US Army Special Forces

Unleash The Hounds! First Woman Passes SFAS

In a move that is bound to upset the applecart, the first woman has passed Special Forces Assessment and Selection (SFAS) at the Special Warfare Center and School it has been announced. Both the Army Times and the Fayetteville Observer have posted articles stating such and the PAO of USASOC LTC Loren Bymer has posted that security concerns for the soldiers in the command preclude any names of the individuals in the course.

“It is our policy to not release the names of our service members because Special Forces soldiers perform discrete missions upon graduation,” said Bymer.

“Recently, a female successfully completed Special Forces Assessment and Selection and was selected to attend the Special Forces Qualification Course, We’re proud of all the candidates who attended and were selected to continue into the qualification course in hopes of earning their Green Beret,” Bymer added.

This groundbreaking development won’t be looked upon as good news with the Special Forces veterans. When it was announced that all Military Occupational Specialties (MOS) were now open to women, the reaction of SF troops both active and retired was decidedly against women joining the ranks. If anything, this will further push the men farther against the idea of women becoming members of the Regiment.

When the news broke around 6:00 p.m. on Wednesday, we immediately began to scan social media to gauge the reaction and it was about what we expected. Most of the comments centered around that this case was probably more about the lowering of the standards to allow a woman in, in a move of being meeting a quota, than the fact that she actually earned a spot in Selection.

We don’t know any details of the course nor any of the particulars and to rush to judgment at this point isn’t fair to the cadre at SFAS or SWC. And especially to the candidate herself.

Special Forces Assessment and Selection (SFAS) is the first step for a prospective candidate to earn the Green Beret and become a member of the Special Forces Regiment. It is considered one of the most grueling selection processes in the U.S. military. Upon successful completion of the Selection course, a candidate is then given a class date for the Special Forces Qualification Course (SFQC).

Bymer said the selection process involves a continual assessment of each candidate by professional cadre throughout a 24-day rigorous test of mental and physical stamina.

Since SFAS was opened to women several have attempted it but haven’t advanced very far. Also among the rumor mills but as of yet have not been confirmed was that the woman attempted SFAS a year ago and was a non-select but came back to try it again.

Special Forces is the military’s premier unconventional warfare force. Founded in 1952 by Colonel Aaron Bank, he was an OSS (Office of Strategic Services) operative from World War II. OSS was the forerunner of both SF and CIA.

Unconventional Warfare is a very difficult one to master and it takes intense training as both a warrior with the abilities of a diplomat. The founder of OSS General William “Wild Bill” Donovan when asked about the perfect OSS candidate stated, he wanted “PhDs who could win a bar fight.”

We don’t know if the woman who passed SFAS is an officer or an enlisted woman. Regardless, if and when she passes the SFQC things will be very tough for her. Special Forces is a tough place for anyone to break into. New team members will be welcomed on a team but under a microscope. SF guys are a discriminating lot…for weakness.

Guys on A-Teams don’t care what color an operator is, what he calls God or if he even believes in one, what political denomination he is. What they care about is getting the job done and done right. But SF is a Type-A personality-driven place. The vast majority don’t believe women can do the job and a female operator, especially if she is an NCO is going to have a really tough time winning over the room.

If she’s an officer, it will open up other issues. In many of the places that Special Forces operate in the world are the traditional male-dominated societies. Women, especially in the Middle East are not considered equals with men and a woman detachment commander will have a hard time making rapport with our host nation allies in some of these places.

I’ve received a couple of texts already today asking me if I like the idea of women in Special Forces and my answers didn’t exactly fit any of the answers they were looking for. I always ask how many women did the Romans have in their Legions? (Sorry, my forefathers were the ultimate male chauvinists) While I personally don’t care for the idea of women in Special Operations units for the reasons listed above and others, I really don’t have a problem with them serving as long as the standards are kept the same. But the bottom line is this; it is a moot point now. Women are allowed in any branch and any MOS, so all the hand-wringing is a waste of time. That part is over.

As to the standards, every effort has to be made to maintain the same standards that Special Forces has always had. Let the SJWs go find another cause to beat their drum for. Putting someone in a position to get people possibly killed for the point of being “stylish” is ridiculous. And if the SWC has a different set of standards for one group of candidates than another is a way to ruin the Regiment.

Again we haven’t seen anything that says that the standards were altered, despite what the rumor mill is already reporting. We’ll have to wait and see. One thing is for sure…things certainly changed over the past 20 hours.

“May you live in interesting times…”

Photo: US Army

On This Day, Green Berets Insert Into Afghanistan, Link-up With Hamid Karzai

During October and early November of 2001, the United States was hitting back hard at the Taliban in the early days of the U.S. invasion of Afghanistan. In the aftermath of 9/11, the Taliban had no idea of what was soon to engulf them.

US and coalition airstrikes pounded Taliban positions. Two US Green Beret teams (ODA-595, ODA-555 The “Horse Soldiers, with Air Force Combat Controllers) inserted into the country with the help of CIA Special Activities Division and linked up with Northern Alliance (anti-Taliban) fighters. In the south, Navy SEALs and in the northwest British SAS were setting up and conducting special operations. Army Rangers jumped in via parachute and seized a key airfield in Kandahar. More SF A-Teams were inserted and one by one, the key cities in Afghanistan fell to the U.S. and Northern Alliance soldiers.

ODA-574 Brings in the Future President:

On November 14, the U.S. inserted ODA-574, another Special Forces A-Team into Afghanistan. It was commanded by CPT Jason Amerine and CWO Bob Pennington and inserted into Uruzgan Province on 4 MH-60K helicopters with Hamid Karzai and a small band of guerrillas loyal to him.

As the force of US and Afghan fighters closed on the town of Tarin Kowt, with about 10,000 people, the local inhabitants revolted against the Taliban controlling the area and expelled them. As Karzai met with the village elders, the Taliban decided to strike back at the village and take it back. They approached the town with 500 fighters.

Karzai a Pashtun, lobbied the U.S. that many Pashtun were allies with the Taliban only out of a sense of survival. He went into Afghanistan prior to the American insertion to round up guerrilla fighters. Another Pashtun leader, Abdul Haq was captured and killed by the Taliban and Karzai escaped into Pakistan with a few followers.

