US Army Special Forces

Iraqi Special Forces Are Clearing Mosul in House-to-House Fighting

The fighting for the Iraqi city of Mosul has become a close-quarters battle between hardened ISIS fighters and Iraqi special forces troops. The battle is now a no-holds-barred, house-to-house, street by street bloody affair as the Iraqis seek to drive the ISIS fighters out of the final large city of Iraq.

ISIS had named Mosul as their capital of their self-named caliphate and trying to hold onto the city at all costs and to extract the largest possible price by the Iraqi forces trying to take back their country.

Mosul is separated by the Tigris River that runs north-south. Iraqi forces supported by US Special Operations forces captured the eastern part of the city late in 2016 and now are trying to recapture the western half.

“The fighting is at much closer quarters. It was street-by-street – now it’s house-by-house,” said Iraqi commando Alaa Shaker, 32, a member of the elite Counter Terrorism Service (CTS).

“We are often literally in the same house, on the roof, and Daesh (Islamic State) is downstairs. Sometimes we drop grenades. If there are civilians, families in the homes, we shout to them to take cover inside a room.”

Seif Rasheed, a 28-year-old CTS medic, said one commando had been killed earlier that day in the same area, shot through the head, and another wounded, shot through the neck and hip.

“Daesh are hiding in homes, opening doors and shooting at troops from just a few meters away,” he said.

The men were speaking as they took a break from the fighting to eat lunch in the courtyard of a western Mosul home, in a neighborhood recaptured from Islamic State the day before.

ISIS militants are far outnumbered in Mosul but are delaying the battle by hiding among the large civilian populace, using suicide car bombs, IEDs, and snipers in the built-up areas. The fighting is expected to last several more weeks.

To read the entire article from Reuters, click here:

Photo courtesy DOD

Israel’s Air Force Bombs Targets in Syria

Israeli Air Force jets pounded targets in Syria which resulted in the Syrian air defense systems launching multiple ground-to-air missiles at the jets in retaliation. One of the rockets was intercepted.

The two countries have been technically at war since the 2011 Syrian civil war against Bashar Al-Assad’s government began. But the bombing of yesterday is regarded as the most serious escalation of the conflict yet in the region.

Israeli authorities claim that their Arrow missile defense systems intercepted one of the rockets fired at the Israeli jets. Syrian military authorities claim to have shot down one of the jets, but the Israeli Air Force said that they suffered no losses in the air strike.

Syria’s army high command confirmed in a statement on Friday that Israeli jets breached Syrian airspace early in the morning and attacked a military target near Palmyra.
The high command described the attack as an act of aggression that aided the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) group, which is fighting against the Syrian government.
It said its air defences shot down one of four Israeli jets over what it called “occupied ground” and damaged another.
There were no reports by the Israeli army of any aircraft lost in the operation.
Jordanian new media said an “unidentified object” fell from the skies on Thursday night in the northern area of Irbid, after which security forces surrounded the area of impact.
Pictures shared on social media showed what appeared to be part of a missile that had landed in a yard.

The air strikes were reportedly targeting arms convoys of the known terror group Hezbollah who fought the Israelis in Lebanon in 2016 and is supporting the Assad regime in this conflict. The missile launches prompted the Israelis to set off air raid sirens in the Jordan Valley. Witnesses claimed to have heard an explosion, which may have been the rocket being intercepted.

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

Photo courtesy Israeli Air Force

Life In Special Forces Is Rarely Glamourous, Always Rewarding

One of the things you’ll get asked frequently by family and friends that weren’t living close to you during your military career is “what was life like as a Green Beret?” To the average American, it conjures up visions of Bond, James Bond, John Rambo or MacGuyver where you travel to exotic lands surrounded by beautiful maidens, fire darned near nuclear-tipped explosives with a bow and arrow or make commo with a piece of wire, one AAA battery, and an iron-enriched Cheerio.

