US Army Special Forces

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 It has been in the works for more than a decade in the making and allows with the demolition of the brigade’s old, outdated headquarters at the corner of Reilly and Gruber roads to make room for updated construction at the John F. Kennedy Special Warfare Center and School.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

SAS Gets ‘Kill List’ Of British Jihadis In Iraq

British SAS troops stationed in Iraq have been issued with a “kill or capture” list containing the names of up to 200 British terrorists fighting alongside ISIS.

In a report by The Sunday Times, MI6, MI5, and GCHQ have furnished intelligence to the SAS operators in Iraq with target orders to eliminate British nationals who have joined the terrorist network of ISIS. Any captured British nationals will be turned over to Iraqi authorities and face a possible execution if convicted of terrorism.

Under the command of the US Joint Special Operations Command, they are understood to be part of an international task force with orders to hunt and kill or capture as many foreign fighters as possible. MI5 believes the imminent capture of the northern Iraqi town of Mosul, where Isis has been in control since June 2014, will not herald the end of the terror group, but rather a new chapter in its activities.
One senior defence source said: “A kill list has been drawn up containing the names of hundreds of very bad people. A lot of them are from the UK. The hunt is now on for British Islamists who have effectively gone off-grid.
“This is a multinational special forces operation. The SAS have their own part of the plan and they will be going after British nationals. This is a kill or capture mission and it has already begun.

There are a reported 100 SAS troops operating in both Iraq and Syria. And the belief is as the terrorists are gradually weakening in both countries, it is feared that they will attempt to return to the UK and conduct terrorist activities similar to the one in Paris a year ago. Defense spokesman characterized the jihadis as “hardened fighters”.

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

Photo courtesy UK Ministry of Defence

US Army Stryker Vehicles Demo Laser Weapons

Stryker vehicles in service with the US Army have been in use for over a decade. Now the vehicle may soon have the ability to defend itself from unmanned aircraft systems using a laser weapon.

US Army Space and Missile Defense Command and the Army Forces Strategic Command recently demonstrated the Stryker’s ability to defend itself from unmanned aircraft in a demo using the improved MEHEL laser weapon.

The MEHEL 2.0 shoots a 5kW beam which is an upgrade of the original 2kW weapon. It uses an onboard radar to detect threats to the vehicle which will eliminate it using the laser weapon.

“The purpose of the JIDO UAS Hard-Kill Challenge was to assess and look at technology… to do a ‘hard-kill’ shoot down of Group 1 [unmanned aircraft systems] and inform decision-makers on the current state of technology and how it can deal with single and multiple targets,” demonstration lead Adam Aberle explained in a press release.
Aberle went on to praise the platform’s successful performance in repelling UAV threats and discussed how the test revealed system limitations as a result of the MEHEL’s upgrade from a 2kW to a 5kW capability.
“We learned from the event, and we have plans to correct those deficiencies for future activities,” he added. “We learned the 5kW laser was able to defeat the targets. We were able to verify and show that we could put a radar and a laser on a platform so it could self-cue to targets and that was very successful.”

The Stryker is a 19-ton, eight-wheeled vehicle that comes in two variants, the Infantry Carrier Vehicle, and the Mobile Gun System (MGS). The Infantry Carrier Vehicle (IFV) carries a crew of two and nine infantry soldiers and has either an M-2 50 caliber machine gun or a Mk-19 40mm grenade launcher. The MGS has a 105mm cannon in it but there are reports of removing it for a 30mm cannon soon.

To read the entire article from UPI, click here:

Photo courtesy US Army

Women on Special Operation Teams? No Easy Answer

Our military forces have been in combat non-stop since 9/11. They’ve shown that they’ve been equal to the task and have performed as we’ve come to expect from our armed forces. However, the on-going conflicts have seen increased leanings on our Special Operations Forces, who, despite being just a fraction of the overall force, are conducting combat operations at a rate far greater than their numbers.

The operational tempo is insanely high and we’re seeing the results of that creep into the force. PTSD, suicides, substance abuse and family issues from having to deploy so many times are taking a toll. The stress of constant combat deployments is a very real issue that the services are trying to work thru. And in addition, they’ll have other issues to deal with. Not in the future but now the very foundation of the Special Operations Forces is subject to change.

When Defense Secretary Ashton Carter opened combat occupation roles for women in the military, it also allowed women to volunteer for the various Special Operations units. Women have served in combat areas and performed well in combat in both Iraq and Afghanistan. There have been 160 that have paid the ultimate price. But there is a vast difference between women allowed to serve in combat and going on special missions and women who will be assigned to Special Forces A-teams, SEAL Teams, as well as MARSOC and AFSOC units.

Women have already performed special operations and have gone on missions. The Special Operations Command first allowed women on operations with the Cultural Support Teams (CSTs) and those have been successful at times. Women were able to gather intelligence from Afghan women, something that was rarely done before. But many of the male operators on the missions consider them a hindrance. But remember the CSTs were not operators from the units, just attached to them. The training that is open to them will change that.

These special ops units in the military are not only difficult to get into but even more so to complete the courses. Carter admitted as such when he said that the differences in the sexes will have some occupational specialties difficult for women to fill.