Karzai met with the Green Berets prior to the insertion and the Pashtun leader brought the team up to date on the intelligence in the area.

“Our mission was to infiltrate the Oruzgan province, link up with Hamid Karzai and his Pashtun fighters, and advise and assist his forces in order to destabilize and eliminate the Taliban regime there. More importantly, we were there to ensure that al Qaeda couldn’t operate in Afghanistan anymore,” Amerine remembered after the battle.

Battle of Tarin Kowt:

The combined coalition force was hugely outnumbered by more than 5-1. But the Air Force combat controller attached to ODA-574, Tech Sgt Alex Yoshimoto was a force multiplier and the ODA’s lifeline to the combat aircraft of the coalition in the skies overhead. Amerine correctly deduced that the Taliban’s forces would attack thru the Tarin Kowt Pass. He set up his small team of SF troops and the ragtag untrained guerrillas who didn’t speak English on the plateau overlooking the wide valley below.

Yoshimoto had three F-18 Hornets above them to provide cover, as the first bomb dropped into the valley on the Taliban, the untrained guerrillas with the Americans panicked. Not realizing what was happening, they raced to the trucks and fled back to Tarin Kowt.

The Americans were forced to do the same. Nevertheless, Yoshimoto once again leaped into action. After alerting the aircraft of the tactical situation on the ground, he organized the defense thru the air of the town.

The Taliban split into three groups, Yoshimoto decided to take out the one in the middle first. It was the largest of the three. As Air Force bombers took a toll on the approaching Taliban, they smashed the attacking force.

Only one small group of Taliban managed to reach the rear entrance of the town but they were quickly repulsed and bombed on their retreat. In the end, more than 30 vehicles and over 300 Taliban were killed.

The word quickly spread and one-by-one the towns began switching their allegiance over to Karzai. The Americans now had a Southern Alliance to go along with the Northern Alliance.

Tragedy at the “Alamo” in Shawali Kowt:

As the force moved on Kandahar, they attacked the town of Shawali Kowt on December 2. The Taliban counter-attacked with over 100 fighters. Most of the guerrillas bolted and retreated back. The ODA with just 25 guerrillas who stuck it out, retreated to a hill that was surrounded that the Green Berets dubbed the Alamo.

They called in AC-130 gunship runs to pound the Taliban assembly areas. For the next two days, they called in numerous airstrikes and pounded any attempts to take their position. Then a disaster occurred.

An Air Force bomber dropped a joint direct attack munition (JDAM) that landed on the team. MSG Jefferson Davis, the team sergeant for ODA-574and SSG Cody Prosser were killed instantly. SFC Daniel Petithory was seriously injured. Worse, the team called for an immediate medevac to get Petithory to the Marine base at Camp Rhino where then-BG Jim Mattis commanded 1000 Marines 45 minutes away.

Mattis refused to send a medevac because, at the time, he was unsure on whether the bomb was a US miss-dropped weapon or one from the Taliban. Petithory died later that day from his injuries. Five ODA members and Karzai were also wounded, while 20 of Karzai’s men were also killed. It was a bitter memory for the SF troops towards the future Secretary of Defense.

Within five minutes of the accidental bombing, Karzai was notified via radio that he had been chosen to lead the new interim Afghan government. Hours later, with the Southern Alliance troops with the Americans poised outside of Kandahar, the Taliban leader, Mohammed Omar slipped away in the early morning hours of December 6. The so-called “spiritual home” of the Taliban was in the hands of the Green Berets and Karzai. Just four days later Karzai was sworn in as the Interim Prime Minister.

ODA-574 was awarded three Silver Stars, four Bronze Star Medals for Valor, three Bronze Star Medals, and eleven Purple Hearts during their combat deployment.

Then the US, just as Congressman Charlie Wilson had proclaimed after the Russians were kicked out of Afghanistan a decade before “fucked up the end game.” With the speed at which the Special Operations troops took the country, no one in the US government or the military bothered to plan on what to do after the Taliban was out.

The Special Forces troops were quickly shooshed out of the country, and replaced by the “Big Army” units. But none of the brigades sent into Afghanistan had any experience of working with the Afghan people and leaders. It was…and is a clusterfuck.

According to Amerine, interviewed just a few years ago, the troops coming in didn’t have the experience of working hand-in-hand with the Afghan leaders. “All of that was forgotten and kind of left behind, and that was kind of the tragedy of what followed,” Amerine said. “When big Army came in, 5th SF Group picked up and went to Iraq. All of our relationships were lost. They had to reinvent the wheel.”

But a handful of Special Operations forces showed how valuable unconventional warfare methods are…when placed in the right hands. The years of hard training and working elsewhere by, with and thru local forces had paid off in spades.

“There is another type of warfare, new in its intensity, ancient
in its origin, war by guerrillas, subversives, insurgents,
assassins; war by ambush instead of by combat, by infiltration
instead of aggression, seeking victory by eroding and
exhausting the enemy instead of engaging him. It preys on
unrest.”
– President John F. Kennedy

Photo: Special Forces ODA-574 with Hamid Karzai (US Army)

Special Operation Forces Selection PT Preparation Week 1, Day 1

How did everyone do on their UBRR Test from yesterday? If you passed but have some weak points, you now know what needs to be worked on. If you failed any portion of it, then you have a lot of work to do. Happy Veterans Day. Now it is time for our Sunday Ruckmarch.

What we’re going to do now is start back from the basics and get everyone back on the same sheet of music. Stick with us and we’ll get thru this.

Training:

Preparation for the UBRR:

Ruck 3 miles (record your time, 45lbs minimum w/o food or water) “Do the best you can.” Get used to hearing that.

Then, head to 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

Rucking For a Cause on Veterans Day

Yesterday in a post we spoke about giving back to our people and community by getting involved in many of our Veterans Day events locally. Here is a way everyone regardless of whether they served or not can give to some great and needy veterans organizations. While searching for local events on Veterans Day, I came across several events across the nation where veterans and citizens are combining rucking and fundraising.

The will not only help out for vet causes but will also play into our Selection prep work which will serve our readers who are aspiring to become members of the best fraternity in the world, our Special Operations Forces.

