SPECIAL OPERATIONS NEWS
1st MSOB says farewell to its first battalion commander
MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP PENDLETON, Calif. - The Marines and Sailors of 1st Marine Special Operations Battalion, U.S. Marine Corps Forces, Special Operations Command said farewell to Lt. Col. Neil C. Schuehle, its first battalion commander, during a change of command ceremony here, June 18. “Eighteen years ago, I left 1st Force Reconnaissance Company as a ... FULL STORY
US - Philippines Special Operations Forces Train Together
NAVAL BASE SANGLEY POINT, Republic of the Philippines (NNS) -- Flash Piston, a Joint Combined Exchange Training (JCET) program June 9-29 sponsored by the Joint Special Operations Task Force Philippines, allowed U.S. Special Operations Forces (SOF) to share highly specialized training with their Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) counterparts. The program concluded at Philippine ... FULL STORY
Navy SEAL Warrior Fund: Upcoming Event
The following is an upcoming event from the Navy SEAL Warrior Fund:On Wednesday, October 29th, Navy SEAL Warrior Fund will honor deceased and active duty SEALs and their families at its 3rd Benefit Gala at the Waldorf-Astoria in New York City. We hope that you can attend. In addition to saluting the efforts ... FULL STORY
Retired Master Guns helps fill MARSOC's ranks
MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP LEJEUNE, N.C. (June 12, 2008) – If you were to ask some people in U.S. Marine Corps Forces, Special Operations Command what Master Gunnery Sgt. Mark A. Arnold did for MARSOC, you might find the answer is often, “everything”.Arnold, the recruiting and screening manager for MARSOC, joined the Marine Corps in ... FULL STORY
Special Operations Warriors Carry on Fight in Western Afghanistan
KANASK, Afghanistan – The United States Special Operations Command has a reputation for being comprised of the most capable warriors in the world, men and women who have the amazing ability to switch from being relentless fighters to compassionate peacekeepers in the blink of an eye. If a complex mission needs to be accomplished, this ... FULL STORY
Navy SEALs help Ramadi SWAT create new police compound
BALAD, Iraq – Over the past 18 months, the Navy SEALs and staff of Special Operations Task Force-West (SOTF-W) in Iraq have shared knowledge, techniques and methods of operations with the Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) team of Ramadi. Today, they are now helping Ramadi SWAT design an effective, self-sustaining police compound that will provide ... FULL STORY
Coast Guard Maritime Security Response Team to hold Change of Command
PORTSMOUTH, Va. - Capt. Keith M. Smith will relieve Capt. Algernon J. Keith as Commanding Officer, Coast Guard Maritime Security Response Team, in a ceremony at 11:00 a.m. at the Naval Support Activity, Norfolk, Northwest Annex in Chesapeake, Va., May 22. Rear Adm. Thomas F. Atkin, commander of the U.S. Deployable ... FULL STORY
Special Operations Forces train new Afghan Commandos to protect their own country
SHINDAND AIR FIELD, Afghanistan – The dedication in his eyes is evident as the American Special Operations warrior attentively moves up and down the row of Afghan Commandos on the firing range. He rewards a particularly good shot with an approving tap on the helmet. He seems unaware of the sweltering heat or ... FULL STORY
Bearded Airman among Air Guard's best
ARLINGTON, Va. - By the looks of him, Staff Sgt. Scott Geisser seemed anything but your average "clean-cut" Airman here last week with his thick brown beard and mustache. Even so, the Air National Guard's top leaders praised him as one of the six Outstanding Airmen of the Year (OAY) for 2008. "I think somebody ... FULL STORY
AFSOC Pararescueman receives 2008 Pitsenbarger Award
HURLBURT FIELD, Fla. -- An Air Force Special Operations Command pararescueman has been named the 2008 Air Force Sergeants Association Pitsenbarger Award winner for his heroic actions during an October 2007 firefight against enemy combatants in Afghanistan. Tech. Sgt. Davide Keaton, 24th Special Tactics Squadron, is personally responsible for saving the lives of five people during a ... FULL STORY
NSW Commander Departs for U.S. 4th Fleet
CORONADO, CALIF. (NNS) -- The commander of Naval Special Warfare Command (NSW) turned over command of 8,400 Navy SEALs, special warfare combatant-craft crewmen and supporting staff during a ceremony today at the Naval Amphibious Base in Coronado, Calif. Rear Admiral Joseph D. Kernan relinquished command to his deputy commander, Rear Adm. Garry J. Bonelli. Kernan ... FULL STORY
EXPLOSIVE ENTRANCE
CAMP HANSEN, Okinawa (June 20, 2008) -- The Dynamic Entry Course exploded into action June 2-13 as 16 service members employed precision building-entry techniques using explosives at Range 16 on Camp Hansen. The course, taught by the III Marine Expeditionary Force Special Operations Training Group, is designed to help prepare students for urban combat ... FULL STORY
Chronic Critical Skill career fields offer opportunities
WASHINGTON (AFPN) -- Enlisted Airmen serving in certain career fields have a greater opportunity for promotion through an annually updated Chronic Critical Skills Program list. A number of factors are considered before certain Air Force Specialty Codes are put on the list. For one thing, the AFSC must have manning that's below 85 percent of what's authorized. Other ... FULL STORY