Ah…if live were so simple. The bottom line is life is much different in Special Forces and you’ll find the longer you spend there, much more rewarding. The building block for Special Forces is the A-Team and it centers around the 10 enlisted members who make or break the two officers assigned to it.

There are light weapons, heavy weapons, engineers, communications, medics, an intel sergeant and of course the team sergeant where everything goes thru. A captain and a warrant officer round out the team. Everyone’s jobs are difficult and varied and you’ll get plenty of chances to cross-train whether in a school environment or on the job as we’ll see later.

From my own experience, I was a Communications Supervisor (18E) but my secondary was Heavy Weapons for which I went to BNCOC for, and later graduated O&I and got an 18F as an additional MOS. Years later I went to the Warrant Officer program. You’ll find you will get to do much more than you ever imagined.

In those days, the 7^th Special Forces Group was a beehive of activity. Teams were constantly rotating to Central America training light infantry battalions that were fight civil wars in El Salvador, and Guatemala and trying to modernize their force and keep out the Nicaraguans in Honduras. The Andean Ridge countries of Colombia, Bolivia, and Peru were hot spots due to the drug trafficking that remains there to this day as well as active insurgencies against the FARC in Colombia and Sendero Luminoso in Peru.

The operational tempo then was high but nothing compared to what the guys today are facing. Most of the places you’d find yourself were far from what one would call vacation spots although there were always the exceptions.

One deployment which was memorable was part of an MEDRETE to Honduras. In the mountains not far from their borders were tiny villages that were mostly inaccessible by vehicle. The US sent in doctors, veterinarians, and dentists to that remote region to promote goodwill between the people and the host nation government.

About 750-1000 villagers were expected, Due to the word getting out, close to 10,000 showed up. Many had never seen a doctor or a dentist and they brought their horses and donkeys for the vets to look over. A couple of days were spent pulling teeth under the watchful eyes of our dentists, although the tooth necklace thing we tried afterward didn’t really work out. Another was working with the vets, inoculating animals with a shot that would rid them of ticks. Watching the vets grind the teeth of the horses with a rasp was a hoot.

You’ll often hear about being adept as a diplomat as well as a warrior. During a six-month deployment to Bolivia training counter-narcotics troops in the Chapare, the training was due to stop for 10 days at Christmas time to allow the Bolivian soldiers some well-deserved time off. Our team was going to spend it back in Panama before returning after the first of the year. The American Ambassador asked for our help, however. A school in the city of Sucre had fallen into disrepair. It was used in the morning as an elementary school, in the afternoons as a high school and at night for adult education.

USAID had $75,000 for repairs but estimated that it would cost twice that to make minimal repairs. But SF guys are much more resourceful. Our engineer and I flew there, and he looked around the school and thought that the $75,000 was more than enough for materials but that the labor and the time involved wouldn’t allow for the job to get done.

Getting the local populace involved became imperative. Local newspapers, leaflets thru our Civil Affairs augmentees and even local television got us over 300 volunteers a day. SF guys became construction supervisors and the work was done ahead of time, under budget and the team was able to do even more than was envisioned. Classrooms were re-wired, plastered with new drywall, a new functioning bathroom with a new water tank was installed. And a new patio was poured instead of broken and sharp rocks, the children had a flat, safe place to play during recess. The town threw a nice party for the team before heading back to the jungle.

Our medics in Chimore during that deployment were the only doctors for miles. Many women trekked for miles across mountainous terrain to have their babies born in the “gringo hospital”, our medical dispensary at the camp we shared with a Bolivian counternarcotics battalion and DEA agents.

And those pieces we posted on learning terrain association? They came in handy during a training mission to Paraguay. We were training a Paraguayan SF unit and we were jumping into the Grand Chaco, the endless grasslands of about 250,000 square miles between Paraguay, Bolivia, and Argentina.

The Air Force was dropping us in and turned on the green light about two minutes early. The two jumpmasters, our Commo man and myself had done our homework looking at the aerial photos and recognized we were far to the east still and held up our jumpers until we were over the correct drop zone. That saved everyone from a long, long walk to the turn-in area. It all pays off in the end.