As we’ve stated here many times, rucking is the basis for virtually all of the missions that you’ll be tasked with accomplishing in the Special Operations community. It is an activity that we push here in both our preparation workouts and while conducting any other kind of training like Land Navigation as it can, and will be easily incorporated with. It is also one of the harder parts of the various Selection courses as well as the Qualification courses.

It is great to see so many people, civilians, as well as veterans, take to rucking. It is becoming increasingly popular with the masses as they like to challenge themselves in different ways, more and more outside of the gym and this is different and a challenge.

Here are just a few that jumped off the screen where you can combine rucking for preparation as well as donating to a veteran cause this weekend.

The guys at GORUCK have Veterans Day events all over the country, including two here in Massachusetts. You can check out their webpage for events near yourself.

Veterans Overcoming Obstacles Veterans Day Ruck will take place in Pueblo, CO. on Sunday, November 11. They are conducting a 10-mile weighted ruck, a ½ mile walk, and a 5K Walk Run. All proceeds raised will go to the non-profit organization Veterans Overcoming Obstacles to help aid in their fight to battle Veteran substance abuse and PTSD related suicide.

Carry the Fallen- Ruck March: Teams ruck-march for 3, 6, 12 or 22 hours while carrying a weight that symbolizes the burden that many veterans carry post-war or post-trauma. The ultimate purpose of “Carry The Fallen” is to reduce veteran suicide and assist Military Families.

BICENTENNIAL VETERANS DAY 5K RUN/RUCK: Takes place in Bloomington, Indiana this weekend. The Ruck challenge will be completed as a group, with obstacles and challenges placed throughout the trail. The ruck will be led by local members of various branches of the military.

The run and ruck are for adults ages 18 yrs. and up, but there are family-friendly games and entertainment at RCA Community Park throughout the event. Bloomington-area veterans services will be on site to connect with military members and their families.

Hope for the Warriors: Is a ruck march that will take place at Southern
Illinois University Carbondale. They are conducting a 24-mile ruck march from the Murphysboro, Illinois VFW to the Marion Illinois VFW in attempt to raise money for the
Student Veterans Organization.

This money will be used for small emergency needs such as electric bills, social events, and assistance for students to attend the 2014 Student Veterans of America National Conference in Scottsdale, Arizona. The Saluki Veterans Organization will be assisting the organizers and participants during the ruck march. Another organization called Team Red, White, & Blue will also be in attendance and assisting.

United War Veterans Council 2018 Honor Ruck: will be conducting a walk/ruck (at the participant’s discretion) in New York City and visiting several memorials, including East Coast (WWII), Korean War, Vietnam War, America’s Response and end at the 9/11 Memorial, where there will be a short closing ceremony. As part of the 9/11 Memorial’s Salute to Service, participants in the ruck will receive complimentary admission to the 9/11 Memorial Museum during the next available timeslot.

Ruck and Food Drive will be conducted at the University of Washington campus by the Student Veteran Life organization. The participants will be rucking canned food from one location to another and they are turning it into an adventure.

It’s like a ruck march and scavenger hunt combined for an awesome race. The prize goes to the person who can cross the finish line with the most food for donation.

Annual Veteran’s Day Family Fun Run and 10K Ruck Challenge are to be held in Birmingham, Alabama where all of the proceeds from the Fun Run and Team Ruck Challenge are distributed to local charities that support veterans, as chosen by the winning teams.

Team Ruck participants are required to individually complete the 5k/10k course carrying a set amount of weight in a military rucksack (a ‘ruck”), a commercial backpack or a weighted vest. Participants are required to provide their own ruck & weights.

Veterans Day 10K Ruck/Walk & Run is being conducted in S.Hamilton, AL where the proceeds will go to Team RWB that helps veterans. Ruck participants will be required to carry 55lbs dry for males and 35lbs dry for females. Dry weight means ruck without water, electrolytes or snacks. Rucks will be weighed prior to and after ruck challenge to verify weight.

There will be race day event activities to include: Live music, Vendor booths, Food, a Rock Climbing wall, a Gladiator pit, and other family activities. More information can be gleaned from their website.

In this day and age, we have to put forth the disclaimer that we don’t personally vouch for the validity of any of the organizations involved but they all appear to be first class organizations at first glance but you know how that is today.

But this is a great way to get out and get your rucking in over the Veterans Day weekend while promoting some great causes and having fun with your friends, workout partners, family, and pets even.

As I pointed out in yesterday’s column, we’ll be visiting our area schools and old age homes on Thursday and Friday and we have a Veterans Breakfast at the community center for one of the new developments in town. So, to keep in the spirit of the weekend’s events, I’ll volunteer to do a 12-miler on my own, since I didn’t register for any events. And I’ll donate some money to the Special Operations Warrior Foundation, which supports SOF warriors and their families from all of the services.

I hope to see you all out on the rucking trail this weekend.

Don’t be Light, Don’t be Late, and Don’t be out of uniform. DOL.

Photo: US Army/Author

Chasing Your Passion Is Seldom the Easy Path But Worth It

The two most important days of your life are the day you were born and the day you find out why

“The Equalizer”

Before I begin here, I first have to say, that although I love the film by Antoine Fuqua, starring Denzel Washington, the quote that they attribute to Mark Twain, was one he never actually said, but it frequently credited to him. Washington’s character in the film has much of the wisdom Twain had, all while being a total badass. And part of it was filmed in my hometown, so it was even better. Twain had so many great quotes…what’s one more …right?

The meaning of that quote, whoever wrote it, is that we are born and we don’t truly live until we find our purpose in life. We have to find out what we were born to do. And that is what is ultimately what makes us a person and if we’re doing what we love, we are going to the most effective we can be.

But one of the other great quotes of our time is “Do Something You Love and You’ll Never Work a Day in Your Life”. And to some degree that is very true. For those of you who are hoping to chase a dream for a career in our Special Operations Forces, it is hardly a career without hard work. In fact quite the opposite.

There are numerous sacrifices that must be made just to get your feet in the door. You’ll have to train extremely hard on your own, just to become a candidate for Selection. Next comes the actual Selection courses which are designed to crush an average troop into the dust. The physical and mental side of the Selection courses are extremely difficult and the ratio between successful candidates and unsuccessful ones are very high. That doesn’t even take into account the qualification courses which depending on your MOS could take over a year.