Wing helps SOCPAC make a splash in Guam
ANDERSEN, GUAM (Sine Pari, June 19, 2008) - On May 5, 15th Airlift wing C-17A crewmembers returned from an extremely successful training exercise with Navy Special Warfare Unit (NSWU-1), a component of Special Operations Command-Pacific (SOCPAC). “Over the past two years, the two units have established a close working relationship that will prove vital if called ... FULL STORY
JTACs train in complex art of coordinating close-air support
AVON PARK, Fla. (AFPN) -- Exercise Atlantic Strike VII kicked off June 14 in the swampy pinegroves of the Avon Park Air Ground Training Complex as more than 800 joint and coalition warfighters from around the world gathered to practice and train in the complex art of coordinating close-air support for ground maneuvers. The exercise will debut the ... FULL STORY
19th SFG(A) Trains with Serbian Paras
The delegation of the Ohio National Guard, consisting of 39 officers, NCOs and civilians, paid a visit to our armed forces from 15 to 22 September, and was divided into six teams (air force, Joint Task Force, Special Forces, Public Relations, medical team and NCOs) led by Maj. Gen. Gregory Wayt. According to the itinerary ... FULL STORY
Academy Cadets Experience Life in Special Tactics
HURLBURT FIELD, Fla. -- Nearly 30 Air Force Academy cadets took part in a Monster Mash here June 13 as part of an orientation course to experience life as a special tactics officer. The Monster Mash was a six-mile, on-base race that tested the cadets skills in running, ruck marching, litter carrying, swimming, self aid and buddy ... FULL STORY
Following the Green Beret
FORT BRAGG, N.C. (USASOC News Service, June 3, 2008) – Donning the green beret, receiving the sacred Special Forces tab and the continuation of a legacy. As Staff Sgt. Thomas R. Biddle graduated from the Special Forces Qualification Course on May 30, his father, 1st Sgt Thomas C. Biddle, a first sergeant for Headquarters Detachment, ... FULL STORY
Reserve squadron to become backbone of active-duty training center
HURLBURT FIELD, Fla. -- As tradition has it, transferring possession of a squadron's flag from one leader to the next signifies a shift of responsibilities between the two. But when members of 5th Special Operations Squadron transferred their flag during a May 23 ceremony, tradition just would not do. To signify the beginning of their new mission, ... FULL STORY
MSOAG Marines set their sites down range
MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP LEJEUNE, N.C. — “The most dangerous weapon in the world is a Marine and his rifle,” said R. Lee Ermey in his role as Gunnery Sgt. Hartman in the movie “Full Metal Jacket.” Students going through the initial training pipeline for Marine Special Operations Advisor Group, U.S. Marine Corps Forces, Special ... FULL STORY
MARSOC advisors get constructive with destruction
MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP LEJEUNE, N.C. —Warriors encounter many obstacles on the battlefield. Some they can maneuver over, under or around, others they must either go through or destroy. Marines and Sailors with Marine Special Operations Advisor Group, U.S. Marine Corps Forces, Special Operations Command, conducted a demolition and logistics subject matter expert training course here, ... FULL STORY
MARSOC instructor gets schooled
MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP LEJEUNE, N.C. (May 1, 2008) – Seeking self improvement is an idea that is very familiar to Marines throughout the Corps. Most Marines are constantly looking to gain the knowledge and expertise necessary to move forward and tackle the next challenge. One Marine with Marine Special Operations Advisor Group, U.S. Marine ... FULL STORY
Spec Ops hone special reconnaissance
MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP LEJEUNE, N.C. (April 8, 2008) – A pick-up truck rolls into a small village carrying stacks of small arms, mortar rounds and rocket-propelled grenades as insurgents wait anxiously to unload them into hidden compartments throughout the village. The terrorists move quickly so they won’t be seen. Little do they know, only ... FULL STORY
Thais, Americans join forces for Operation Teak Torch
UDON THANI, Thailand -- The language of friendship forged through any communication barriers as Royal Thai air forces and the United States Air Force joined together for exchange training here. About 130 members from the 353rd Special Operations Group, whose home station is Kadena Air Base, Japan, traveled to Udon Thani Air Base, Thailand, for Exercise ... FULL STORY
SOF weapons go hard Corps
MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP LEJEUNE, N.C. (April 10, 2008) – Inside the confines of the armory of 2d Marine Special Operations Battalion, U.S. Marine Corps Forces, Special Operations Command are a group of dedicated Marines, working hard to learn the intricacies and maintenance of the Special Operations Forces specific weapons used by their fellow Marines ... FULL STORY
GEN III ECWCS
The multi-layered insulating system of the Generation III Extended Cold Weather Clothing System (GEN III ECWCS) allows the wearer to adapt to varying mission requirements and environmental conditions. ... FULL STORY
