Airmen takes about a year. But first, they will have to pass the Air Force Special Tactics Tactical Air Control Party Physical Fitness Test (ST TACP PFT). The TACP PFT consists of Pushups, Situps, Pull ups, 3-mile Run and a 12-Mile Rucksack March.

That is when the training begins in earnest. It will include but isn’t limited to basic radio maintenance and operation, land navigation, combat air support basics, and SERE School. They are airborne and most are Ranger qualified.

So sometime next year in early August, we’ll know if one or both of the two women in the training pipeline for the Air Forces’ TACP will be awarded the Black Beret. Until then, it isn’t news. Let them be, let the training staff’s do their job and then we’ll know whether or not they will earn the honor of being part of the Special Operations brotherhood…I guess that term may change if they are successful. Into the SOF community.

Photo Courtesy: US Air Force

Maduro Calls For Military Exercises After Trump’s Threat of Intervention

Despite insisting that he wants to meet with President Donald Trump and hold talks with him, Venezuela’s President, Nicolas Maduro called for the military to hold exercises to counter the threat of armed intervention by the United States.

Trump’s proclamation that the country is going to “collapse into dictatorship”, has Maduro trying to rally support for a Yankee “imperialist invasion.” Vice President Mike Pence was in Caracas trying to allay fears and do damage control, promising a peaceful solution to Venezuela’s collapse.

The unpopular Maduro, struggling with a disintegrating economy at home and increasing diplomatic isolation abroad, has used Trump’s comments on Friday to reaffirm long-standing accusations that Washington is preparing a military attack.
“Everyone has to join the defense plan, millions of men and women, let’s see how the American imperialists like it,” Maduro told supporters, urging them to join the two-day operation on Aug 26 and 27 involving both soldiers and civilians.
Thousands of government supporters rallied in Caracas where they denounced Trump’s suggestion of a “military option” to resolve Venezuela’s crisis.

Trying to deflect the nation’s problems off of a series of disastrous socialist policies, Maduro played the Yankee card, trying to blame Trump and the US for the economic collapse of the Venezuelan economy. Once the richest nation in Latin America, now it is one of the poorest with thousands of people starving and fleeing for neighboring countries.

Two days ago Maduro appeared in front of a sign that read, “Fuera Trump de America Latina” which translates to “Trump go away from Latin America.”

To read the entire article from Reuters click here:

Photo courtesy Wikipedia

Special Operations Forces Selection PT Preparation 8.16.2017

Shoulder work in the gym is how our Wednesday will begin along with some speed work. The sprints will help with your overall cardio fitness, build some explosion and will serve you well with your endurance. It is also a functional part of your job in Special Operations. There will be plenty of times where you’ll have to sprint short distances with your gear on. It will test you in a different manner than a distance run. This sprinting system is one that some NFL teams use to increase their speed, explosion, and endurance.

Training:

More Preparation for the UBRR:

3 x 12 Lat Pull downs, behind the neck (go as heavy as possible)

3 x 12 Lat Pull downs, front

3 x 10 Dumbbell Side Raises

3 x 10 Dumbbell Front Raises

3 x 10 Dumbbell Shoulder Press

3 x 8 Shoulder Shrugs

40-Meter Sprint, walk back to the starting point

50-Meter Sprint, walk back to the starting point

60-Meter Sprint, walk back to the starting point

70-Meter Sprint, walk back to the starting point

80-Meter Sprint, walk back to the starting point

90-Meter Sprint, walk back to the starting point

100-Meter Sprint, walk back to the starting point

Stretch well after completion

Know Your Unconventional Warfare Campaign Principles

One of our readers asked if we’d discuss some of the training that goes into Unconventional Warfare, which we’ll from this point address as UW. But it is kind of putting the cart before the horse somewhat. Many of, if not most of our readers at SpecialOperations.com are aspiring candidates to become members of our Special Operations Forces (SOF). And the UW phase of the training comes at the end of the training pipeline. But what the heck, it was our favorite part of the training and the course overall so we’ll give a very brief primer for our candidates out there.