That just gets your foot in the door. Once you are a member of the operational units, the training, missions and operational tempo become even harder. Getting into Special Operations is very hard. Remaining there for a career is even harder.

But the job satisfaction and feeling of doing something worthwhile and important outweigh any monetary rewards you could get. The fact of the matter is that if you decide to embark on a military you won’t get rich, don’t expect to be living next door to a CEO of a Fortune 500 company. Some researchers have stated that happy employees and those that have totally “bought in” to what they are doing are at least 12 percent more effective than just the ones working to get a paycheck. We’ll get to this more below.

So, you are considering Special Operations as a career, something many troops have in every service…how do you get yourself standing in the formation at Selection?

Research As Much As Possible:

This is a MUST. Read everything you can get your hands on about whatever unit you are targeting as your choice. Be intimately familiar with the unit’s history, their makeup, what makes them so special, and how they operate.

Then do more research. Are the skills and intangibles that the unit is looking for actual strengths of yours? You have to be very self-critical and realistic here. And if they are not strengths, are there ways to make them so?

Obviously, if you are a person that doesn’t enjoy working at night or even has a fear of the dark, then this life probably isn’t for you. So, do the homework first and do a detailed job on whether this job appears to be a fit both personally and professionally.

Map Out a Timeline:

Like anything else, once you’ve decided to try this, you can’t just submit your paperwork and expect to walk in the door on Day 1 of Selection and expect the cadre to hand you the key to the city. Your preparation should begin before you ever submit your paperwork.

Then map out a timeline. If you plan on attending Selection next spring, make a reverse timeline and start the backward planning process (something you’ll be expected to know in SOF). And your preparation is all on you. No one is going to hold your hand either in your prep or in the course. You must be self-reliant and a true self-starter.

A young man spoke with me recently about making such a big leap and asked me what if after all that, how do you know you will excel in Special Operations. Most of that comes with doing the research and homework ahead of time. But in reality, you won’t really know if you fit in SOF or it is for you until you get your feet on the ground there.

Many, the majority of the people that try out fail. It isn’t an indictment on the person, there are many outstanding soldiers that have attempted Special Operations and aren’t a fit. There is no shame in that. It isn’t for everyone, life in Special Operations especially isn’t for everyone. The only shame is, once in, not giving 100 percent of your time, effort and enthusiasm.

Never be afraid of pushing the envelope and reaching high. Of course, the possibility of failure is always there but that is what makes it all worthwhile. As Tom Hanks said in “A League of Their Own”, the hard is what makes it great. If it was easy, everyone would do it. And then, it wouldn’t be “special” at all.

On a personal level, I knew what I wanted to be from the time I was about eight years old. My Grandmother lived nearby and she subscribed to National Geographic. There was an issue about Special Forces in Vietnam and the pictures and story about CPT Vern Gillespie were enthralling. How this shadowy, unit, lived with and fought alongside these hill tribesmen in Vietnam was fascinating.

I then read everything I could get my hands on about this “new” unit. Which in those days wasn’t very much. Making a trip down to the town library, I signed out Robin Moore’s book, “The Green Berets” and was hooked. It wasn’t long after that when the book came to the silver screen and none other than “the Duke”, John Wayne brought the Green Berets in a flawed but memorable film. To the 10-year old in the theater, it made a lasting impression.

So there was never a doubt where my “passion” was going. But making it happen is always a different path, the same for everyone else. But once there, I was the happiest I ever was at any time in my life.

I couldn’t believe they paid me to go to work there every day. I got to meet a ton of tremendous NCOs, the backbone of SF, where excellence is a given. On a podcast on SOFREP Radio, I once told the host, Ian, when on the show that I felt like a member of the ‘27 Yankees, where everyone was a star at what they did. My battalion had a plethora of our officers make General, far exceeding the normal ratio. And the amazing thing was, there were a few more who should have made it.

I was fortunate and consider myself lucky to be able to do what I loved, despite the injuries which came down the road and I have to live with today. I hope that all of you find that niche in life as well. There is no feeling like it. And if it brings you into the Special Operations brotherhood, that is the best feeling of all. Don’t quit. DOL

Photo: DOD

Changes Are Coming For the Special Forces Qualification Course

Course Is to Be Shortened to 24 Weeks

We’ve been expecting change to the Special Forces Qualification Course (SFQC) for some time now. The course is and pretty much has always been a constantly evolving training vehicle to get the best trained Special Forces troops on the ground and to the operational groups. The missions evolve as the world around us and the threats our nation faces change. The outstanding SF troops from Vietnam were training for and fighting a much different war than the men are today in Syria or Afghanistan.

But with the breaking story from a year ago with several SF instructors being concerned with the standards of the course being compromised, we knew changes were bound to happen. Which is nothing new. Cadre at the SFQC in every generation are always worried about the standards and keeping them at a high level. In this case, those concerns from the cadre made into the social media platforms. And many civilians who don’t understand how things work in the military got the wrong impressions

Well, the changes weren’t long in coming. MG Sonntag had been meeting with the people at the JFKSWCS (Special Warfare Center School) and there are big changes coming down the pipeline for the SFQC, Civil Affairs, and PSYOPs Courses. They are attempting to streamline all of the courses to better improve their product.

NEWSREP’s Jack Murphy was given a copy of the email sent out by MG Sonntag to the command that stated the SFQC was going to be streamlined to a total of 24 weeks from the beginning of SFOC to RFF (Regimental First Formation). Below is a copy of that message:

From: Sonntag Kurt L MG (USAJFKSWCS) [mailto:[email protected]]
Sent: Thursday, October 18, 2018 6:02 PM
To:
Subject: SFQC Optimization Update

SWCS Team,

In August, I met with all of you to discuss our way ahead. The question I asked was: How do we transform the enterprise and organization structure to ensure doctrine and training prepares Civil Affairs, Psychological Operations and Special Forces personnel through their careers to effectively operate in the current and future environments given operational requirements and institutional constraints?

