SOF News Update 20161222 – India’s police Special Commandos, E&E maps of WWII, former EOD tech for JSOC shares his story, AF Special Operations Surgical Team (SOST), in Middle East, relationship b/t SOF and CIA, India’s Special Frontier Forces (SFF), and more.
India’s Special Police Commandos. India faces an ongoing terrorist threat in south Kashmir and it has deployed special police commandos to counter the threat. The police officers receive training by experts of various agencies at the Commando Training Centre (CTC) Lethpora in south Kashmir’s Pulwawa district. Over the past three years over 2,000 special commandos have been trained. Read more in a news report by India Times, December 20, 2016.
Air Power in Iraq. The United States and its allies have an impressive array of air support platforms ready to assist the Iraqi security forces. This is abundantly clear in the fight for Mosul – the largest city in northern Iraq where the Iraqi SOF (Counter Terrorism Service) is in the lead. However, the nature of the fight – against an irregular enemy in an urban environment – poses some limitations. Read “When air power works, and when it doesn’t: A snapshot of U.S. operations against the Islamic State”, The Washington Post, December 20, 2016.
SOST Deployed to Middle East. Learn about the Air Force’s Special Operations Surgical Teams (SOST) that deploy to trouble spots around the world. One SOST recently completed an 8-week deployment to the Middle East. Read “Special Ops surgical team saves hundreds during deployment“, AFSOC, December 13, 2016.
Former SF Group Commander now Police Chief. The Ogden, Utah City Police Chief is Randy Watt – a former commander of the 19th Special Forces Group. Watch a news video “Ogden Police Department Welcomes New Chief”, Good4Utah.com, December 21, 2016
SOF and CIA Relationship. Thomas H. Henriksen has a new book out entitled Eyes, Ears, and Daggers: Special Operations Forces and the CIA in America’s Ongoing Struggle against Terrorism. Read an excerpt of the book in “Eyes, Ears, and Daggers”, Defining Ideas (Hoover Institution Journal), November 29, 2016.
FMP of 26th SOW. Watch a short (2 min) video of a full mission profile exercise held at White Sands Missile Range by the 26th Special Tactics Training Squadron in White Sands Full Mission Profile, October 12, 2016.
Former EOD Tech for JSOC Now Elected Official. Brian Mast was severely wounded in Afghanistan and now is a congressional representative. Read his story in “Rep. Brian Mast on his recovery from battle and journey to Congress”, Frontpage Mag, December 21, 2016.
Rebuilding India’s SFF. The Special Frontier Forces of Inida are in the rebuilding phase. But one defense expert cautions India on this approach in “Expert: India should be cautious in rebuilding special forces in border areas with China”, Defence Blog, December 21, 2016. (News story source is Peoples Daily Online – China).
Silk E&E Maps of WWII. This ingenious silk map played a role in over 750 escapes from German prisoner-of-war camps. Read “How Millions of Secret Silk Maps Helped POWs Escape Their Captors in WWII”, Atlas Obscura, December 20, 2016.