Someone else asked if Selection is the biggest obstacle especially mentally that a candidate will face in the course. And the answer is no, it isn’t. The final phase of the training, the UW phase what we call “Robin Sage” beats that by a sight. Without giving too much away, the prospective Special Forces (SF) A-Teams are put into extremely difficult situations where there are no right or wrong answers and they’re going to have made some extremely difficult decisions. It is as close to real world decision-making as they can make it. All of this while trying to build rapport with and train a guerrilla force.

Ok, pump the brakes old man, you’re getting ahead of yourself. First here are some terms you’ll have to learn… these are NOT a catch-all list but just a few that you’ll need to remember right out of the manual:

Resistance Movement: An organized effort by some portion of the civil population of a country to resist the legally established government or an occupying power and to disrupt civil order and stability.

Insurgency: The organized use of subversion and violence to seize, nullify, or challenge political control of a region. An insurgency can also refer to the group itself.

Counter Insurgency: Comprehensive civilian and military efforts taken to defeat an insurgency and to address any core grievances.

Foreign Internal Defense: Participation by civilian and military agencies of a government in any of the action programs taken by another government or other designated organization to free and protect its society from subversion, lawlessness, insurgency, terrorism, and other threats to its security. (remember these from last week?)

Underground: Cellular organization within the resistance that has the ability to conduct operations in areas that are inaccessible to guerrillas, such as urban areas under the control of the local security forces.

Auxiliary: Refers to that portion of the population that provides active clandestine support to the guerrilla force or the underground.

Guerrilla Force: A group of irregular, predominantly indigenous personnel organized along military lines to conduct military and paramilitary operations in enemy-held, hostile, or denied territory.

Denied Area: An area under enemy or unfriendly control in which friendly forces cannot expect to operate successfully within existing operational constraints and force capabilities.

Become familiar with these terms, I guarantee you, you’ll hear them countless times more down the road. So, you now have an idea of what we’re talking about here, however, we’re not quite ready to become Jedburgh Teams just yet, and for those of you who aren’t familiar with the Jeds…. There is a great history of the Jeds, the forerunners of the SF and CIA UW teams on the agency’s website.

Remember, this is just the tip of the iceberg here, as the subject of UW will be long and time-consuming. But in our brief overview, first what is UW? In the simplest terms, UW is the United States’ support for a resistance movement. And UW is defined as activities conducted to enable a resistance movement or insurgency to coerce, disrupt, or overthrow a government or occupying power by operating by, through or with an underground, auxiliary, and guerrilla force in a denied area. The US has supported the French Resistance in World War II and most recently, the Northern Alliance in Afghanistan in 2001.

One of our other readers asked if supporting the Kurds in Syria is classified as UW? That’s a great question. In some matters, it is a classic UW scenario, where our coalition forces are training a resistance movement to kick out the Islamic State forces or Daesh as they are known, from the Syrian and Iraqi countries. But what is our end-state in Syria? The true power is the Assad government and we’ve stated we aren’t attacking Assad’s forces. Difficult subject there so we’ll leave it as, yes it is.

What is a Resistance? The resistance to an occupying power is organized into several indigenous components. The underground, auxiliary, guerrilla forces, public components, shadow government, and a government-in-exile. We’ll take a look at each and how they interact and fit with one another. Keep in mind, that there are no hard and fast rules here, every resistance movement is different and the levels of development will depend on the goals, objectives and the level of success that the resistance movement has.

The Underground and Guerillas are the main military unit of the resistance but they also can conduct political activities. Their activities can be overt, or clandestine. Guerillas are military in nature but are not mercenaries or a militia. They are irregular troops who believe in the cause. The Montagnard tribesmen of Vietnam would be a good example of irregulars although they operated in a counterinsurgency environment. The guerillas are organized along military lines and conduct military operations.

The underground, however, is organized in cells to protect itself from exposure. They are designed to conduct operations in areas that the guerrillas wouldn’t normally operate such as in areas under the control of the occupying power. Some of the functions that the underground conduct includes but are not limited to intelligence and counterintelligence networks, subversive media, (leaflets, newspapers, clandestine radio broadcasts), sabotage and fundraising.

The auxiliary is the segment of the population that provide clandestine support for the guerillas and the underground. They are part-time volunteers who blend perfectly into the fabric of the operational area and who provide logistical support, safe house management, intelligence gathering and early warning networks.