The answer to that question resulted in five new lines of effort for the command. Today, I was briefed by the 1st Special Warfare Training Group (A) Command on their way forward on one part of LOE 2, the optimization of the Special Forces Qualification Course. The Training Group staff, in coordination with the SF Commandant efforts, took a hard look at the course from start to finish and has recommended a course of action that will:

– Leverage the best of the SFQC training modules to enhance the overall training environment.

– Reduce the total training time from the start of the SFQC to RFF to 24 weeks, thereby enhancing 1st SFC(A)’s readiness.

– Introduces students to resistance and ODA operations and reinforces their importance throughout the entirety of the SFQC.

– Sets the conditions for touch points throughout the course for interaction between SF, CA and PSYOP.

– Transitions the SFQC to a four-start production model that will maximize resources while still providing sufficient training capacity.

– Focuses on individual MOS skill development and collective training, while moving to a coach, teach, mentor environment where training the individual is a priority.

– Collective training is executed in an ODA construct within the Pineland Training Scenario. This construct enhances the learning environment while increasing the understanding and comprehension of SF missions.

This is the first step in our optimization. Over the next several months many of you will be involved in this process, with a projected transition starting in June 2019. This is a big step forward, but it cannot stop here. As the SFQC cadre and staff work through this process, leaders throughout the command will look at all SWCS training in an effort to make comprehensive changes that will better prepare our Army Special Operations Forces’ ability to operate successfully in complex, dynamic environments throughout the world – now and into the future.

v/r,

KLS

MG Kurt L. Sonntag

Commanding General

USJFKSWCS/US Army SOCoE

NIPR: [email protected]

SIPR: [email protected]

Office: 910-432-4404

BB: 910-568-9273

SFQC Optimization approved concept 18OCT18 (2)

Obviously, (above), we also had been given copies of the slides that the General had briefed off of and we had some questions about how the training would be conducted, what was being cut or shortened.

We reached out to the USASOC, SOCOM PAO Office for some clarification and they asked for the questions in writing so that they could answer them in a timely, complete manner which is completely understandable.

So in regard to the portions of the course that were being either shortened or cut entirely, the command answered that. Their response:

“1st Special Forces Command outlined the individual tasks required for each MOS to meet their operational needs. Instead of adding collective tasks into MOS, this concept focuses solely on individual tasks and incorporates application through historical vignettes (lessons-learned). The practical application at a team level will come in tactical skills. Currently, the course orientation and history phase is six weeks. This concept incorporates the introductory individual tasks into MOS training and the collective tasks into tactical skills. History modules and other tasks now taught in course orientation will be taught throughout all phases of the course. This concept found efficiencies in training by reorganizing where we teach certain tasks, which provides opportunities to combine complimentary tasks in a logical manner.”

We asked about changes to cut out MFF and if any of these changes that were taking place in the SFQC would affect the SFAS course.

Military Free Fall is not being cut out. It is actually included on the far right of the first slide. There has been no proposal to alter Special Forces Assessment and Selection at this time, but Cadre are constantly looking for efficiencies and best-practices to enhance training. The optimization of the Special Forces pipeline is only the first step in enhancing MOS qualification training across all three Regiments trained at the U.S. Army John F. Kennedy Special Warfare Center and School.

The final questions we had were about what one of the SF Groups were conducting for newly graduated Green Berets entering into the 3rd Special Forces Group SFG(A). We had heard thru our sources there that 3rd SFG was running a Green Platoon training for new SFers called “Entry Level Operator Training Course.”

Given the flap that hit the schoolhouse last year around this time, our questions were blunt. Is the 3rd SFG conducting this training in response to what we heard about a year ago? And more importantly, is this action by the Group a sign that they aren’t happy with the level of training that the troops are receiving in the SFQC? USASOC responded to that as well.

Each installation has unique requirements for planning and executing training events. The Entry Level Operator’s Course is provided to new members of 3rd SFG(A) to equip them with the required certifications they will need to conduct training on Fort Bragg. During the course, an operator can expect to receive their military driver’s license, their ammunition handler’s card, and their range safety certifications, as well as information to make them successful as they facilitate training on the installation.

This makes total sense and is quite practical. Fort Bragg, like any big Army training base has a ton of rules that have to be followed and to conduct any training it is always advisable to have every SF troop as qualified as possible to conduct training on post.

However, we did hear back from our source(s) in 3rd SFG, and while those admin tasks that USASOC mentioned were indeed part of the initial training as part of the Entry Level Operator’s Course, but they also said there was a tactical portion of the course that covered basic “includes how to shoot, move, communicate, and medicate. Other parts deal with combatives and mobility.”

This again doesn’t necessarily mean that the Group is unhappy with the training conducted by the “Q” Course. It could mean that the 3rd SFG(A) is simply wanting all of their personnel to conduct a standard of SOPs that will be uniform throughout the Group. That way, everyone regardless of A-Team, Company or Battalion will be operating virtually the same. With the Operational Tempo the Groups are currently dealing with, it would make sense to do this collectively before the new guys make their way down to the teams. We haven’t been able to confirm that yet.

If we learn anything new, we’ll be happy to update and share. Until then, the course is changing again. For the cadre. For the prospective SF candidate, he’ll be seeing it for the first time (hopefully) anyway and won’t notice the difference. The tempo may be increased a bit.

DOL, “Don’t be late, don’t be light, don’t be out of uniform.”

Photo: US Army

Remembering Humbert “Rocky” Versace, MOH, 29 October 1963

Humbert “Rocky” Versace was captured early in the Vietnam War on October 29, 1963, by the Viet Cong and showed his indomitable will by refusing to be indoctrinated by the Communists and resisted fiercely. He so enraged his captors by his insistence on adhering to the code of conduct and protesting their treatment of American POWs, the Vietcong executed him on September 26, 1965. He was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor.

Early Life and the USMA:

Versace was born the eldest of five children in Honolulu, Hawaii in 1937. His mother was an author and one of her novels was later turned into the television series, “The Flying Nun.” His father was a Colonel in the U.S. Army. Like most military families, the Versace clan moved quite frequently and Rocky grew up in Alexandria, VA, right outside of Washington, D.C.

