Marines with Hotel Company, 2nd Raider Battalion, Marine Corps Forces Special Operations Command (MARSOC) in Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, carry a Zodiac Rigid Hull Inflatable Boat into the surf at Onslow Beach on base, March 28, 2017. (Photo by Petty Officer 3rd Class Corinne Zilnicki, U.S Coast Guard).

Defense News Update 20171021

October 21, 2017 SOF News 0

News Update on Defense 20171021 – France’s strategic security review, expansion of CT fight in Africa, SFABs, FORSCOM’s ‘Frontline’, AWOL Afghan trainees, Raqqa liberated, Iraq and Kurdish forces clash, CTC Sentinel (Oct issue), and more. France and Defense. The geopolitical […]

SOF Range Firing

Special Operations News Update 20170727

July 27, 2017 SOF News 0

SOF News Update 20170727 – SOCOM stuck in Afghanistan, Romania’s Joint Special Operations (SOF) Headquarters, SF teammate describes Jordan attack, reforming foreign assistance, U.S. SOF and Raqqa, SOF fighting terror in Africa, 5th SFGA’s “Blue Light”, SOF and SFA, Ireland’s […]

Map depicting location of Raqqa, Syria. (Based on CIA admin map 2007).

Syria Update 20170721

July 21, 2017 SOF News 0

Syria Update 20170721 – CIA to halt support to Syrian rebels, armored vehicles continue to move into Syria, Turkey unhappy, Russian air campaign, offensive to take Raqqa, and more. Raqqa. The Islamic State continues to hold on to the city […]

4-319th Artillery in Latvia conducting fire support training in winter of 2016 (photo Department of Defense)

Defense and National Security News

January 6, 2017 SOF News 0

National Security and Defense News – JSTARS, Syria, Iran, Iraq, fixing the Navy, fighting terrorism, counterinsurgency, state-building, foreign policy, and more. JSTARS Over the Middle East. One reporter, Eric Schmitt, recently spent some time with the Air Force visiting a […]

Some Day Jumps are Night Jumps (photo USASOC 2016)

Special Operations News Update 20161223

December 23, 2016 SOF News 0

SOF News Update 20161223 – Russian SOF may get a robot ‘tanklet’, why sending more U.S. SOF to Syria is a bad idea (according to one pundit),  SOF should be SOF – some recommendations, book excerpt of “Rogue Heroes”, Iraqi […]

Fall of Aleppo - Map depicting location of Aleppo, Syria (red circle). (Map from CIA 2007).

The Fall of Aleppo – and the Aftermath

December 23, 2016 SOF News 0

The recent fall of Aleppo to Syrian government forces signals a new turn of events for the long, confusing, and complex conflict. Read some recent news articles, analysis, maps, and commentary about the fall of Aleppo and the future of […]

A New Zealand trainer from Task Force Taji provides instruction to Iraqi soldiers. (U.S. Army Photo by SPC Craig Jensen, 1 Dec 2016).

Middle East News Update

December 22, 2016 SOF News 0

Middle East News Update – Obama’s Syrian legacy, seige of Aleppo, using hybrid warfare against Russia, research into Arab politics, U.S. support to Kurds could be better, and more. Obama’s Syrian Legacy. A former NATO supreme allied commander – retired […]

Destroyed ISIL oil tankers. (Photo by SSgt Charles Rivezzo, U.S. AFCENT Public Affairs, Dec 8, 2016). Targets were struck based on intel from the Target Fusion Cell.

CENTCOM’s Target Fusion Cell (TFC)

December 22, 2016 John Friberg 0

The newly-established Target Fusion Cell (TFC) works within the Combined Force Air Component Command (CFACC) in the CENTCOM Area of Responsibility (AOR). The Target Fusion Cell is “. . . an integrated cell of intelligence analysts, targeting experts and intelligence, surveillance […]