During Robin Sage, having an effective and active auxiliary is paramount to success. The auxiliary will provide tremendous early warning networks against the government forces of Pineland… nuff said.

The public component is an overtly political organization. These are the faces of the resistance movement and they may negotiate on behalf of the resistance movement with the occupying power. If the host nation outlaws the resistance, it may force the public component to dissolve or go underground.

The shadow government consists of a government completely comprised of the resistance organization performs all of the same functions as the host nation that they are replacing. A good example was the FARC in Colombia that provided security, health services, and taxation of the citizens in the countryside of Colombia. The shadow government operates in the denied area of an occupied territory.

The government-in-exile is a government displaced from the operational area, yet remains recognized by the people as a legitimate sovereign authority of a nation. One example of this was the Free French of World War II. A government-in-exile will normally take up sanctuary in a nearby allied or friendly nation-state

We’ll cut this one-off right here, in the future we can talk about the different phases of a resistance movement and other UW subjects. But keep in mind, this is by no means the entire picture but just a brief overview of the subject matter.

Once you get to the course, the cadre members will spend quite a bit of time going into detail that you’ll need to understand and operate in the UW environment.

Photo Courtesy: DOD

Surveillance Detection, A Key To A Successful Protection Mission

(Today’s guest column from MSG (ret) Chuck Simpson, Green Beret and Certified Protection Specialist)

What is Surveillance Detection? The techniques employed by the Protection Team to deter, prevent or stop surveillance on the Principal or Detail Members. Who conducts surveillance?? Press/Paparazzi, Stalkers, Fans, Criminals, Terrorist and Corporate Intelligence Agencies, this is the short list.

What is surveillance? It is the systematic observation by covert or overt means of person or location by visual, photographic or technical means. We all know before we conduct an Operation of any type, regardless if it is Military, Police or even a Protection Detail, we conduct a Reconnaissance before any operation, which sometimes will require us to do Surveillance.

Any operational/attack plan requires a gathering of intelligence on any targets, to be effective. The individual / Team gathers this intelligence by using surveillance over a period of time, which is done before conducting an Operation. Intelligence that the Surveillance Team, might or will be collecting, Identify the Security Team/Detail, assess strength and weaknesses, identify who has weapons and what type, identify vehicles (Armor/Un-Armor) (Level of Armor), Assess the mode of Operation of the Security Teams, Identify capability of the Security Team and Identify routines and pattern set by the target.

The surveillance team conducts this by using Foot Surveillance, Vehicle Surveillance, Static Surveillance and/or Technical Surveillance. Now, what is Surveillance Detection? They are the techniques employed by the surveillance team to deter, prevent or stop surveillance on the Principal or Team. Techniques, you may be using will be consist of a Surveillance Detection Route (SDR), Static Site/Fixed Point Site, and /or Convoy Method. And why we use these techniques, will be to determine surveillance status, in order to protect the Principal and to learn more about their surveillance Techniques/determine who is conducting the surveillance.

They are five (5) steps while conducting Surveillance Detection,

Step 1: Observe, the ability to take specific notice, recognize, and accurately describe someone or something. It is a skill, it is not a natural ability, needs to be learned and have to be improved with practice.

Step 2: Recognize, you will be able to recognize surveillance, but using the technique of Time, Distance and Chane of Directions.

Step 3: Confirm, by multiple sightings, using time, and distance.

Step 4: Report, WHO, WHAT, WHEN, WHERE, HOW (did the surveillance detection team notice them)

Date (including the day of the week). Time and Place surveillance detected

Number and descriptions (including dress) of the surveillance.

Make, model, color, identifying anomalies, and, if possible, the license number of any vehicles involved. Any equipment noted.

Step 5: Analyze. Once the security detail is finished for the day, the detail will meet with the other team members and discuss what each team member has seen during the detail.

Three major elements you will use to detect surveillance will be:

Time, what times did you detect surveillance
Distance, where did you detect them, in different locations
Change of Direction, how many turns did they take with you, through multi-turns.