After graduation from high school in Norfolk, VA, Versace got an appointment to the U.S. Military Academy at West Point as his father did. He graduated in 1959 as a Second Lieutenant in the Armor Branch. He went to Ranger School, the Class 4-60 and graduated on December 18, 1959. After attending airborne school, Versace was shipped to Korea where he was assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 40th Armor, 1st Cavalry Division as an M-48 tank platoon leader from March 1960 – April 1961.

After being promoted to Captain, Versace was then assigned to the 3d U.S. Infantry (Old Guard), the ceremonial unit near Washington at Ft. Myer, VA and known the “Escort to the President.” While in Virginia Versace volunteered for duty in Vietnam and was transferred to Ft. Holabird, MD for the intelligence course and then the Vietnamese Language Course at the Presidio of Monterey in California.

Vietnam Tours, Capture and Execution:

Versace began his first tour as an intelligence advisor serving with the 5th Special Forces Group in May 1962. At the end of his year-long tour in May 1963, he volunteered to extend for six more months. At the conclusion of that, Versace decided that he was going to join the seminary and become a Catholic priest and return to Vietnam as a missionary.

With only two weeks remaining on his tour and the Army, Versace went to visit an old USMA classmate at the 5th Special Forces camp A-23 located at Tan Phu in the Mekong Delta. The Special Forces men were advising a Civilian Irregular Defense Group (CIDG) unit that was trying to dislodge a Viet Cong stronghold located in the thick U Minh Forest at the village of Le Coeur. Versace joined the men on the operation. The Viet Cong, however, ambushed the Montagnard/Special Forces patrol. While reacting to the ambush, an American Special Forces medic Dan Pitzer, broke his ankle, his A-Team XO, 1LT Nick Rowe moved to help him. Versace remained in place and put down enough covering fire to allow most of the CIDG troops to withdraw safely. However, Rowe was clubbed from behind by a Viet Cong and he, Pitzer and Versace were taken, prisoner.

The Viet Cong really had no idea on what to do with American prisoners so they subjected them to brutal interrogations, horrible conditions at a small jungle prison camp located deep in the U Minh Forrest. The Viet Cong, in addition to physical torture and interrogations, attempted to starve their American captives. Although he was wounded from the action at the ambush and very weak, Versace continued to display his absolute adherence to the Code of Conduct.

He tried to escape on four different occasions, once in such a weakened condition that he was on his hands and knees crawling outside the compound where he was easily recaptured by his guards. This infuriated the Viet Cong but not as much as his actions did. Using his Vietnamese language skills, he lambasted the Communists for their treatment of POWs, and their complete disregard for the Geneva Conventions. Using a mixture of Vietnamese and French, he kept the counterattacks going on his interrogators. Although his body was broken, his spirit was not.

The Viet Cong tried to separate him from the other captors and for a while left him gagged in his cell so that he couldn’t communicate with other Americans. The last time he was seen by his American countrymen, he was loudly singing “God Bless America.” His resilience after 23 months of brutal captivity, inspired his fellow Americans and infuriated the Viet Cong. On September 23, 1965, Viet Cong National Liberation Radio announced that Versace had been executed.

Versace was initially awarded a Silver Star for his actions but after a much-needed boost from many of his friends and family, his Silver Star was changed to the Medal of Honor and President Bush awarded it to his siblings in the White House in 2002.

Medal of Honor Citation:

Humbert Roque Versace
Rank and organization: Captain, U.S. Army, Intelligence Advisor, Special Operations
Place:Republic of Vietnam
Entered service at: Norfolk, Virginia
Born:Honolulu, Hawaii
Citation:
For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty while a prisoner of war during the period of October 29, 1963 to September 26, 1965 in the Republic of Vietnam. While accompanying a Civilian Irregular Defense Group patrol engaged in combat operations in Thoi Binh District, An Xuyen Province, Republic of Vietnam on October 29, 1963, Captain Versace and the CIDG assault force were caught in an ambush from intense mortar, automatic weapons, and small arms fire from elements of a reinforced enemy Main Force battalion.
As the battle raged, Captain Versace fought valiantly and encouraged his CIDG patrol to return fire against overwhelming enemy forces. He provided covering fire from an exposed position to enable friendly forces to withdraw from the killing zone when it was apparent that their position would be overrun, and was severely wounded in the knee and back from automatic weapons fire and shrapnel. He stubbornly resisted capture with the last full measure of his strength and ammunition.
Taken prisoner by the Viet Cong, he demonstrated exceptional leadership and resolute adherence to the tenets of the Code of Conduct from the time he entered into a prisoner of war status. Captain Versace assumed command of his fellow American prisoners, and despite being kept locked in irons in an isolation box, raised their morale by singing messages to popular songs of the day, and leaving inspiring messages at the latrine.
Within three weeks of captivity, and despite the severity of his untreated wounds, he attempted the first of four escape attempts by dragging himself on his hands and knees out of the camp through dense swamp and forbidding vegetation to freedom. Crawling at a very slow pace due to his weakened condition, the guards quickly discovered him outside the camp and recaptured him. Captain Versace scorned the enemy’s exhaustive interrogation and indoctrination efforts, and inspired his fellow prisoners to resist to the best of their ability.
When he used his Vietnamese language skills to protest improper treatment of the American prisoners by the guards, he was put into leg irons and gagged to keep his protestations out of earshot of the other American prisoners in the camp. The last time that any of his fellow prisoners heard from him, Captain Versace was singing God Bless America at the top of his voice from his isolation box. Unable to break his indomitable will, his faith in God, and his trust in the United States of America and his fellow prisoners, Captain Versace was executed by the Viet Cong on September 26, 1965. Captain Versaces extraordinary heroism, self-sacrifice, and personal bravery involving conspicuous risk of life above and beyond the call of duty were in keeping with the highest traditions of the United States Army, and reflect great credit to himself and the U.S. Armed Forces

Epilogue:

The full story of Versace’s actions was not known until Rowe escaped from captivity on December 31, 1968. Rowe had steadfastly stuck to his cover story that he was an engineer assigned to build schools and other civil affairs projects in the camp. He kept this up for years although the Vietnamese tried to catch him by forcing him to do different engineering problems to test him.