Today with the wars in the Middle East, and Africa, the increasing Iranian influence in Latin America and issues in the Far East, Special Forces units will be stretched to the limit with their operational tempo. Some of the things you’ll experience will be very different than anything you’d have imagined. You’ll also find it will be the most rewarding time of your military career.

SOF Selection PT Preparation 3.16.2017

Back out on the rucking trails today. This week we’ll try a few different things to break it up.

Training:

More Preparation for the UBRR:

100 pushups (no time limit)

100 situps (no time limit)

100 crunches

Rucksack march: Go as hard and as fast as you can for 1 hour. Do this without running. See what your distance is and make a notation. This will give a goal to achieve in later training sessions.

Stretch well after completion

Special Forces, SEALS, Rangers Involved In Large Korean Military Exercise

US Special Operations troops from many different units are in Korea for a large military exercise to bolster the defenses of South Korea. The Yonhap Korean News agency claims that during the exercise, the Special Operations forces will practice “to decapitate” the North Korean’s military leadership.

According to various reports, US Army Special Forces, and Rangers, as well as Navy SEALs will take part in the big joint maneuvers in South Korea. Yonhap even claims that SEAL Team 6 and Delta Force will be involved although that cannot be confirmed.

The exercise an annual one between the South Koreans and their US counterparts code named “Foal Eagle and Key Resolve” is a joint field exercise and war game, command post simulation that began on March 1 and will take place until April.

Key Resolve the computer-generated command post wargame will end on March 24 but the war games will continue on. The North Korean government accused Washington and Seoul of preparing for an invasion and a “pre-emptive nuclear attack” on their country, therefore justifying Pyongyang’s continuation of its nuclear deterrent and weapons initiative. The North has been rattling its saber recently and launched several ballistic missiles into the ocean that they claim could be aimed at Japan.

In one scenario, South Korean commandos were airlifted to thwart attacks from the North.

Under a scenario of the North Korean military carrying out terrorist assaults on key South Korean facilities, the special forces were drilled to relocate using choppers to search and decimate enemy forces, the Army said.
It also involved refueling operations for the military helicopters, a mission which is crucial when a battle continues for a prolonged period of time.
“The latest exercise was focused on verifying our preparedness to dispatch a commando brigade to the place of an enemy attack in order to preoccupy the site and terminate the battle,” the 2nd Operational Command Chief Gen. Park Chan-ju said.

US conventional forces from the 2^nd Infantry Division were practicing clearing tunnels that the North has built under the border with the south.

To read the entire article from the Korean Herald, click here:

Photo courtesy DOD

SOF Selection PT Preparation 3.15.2017

Back to the gym today, many of you will be dealing with the ice in the aftermath of the storm we had on the East Coast. So, we’ll deal with that accordingly.

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

4 x 25-meter Shuttle Run

3 x 3 Cone Drill (break up the schedule by putting a little NFL Combine work in)

Stretch well after completion

Facebook CEO Zuckerberg Visits Ft. Bragg, USASOC

Ft. Bragg, NC, and USASOC got a surprise visitor on Tuesday, March 14 as Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg spent time with soldiers and families during his self-proclaimed “Year of Travel” to all parts of the United States.

Zuckerberg has stated that he plans on visiting and meeting people from all 50 states. Some of his other stops have included an oil rig in the Gulf of Mexico, a Civil War battlefield in Mississippi and a rodeo in Ft. Worth, Texas.

The Facebook CEO’s visit to the Ft. Bragg area was not publicized but did visit the US Army’s Special Operations Command and spent some time with the soldiers, their families, and the Commander.

LTC Robert Bockholt a spokesman for USASOC told the media that Zuckerberg was on the base learning what the Special Operations command does and how it protects the strategic values of the nation. He described the meeting as a “two-way street.”