Now women must complete the SFAS (Assessment and Selection) course and the SFQC (Special Forces Qualification Courses), BUDS, Ranger et al which is very difficult. Can the majority of women physically handle the task of completing the courses? No, but neither can most men. Special Operations units are very demanding so their qualification courses are very tough. The standards must remain the same regardless of the failure rate to maintain the proper level of competence to complete missions. Any kind of lowering of standards will erode the effectiveness of the force.

Physically, these courses place a tremendous reliance on upper body strength and the ability to carry a heavy rucksack for long distances and then go into combat. There are serious doubts that women will attain the standards of the men. Then there is also the very real question of whether a woman could carry a wounded team member out of harms’ way if he/she were to go down. Granted there will be some women that can meet the challenge, two recently passed the US Army Ranger School and while they aren’t members of the Ranger Regiment, there is a chance of either being assigned at some point. How will the reaction be when women go from attached to being members of special operations units? According to the data, not well.

US Special Operations Command (USSOCOM) polled their members and asked about allowing women into their MOS specialties and their units. And 85 percent of the operators were against women being allowed into their specialty and 71 percent against allowing women into their units.

The biggest reasons given in the survey by SOCOM for excluding women were:

Most operators were concerned that standards would be lowered.
Most operators were concerned that integrating women into SOF units would erode unit cohesion.
Most operators were concerned that integrating women into SOF units would reduce the availability of leaders to resolve a conflict between unit members.

One of the most frequent answered questions of the survey was “What is your greatest concern about opening SOF specialties to women?”

The physical standards will be lowered or there will be a double/separate standard set up for female operators. . . . [T]he men would not have confidence in her abilities and most importantly there would be a lack of trust in her ability to uphold an equal share in watching each other’s back in combat.

A common theme in operators across the Special Operations spectrum is that the teams are like a family and there has to be a tremendous amount of trust placed on each other to accomplish their mission. And many feel that once female candidates begin washing out in large percentages from the courses that pressure will be brought to bear from DOD/Congress on USSOCOM to lower the standards so that women will have a greater percentage of the force.

That lowering of the standards will have an adverse effect on mission accomplishment, lower unit cohesion and erode esprit de corps. Will the DOD and/or Congress lay off the Special Operations community and allow them to conduct their own selection courses without interference? That is doubtful.

Special Operations units when deployed operate in austere environments. Many times when working with military units of some of the poorer nations, the facilities that are given for our units to live and operate in are small and very cramped. Those tight living quarters are another issue with the operators, separate bathroom and living quarters may not be available and living in close proximity to women will have an adverse effect on the unit.

Besides the physical aspects of the job, women will have to battle cultural prejudices that exist in many hotspots around the globe where women warriors are not a common sight. In many of the countries where our Special Operations Forces now operate, women are kept separate from men and women would never be accepted. In a profession where building rapport is paramount, that is a very real concern.

This isn’t to say that women can’t continue to serve in combat roles and conduct special operations missions. About 40 percent of the operators surveyed stated that women can accomplish tasks and support missions that the avenues weren’t as open to men. The CSTs have shown that in intelligence gathering from women in Afghanistan. The CIA has had women in clandestine operations all the way back to the OSS in WWII. No one questions whether women would have the courage to do the job.

But the question on women in Special Operations comes down to basically three questions. First, with all of the combat operations going on worldwide, is this really the time for USSOCOM to begin tinkering with the force, especially in such a sensitive area for the operators involved?

Second, to quote Jeff Goldblum from Jurassic Park, “you were so preoccupied with whether or not you could that you didn’t stop to think if they should.” Is this really necessary for the force? Putting women in a traditionally male-dominated society such as Special Operations is going to be tough on them, both with the selection criteria and from their counterparts, who clearly don’t want them involved. It really isn’t fair to them.

And finally, will the force be stronger as a result? Will including women in Special Operations make the force stronger or weaker. If any of the above answers are no, then the question of women in Special Operations units should be a no.

SOF Selection PT Preparation 3.18.2017

Continue to prep for the UBRR and get a long rucksack march in, before enjoying your weekend and a bit of a break on Sunday.

Training:

3 x Military Press (heavy dumbbells) 20 reps, 15, 12
3 x Shoulder lateral raises (heavy dumbbells) 20 reps, 15, 12
3 x Shoulder front raises (medium to light dumbbells) 20 reps, 15, 12
3 x Lat machine pull-downs rear 20 reps,15, 12
3 x Seated rows 20 reps, 15, 12
10-mile rucksack march as fast as you can without ruck-running

Stretch well after completion

SOF Selection PT Preparation 3.17.2017

Continue to prep for the UBRR and focus on some speed work today with the runs. Speed work will help with your endurance and gives your muscles a different workout.

Training:

5 x 1-mile run Go as quickly as you can with a minimum of 5-minute rest between runs. Record your average mile time.
5 x 30 seconds of Pushups.
1 x Do as many push-ups as you can do in 60 seconds.
5 x 30 seconds of Sit-ups
1 x Do as many sit-ups as possible in 60 seconds.
1 x 20 Knees-to-Elbow hanging from the pull-up bar.
25 pull-ups

Stretch well after completion