It was until the anti-war protesters including noted activist Tom Hayden visited Vietnam that he furnished the Communists with the background of several captives including Rowe. When the Viet Cong found out his background was intelligence and Special Forces, they were incensed.

They were taking him to be executed in the jungle when his guards were startled by an air assault nearby of U.S. helicopters. Rowe overpowered his guard and rushed out into a rice paddy and got the attention of the crew by waving his mosquito net. He was nearly killed by his beard (the Vietnamese rarely grew) convinced the crew he was an American and he was rescued after five years.

Rowe was brought back into the Army in 1981 as an LTC and was tasked with developing and running the Army SERE School at Camp Mackall, NC. His developed course left behind a lasting legacy in the Special Forces community. SERE – Survival Evasion Resistance Escape, is taught to all Special Forces soldiers and to selected other Special Operations troops. The mission is to avoid capture at all costs but if caught, to return home alive and with honor. Rowe wrote a book about his experiences as a POW called “Five Years to Freedom.”

In 1989, Rowe was assigned at the JUSMAG Joint U.S. Military Advisory Group in the Philippines. He was assassinated while on his way to work one morning by Filippino Communists.

Photos: Rocky Versace with his father, Dan Pitzer and Nick Rowe- DOD

October 19, 2001, America Strikes Back, SF Troops Arrive in Afghanistan

Just five weeks after the horrible events that unfolded on 9/11 back in 2001, the United States answered. Coalition air forces were already hitting targets in Afghanistan, taking out terrorist training centers and key government installations. But on that day, the first Special Forces troops infiltrated into Afghan territory from Uzbekistan over the Hindu Kush mountains.

The men selected were from the 5th Special Forces Group (5th SFG) and they were tasked with conducting a classic SF mission. Infiltrate a denied country, coordinate with CIA Special Activities Division members on the ground, link up with resistance bands. Several of these crossed ethnic boundaries and were historic enemies. But they were loosely grouped into what was called the Northern Alliance, Afghan warriors who were fighting the Taliban.

There the SF A-Teams would train the Northern Alliance, supply them and while coordinating between the various groups, attack the Taliban by calling in airstrikes and accompanying the resistance fighters into combat.

The 5th SFG was the key component of Task Force Dagger along with the CIA’s Special Activities Division and the Night Stalkers of the 160th Special Operations Regiment (Airborne) along with a handful of Air Force Special Operations Combat Controllers. The pilots of the 160th said 5th SFG Commander, Colonel, later Lt. General John Mulholland are “the finest aviators in the world, bar none.”

Night Stalkers Fly Teams In Terrible Conditions:

The weather was so bad, it delayed the original infiltration planned for October 17 for two days. The Special Ops MH-47s flown by the 160th were flying at 20,000 ft. to cross the mountains, and several of the men became airsick because of the altitude. Visibility was near zero and the pilots had to deal with sleet, ice, wind, sandstorms, and enemy fire.

The first two SF A-Teams, known as ODAs (Operational Detachment Alpha) was 595, and 555. When the SF men alit off of the Chinooks, they were truly alone. The moment wasn’t lost on them. The mountains in Afghanistan were the same as they had been for centuries. The mode of transportation was on horseback. The roads …dirt.

The Commander of ODA-595, Captain Mark Nutsch recalled that the land was “rugged, isolated, beautiful, different colored stones and geographical formations, different shades of red in the morning as the sun came up.”

He described his infiltration area as “a canyon with very dominating, several-hundred-feet cliffs.” The SF men had no idea what to expect. Their counterparts were waiting for them and the ODAs were surrounded by armed militants. Although there were a few tense moments, the two sides quickly linked up.

The Famed Horsemen:

The SF teams quickly broke down into split teams and split even further into three-man teams. The Northern Alliance fighters traveled on horseback. The Americans soon found themselves on borrowed horses sitting in saddles much too small for American built SFers and riding horses that wanted to fight each other as much as the Afghans fought amongst their different factions. Most of the men had never ridden horses before.

Nutsch was one of the few men who had experience on horses as he grew up on a ranch. But even he was amazed at how fast the men on the teams adapted to this new but very old style of warfare. A Civil War and history buff, prior to deployment he studied cavalry battles of yore, never dreaming that one day he’d be leading one.

Nutsch requested lightweight McClellan saddles be airdropped for the US troops since the Afghan models were too small. In mid-November, they were airdropped in.

Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld saw pictures of the SF men and briefed the press and the legend of the Horse Soldiers was born.

It was the first instance of U.S. troops riding into battle on horseback since January of 1942 in the early days of World War II. The U.S. Army’s 26th Cavalry charged a Japanese advance column on the march from Manilla in the Philippines. Today, a 16-foot, bronze statue of an SF Soldier on horseback, named De Oppresso Liber — the SF motto, “to free the oppressed”, the Horse Soldier, stands near ground zero in New York City, watching over the 9-11 memorial and honoring those first special operations teams that struck back at terror.

Combat Controllers Were Big Force Multipliers:

The AFSOC Combat Controllers really helped turn the tide for the Northern Alliance fighters. They were on horseback with just AKs and a handful of light machine guns going against the Taliban that had tanks, armored personnel carriers and heavy artillery, courtesy of the Soviet Union when they pulled out of Afghanistan in 1989.

In an interview with Army Times, retired Chief Master Sgt. Calvin Markham, who received a Silver Star for the operation, remembered that the controllers tried “to bring that close air support expertise with our air traffic control background, having multiple stacks of aircraft … from fighters to bombers overhead.”

“It annihilated the enemy,” he said, noting that this was the first time B52s had been used for close air support since the Vietnam War. “I think it really broke their will to fight. You kill 10, 15 enemy combatants on the battlefield at one time, I’m sure it’s a devastating blow to them, but when you’re talking about hundreds of enemy combatants losing their lives from one strike, it makes the other guys think about what they’re doing and that maybe they should retreat.”

In less than a month, 10 ODAs from the 5th SFG were operating in Afghanistan. The Special Forces men fighting alongside the Northern Alliance and with massive air support from B-52s, B-1Bs, and other platforms, decimated the Taliban. In less than two months, they had wrested control of the country away from the Taliban.