The Protection Detail will use different security methods designed to aid in the detection of surveillance on an individual or premises. This involves two distinct methods related to surveillance detection support:

The Static method: The selection and use of static locations along a vehicle or foot SDR to detect surveillance operating against a Principal. These locations should provide a maximum range of observation, normally incorporated into the principal’s route. The principal and detail follow a prearranged route on a precise time schedule past static sites. The observer at the static site will signal the Protection Detail in a positive or negative manner along the route. A Static Site should only be used to enhance the security of the Principal and only if the environment permits. All Persons occupying a Static Site should be trained in Techniques of Surveillance Methods.

The Convoy method: A colleague follows a Principal and Protection Detail in a vehicle, and/or on foot to detect possible surveillance.

Weaknesses:

— Tied to the Principal.

— The team moves with the Principal/Detail.

— The team operates in the open.

DO NOT try to lose surveillance, because we want to:

— Identify the surveillance.
— Learn all we can about them.

Thank You, Stay Alert, Stay Safe!!
Charles “Chuck” Simpson, C.P.S
Protect Consultant Inc.
[email protected]

Mattis Suggests Transgenders May Continue to Serve

With the Trump White House has still not provided the Defense Department the necessary policy guidance on transgender persons serving in the armed forces, Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis told the press, that DOD was continuing to study the issue. That statement hints that transgender military members may be allowed to continue to serve despite President Trumps’ announcement to ban their service back in July.

“We are going to study the issue,” Mattis said to the press on Monday at the Pentagon.

“The policy is going to address whether or not transgenders can serve under what conditions, what medical support they require, how much time would they be perhaps non-deployable leaving others to pick up their share of everything. There’s a host of issues and I’m learning more about this than I ever thought I would and it’s obviously very complex to include the privacy issues which we respect,” Mattis said.
“I am waiting right now to get the President’s guidance in and that I expect to be very soon,” he added.
Trump announced his plan to ban transgender service members on Twitter last month. The move took the Joint Chiefs of Staff by surprise, and the Pentagon has said it is awaiting an official order from Trump before making a policy change.

The White House still hasn’t sent any guidance to the Pentagon on the issue and Mattis told the press that the guidance issued by Chairman of the Joint Chiefs Joseph Dunford in July still stands.

Dunford wrote in a memo “no modifications to the current policy until the President’s direction has been received by the Secretary of Defense and the Secretary has issued implementation guidelines.” “In the meantime, we will continue to treat all of our personnel with respect,”

Trump when questioned by the media last week, stated that by banning transgender troops, he was, “doing the military a great favor.”

To read the entire article from CNN, click here:

Photo courtesy DOD

Special Operations Forces Selection PT Preparation 8.15.2017

Continue to prep for the UBRR. Leg Day at the gym, our favorite, with squats, the sled push, and some lunges. We’ll follow that with a three-mile run at a good pace, faster than the standard. Remember to stretch well before and after the run and to hydrate.

Training:

3 x Pullups 10 reps

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

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

3 x 10 Sled push heavier weight

3 x 10 reps Dumbbell lunges

3 x 20 Sit-ups

3 x 25 Crunches

3-mile run

Stretch well after completion

Special Operations Forces Selection PT Preparation 8.14.2017

Monday we’ll focus on some speed work with the sprints rather than a longer duration.

It will build up some explosion in your legs and improve your overall running. We’ll hit the exercises heavy this morning and build up some endurance. Focus on correct form and then worry about the speed. Especially with the pushups.

By now after the training program has been in effect for a while, your feet shouldn’t be bothering you too badly after the ruck march from Sunday.

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

10 x 40-meter sprints (walk back to the start and begin again)

Stretch well after completion

Special Operations Forces Selection PT Preparation 8.13.2017

A little warm up and a good long Sunday morning rucksack march. Go as fast as you can without running. Go over varied terrain and learn to use the downslope of the hills to make time. As always be sure to stay hydrated during the 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

20 Pushups

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

Special Operations Forces Selection PT Preparation 8.12.2017

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. But for today it is back, shoulders and a run.

Training:

More Preparation for the UBRR:

3 x 12 Lat Pull downs, behind the neck (go as heavy as possible)

3 x 12 Lat Pull downs, 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