Zuckerberg said the military excels at execution and building teams and that his discussion with the USASOC commander, Lt. Gen. Kenneth E. Tovo, explained why.
“The general told me the most important values they instill in their soldiers are empathy and adaptability,” he said. “That’s why their special operators ‘live, work, eat, sleep and fight’ with the communities they operate in. It’s critical to their success that they communicate authentically and build relationships. As one officer told me, ‘95% of people around the world just want safety and jobs for themselves and their families. If you can understand that, you can start building trust.’”

Later Zuckerberg ate lunch with family members at a local restaurant at Pope Field and was interested in what was going on in the local community. Zuckerberg then moved up to Raleigh to meet with UNC and Duke basketball teams and finally to Charlotte where he met NASCAR driver Dale Earnhardt Jr.

To read the entire article from Fayetteville News and Observer, click here:

Photo courtesy Facebook

Special Operations Command Honors Green Beret Foundation Director

The US Special Operations Command at their recent USSOCOM Care Coalition Conference in Tampa, FL honored Executive Director of the Green Beret Foundation, Jennifer Paquette.

Paquette has been presented with USSOCOM’s “Patriot Award” which was established in 2007 and recognizes individuals who go above and beyond to support Special Operators and their families. Paquette’s work centers around her work for the Special Forces or the “Green Beret” community.

Green Beret Foundation Chairman of the Board, Maj. Gen. (Ret.) Simeon Trombitas, commented on the esteem in which Jennifer is held in the Special Operations community.
“Jen is an incredible asset to the Special Forces community. Her commitment has been incredible in times of great stress. Our Green Berets are much better off for having her support. Her efforts come at a critical time of need for Green Berets because Special Forces global deployment rates are not expected to slow down anytime soon.”
As Executive Director of the foundation, Paquette has the responsibility of overseeing and generating the foundation’s mission, which impacts on hundreds of Green Berets and their families, combined with raising millions of dollars to support the foundation, a not-for-profit 501(c)(3).

Among Paquette’s many contributions was the formation of the “Steel Mags”. This group started with a small group of women from Ft. Bragg, NC and has since grown to include eight chapters nationwide.

Steel Mags is designed to replicate the Green Beret brotherhood with a sisterhood. With the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan dragging on, the toll on families and children at home rises. It is a unique support group for the women and families back home that aids each other, their communities and “teaches civilian young girls and ladies the philosophies of the Spartan female force.”

Paquette is well known in the Special Forces community and is an honorary member of the Special Forces Association.

To read the entire article from PR Newswire, click here:

Photo courtesy Green Beret Foundation

Passing SFAS – Land Navigation Tips for Finding Your Way in Hoffman

So, you’ve volunteered to be in Special Forces and you’re getting ready to go to SFAS. This is the time to prepare yourself for the grind that is to come. There are certain tips, such as the PT program which will help you attain the level of physical fitness that you’ll need to not just pass the course but to excel where the course isn’t as tough as you’ll see other people struggling.

Now, we get to the elephant in the room, the Land Navigation course and many students fail at either SFAS or the SFQC because they failed the land navigation course. The course is tough, it is the toughest individual land navigation course you’ll find in the US military.

In previous segments, we touched on Map reading, pace count, orienting the map and plotting your starting location as well as your point. Now we need to get to our points. Here are some of the tips for walking the course in the Hoffman area.

Fold Your Map – Sounds like a no-brainer but it is simple and saves a ton of time without having to unfold your map every time you want to make a map check. Fold it down to where it fits perfectly in your map case so that only the part you are traveling shows, it simplifies your task immeasurably. This way every time you make a quick check of the map, only where you are and where you are going next is visible.

A technique that many orienteers use while navigating is what they call thumbing. I’ve talked to some and what they do is to keep their thumb on the spot on the map where they are and it speeds in finding where you are while walking and doing a quick map check. The thought being as you walk along you move your thumb slightly forward to reduce the confusion of scanning for your location on the map, especially in the dark.