Then as Charlie Wilson had remarked a dozen years before, after the U.S. had helped to oust the Soviets from Afghanistan…”We fucked up the end game.”

Seventeen years later, U.S. troops are still fighting and dying there.

Photo: DOD

Character Is a Very Important Discriminator During Selection

Knowledge will give you power, but character respect.

Bruce Lee

Just because you are a character doesn’t mean you have character.

Winston Wolfe -Pulp Fiction

One of the things that will be given a lot of weight during Selection is a candidate’s character. And it is going to show through during the events and tests that the class will conduct during their time in the barrel.

But first, what is character and why is it important? The book definition defines character as the mental and moral qualities distinctive to an individual. Simply put it, a person with “good” character has honorable traits and values such as honesty, integrity, responsibility, and courage. They will invariably do the right thing regardless of whether it is physically dangerous or a detriment to their career.

No one is born with good character, it comes from and is formed and revealed by how one deals with everyday extraordinary pressures, situations, and temptations. Selection will put the candidate in every one of those. And magnify them exponentially. As the saying goes, the cadre members are always watching and you are always being evaluated. Not only during Selection but on the teams if and when a candidate graduates the qualification courses.

How we behave when we think no one is looking or when we don’t think we will get caught more accurately portrays our character than what we say or do when defending our reputations.

The men who you ultimately hope to serve with on the teams have all been in the same boat and they too, regardless of time spent in the units are constantly being evaluated by their peers. It is a natural Selection process that never stops. That’s why the values that make good character are so important. Why?

Special Operations troops know what their mission is, what entails on keeping up daily on how to be a complete operator. Whether it is remaining technically and tactically proficient, keeping up their language training, updating new developments in the Area of Operations or new developments with the enemies of our nation, SOF operators are proactive, not reactive. They don’t need to be told to do these things. And if they need help with it, they must seek out the help both internally and externally.

Character Assessment Begins Early:

As soon as your feet hit the ground in Selection, your being assessed. And one of the first things that you’ll be asked to do is take a series of tests by the psychologists such as the MMPI tests but also, at least back in the day, we used to run psych evals.

The reasoning was two-fold. One, the powers that be want to make sure that the candidates are being truthful in their responses. How they do that, is they will ask the same question multiple times but word it in different ways.

The other thing the tests do is identify candidates who could potentially have sociopathic tendencies. So, when given these tests, don’t discount them or blow them off as fluff. Take them seriously and answer each question honestly.

In Selection, everything is magnified and the candidates are always tired, hungry and stressed out. So, a candidate’s true character will rise to the surface. The cadre members will see this and so will the other candidates. That is why peer evaluations are so important.

Is this candidate a team-player? Does he have the integrity to get the job done and the right way, even when no one is looking? Is this a person you would trust, with your life, if need be it came to that? Because in Special Operations, it may exactly come to that.

Six Pillars of Character:

Many today follow with the six pillar theory of character and how it equates to character building and making ethical decisions. Those are:

TRUSTWORTHINESS. …
RESPECT. …
RESPONSIBILITY. …
FAIRNESS. …
CARING. …
CITIZENSHIP.

These are all self-explanatory and are geared more toward the civilian population. However, a special operator should also have these traits as well as a few others. We’ve mentioned these several times in different pieces here on the site and we’ll go over them again. Among the other traits nearly all Special Operators possess are…but not limited to:

SOF Traits:

Ability to Handle Stress: This is a must. If you think Selection is tough, wait until you get thousands of miles from home and you have no built-in support system. You’ll be forced to make decisions while tired, hungry, and under even more stress. SOF types can shut out everything else and continue on with the mission.

Self-Reliance: The ability to get things done on your own is a much-needed skill for the SOF operator. No one is going to tell you when certain things need to be done. And if you need to be told constantly, then your career won’t last very long in SOF.

Good commanders will never tell SOF troops how to do something. They’ll just point to what the end state needs to be and allow the operator to get it done on his own ingenuity.

Competitiveness: SOF troops look upon everything as a challenge. Everybody can shoot and shoot well. But go to the range and the guys will always challenge each other. It carries over into every conceivable aspect of their lives. That is what drives the train. An old team sergeant of mine once said:

“You walk in the door and there will always be someone smarter than you. Someone can always run faster or ruck better than you. That is what makes us F***ing great. We push the hell out of each other and get better every single day.”

Self-Critical: Most non-SOF people will describe operators as an arrogant bunch. And they wouldn’t be far off in that assessment. Most SOF types are supremely confident that they can get the job, any job done that they will come off that way. But most SOF guys are very self-critical in everything that they do that would be surprising for non-SOF people to believe.

It is the intense drive (read competitiveness) to be the best at everything they do, they’ll nitpick themselves, after all, is said and done. Someone will conduct a textbook operation but afterward, they’ll dwell on the parts of it that went less than ideal.

Embracing the Suck Factor: There will be those times where everything seems stacked against you. The SOF operator will not only drive on and complete the mission but find a sick, twisted sense of humor in it all. This trait is highly desired.

Many civilian types have embraced this phrase for their workouts in nice workout clothes, in state of the art gyms while sipping cold water or juice out of an insulated bottle. While many of those do in fact work out extremely hard, that doesn’t compare to the SOF “suck” factor. Those of you who are veterans of SOF or still active will know exactly what we are talking about. It is the ultimate in being mentally and physically tough. Nuff said.

Good luck in your quest and above all else,…never quit.

Photo: DOD

Special Operations Forces Selection PT Preparation Week 13, Day 1

Sunday morning Rucksack march. Do a quick warmup of pushups and sit-ups before heading out. Head out over varied terrain and try to go as fast as you can without running. Going to try to make it a little different by heading out in one direction for an hour by going as fast as you can. And then turning around and heading back the same way. How long did it take to get back?

Stretch well both before and after the event. Remember to drink plenty of water and stay hydrated out there.

UBRR Training:

Warm up

2 x 20 Pushups

2 x 20 Sit-ups

2-hour Rucksack march over varied terrain with a 45-pound minimum. Go as hard and fast as you can in one direction for an hour. Then turn around and go back to the start point. And mark your distance in your workout log book. Should have been a minimum of 8 miles if you are sticking to the standard.

Stretch well after completion