Navigating Techniques – So, you’ve plotted your starting location, your first point that you’re looking for. You’ve folded the map and placed it and your protractor carefully inside your map case. The next thing you must do orient the map into the direction that you are traveling. Now the terrain is laid out exactly the way it is in front of you.

Weapon tied down? Check. Compass tied down and easily accessible? Check. You should have a red lens flashlight a notebook that will allow you to write in it, even if it is wet in your pocket or map case. Ensure you have all of your gear and do a quick check of the area before you leave and don’t forget anything.

Pull out the compass and take a quick reading. If you can see far enough in the distance, do the cheek hold method where the notch is the rear sight, and the wire is the front sight. Pick out a point as far in the distance as you can and get to it as quickly as you can.

If you’re following a basic azimuth, rotate your bezel ring so that your North seeking arrow aligns with the bubble. So, say if you are traveling on an azimuth of 65 degrees, your North seeking arrow will be in the approximate 10 o’clock position, rotate the bezel ring so the bubble aligns with the North seeking arrow and it is a quick way to keep on your azimuth, especially in the dark. Also, remember that each click in the bezel ring is three degrees.

Remember, to read the red ring which is in degrees and not the black which is in mils.

Trust your map, pace count, and your azimuth as you move out on the course. During the practical exercises in the course, you’ll notice you’ll veer a bit in the dark. Everyone’s perception changes during hours of darkness and it will vary.

As you encounter ways around the draws, you’ll no doubt see where others have tread before you and those well-worn paths are a good indicator that this is the best spot to cross a draw…if you must. But the best rule of thumb for the course is to veer around them if at all possible. But if you do cross one, make sure you check your compass every 20-25 paces. It is so easy to get turned around in those, don’t let it happen to you.

In SFAS an instructor will be present at your points but you’ll no doubt come across green engineer stakes with a dog tag on them. If you do, do yourself a favor and stop and check them out. These are an eight-digit grid coordinate that is built in GPS. There’s no better way to check your location.

Don’t talk to other students. Don’t be a road runner. Nothing will get you in hot water faster than doing those things.

When crossing the roads, the rule of thumb is at a 90-degree angle….and they’ll be watching.

Take advantage of the practical exercises and learn the terrain and the area as best you can. Do try to do the minimum, it will cost you in the end. Talk with other candidates AFTER the course is complete every day and share notes and experiences about what you find on the course. It will come in handy. It is no different than doing a debrief of another unit when planning a mission.

Get used to moving at night and make night movement a breeze. It will serve you well once you get in one of the operational Groups.

Move with a purpose but never out of control. Land Nav is like Selection is to a smaller extent. It can be a lot more difficult if you’re not using your head. Think everything thru and don’t let doubt creep in. Your training will get you thru this. Thousands of students have done it before you and you can too.

You get familiar with a bunch of landmarks out there on the course. I researched thru several social media pages and made note of what different people mentioned. Many of the names remain from my time.
Five Points
Puppy Palace
Lake Baggett
Bones Fork Creek
3 Wire Road…and some new names
Jurassic Park
Scuba Road
Dagobah (I don’t know who named this area in the north, but he deserves an impact award) My personal favorite.

Photo courtesy of DOD

SOF Selection PT Preparation 3.14.2017

Today is a gym day, if you’re one of those unfortunate souls who lives in the Northeast, you may have to shovel out from two feet of wet, heavy snow. In which case that may be all the work out you’ll get today as most everything is shut down.

For the rest…hit the weights today and get some running in.

Training:

More Preparation for the UBRR:

Run 5 miles (record your time) “Do the best you can.” Get used to hearing that.

Then, head into the gym:

3 x Front Squat 10 reps (heavy but doable weight)

3 x Goblet Squats 10 reps (heavy dumbbell)

3 x 10 Pull-ups

3 x 10 reps Standing Arnold Press

25 x Push ups

30 x “V”ups

Stretch well after completion