Posts Tagged special operations

Canadian Breaks World Record Sniper Shot

From The Globe and Mail:

“The Canadian Special Operations Command can confirm that a member of Joint Task Force 2 successfully hit a target at 3,540 metres,” the forces said in a statement. “For operational security reasons and to preserve the safety of our personnel and our Coalition partners we will not discuss precise details on when and how this incident took place.”

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MARSOC Picks Glocks

From KitUp:

The move, first reported by Jeff Schogol of Marine Corps Times, follows a Marine Corps decision in February that a MARSOC operators to carry Glock pistols, since many of the elite outfit’s members prefer the popular Glock 19 9mm handgun over the custom .45 pistols the service bought them in 2012.

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The V-22 Has Proven To Be A Wise Investment

From Business Insider:

The Osprey demonstrated its worth in Afghanistan, one of the most stressing environments on earth. With few airfields, great distances between bases and sparse landing fields, the V-22 proved its versatility and value.

The combination of speed and maneuverability also made the V-22 an ideal platform for special operations missions, combat search and rescue and aeromedical evacuation. Air Force Special Operations Command has found the CV-22 variant particularly useful for deep insertion missions in complex terrain. The Osprey’s speed allows for deep penetration missions under cover of darkness.

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DARPA Looking For Lighter Night Vision Goggles

From KitUp:

The Defense Advanced Research Project Agency (DARPA) said today’s night vision goggles are too heavy and cumbersome for troops and have led to short term and long term neck injuries.

DARPA officials have put out a call to companies to issue proposals to build the next generation of night vision goggles. Proposals must put forth a plan to design goggles that look a lot like a bulky pair commercial sunglasses. The night vision glasses must be able to instantly switch from daylight to infrared.

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9mm Preferred By Spec Ops

From KitUp:

The Army’s Delta Force adopted .40 caliber, but the elite unit is having the same problems as the FBI – the heavier caliber is causing excessive wear problems in guns that were originally designed to be 9mm. Delta is now using 9mm Glock 17s, 19s and 34s.

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Containing Terrorsim With Small Forces

From Lawfare:

The United States is deeply concerned about the potential for countries like Libya, Mali, Somalia, Syria, Yemen, and others to export insecurity—particularly terrorism, but also other forms of violence and instability. However, Washington is not willing to dedicate substantial resources to dealing with these crises, as it did in the counterinsurgencies of the 2000s or the peace operations of the 1990s.

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MARSOC

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The Year In Special Operations

2013-2014 Edition

From DefenseMediaNetwork

specops13

 

Content:

Worldwide SOF Evolving to Meet Emerging Threats

SOF Ground Vehicles

M45A1: A New Cold .45 for the 21st Century

The Evolution of the M134D Minigun

OPERATION HAWKEYE: Shooting Hoops to Help the Families of Fallen Heroes

A Rich Legacy: The Origins of Air Force Special Operations Command

Special Operations Forces and the Liberation of Iraq

Task Force Ranger 20th Anniversary: The Battle of Mogadishu, Oct. 3, 1993

USSOCOM’s First Test of Fire: Operations Prime Chance and Praying Mantis

URGENT FURY: U.S. Special Operations Forces, Grenada 1983

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K9 Warriors

Mike Ritland is a former US Navy SEAL who trains military dogs. He has written a book about his experience with military dogs and founded the Warrior Dog Foundation. He was also interviewed on 60 Minutes in a segment about military dogs:

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SOCOM Cancels SCAR-L, Orders More SCAR-Hs

From KitUp:

In a surprising reversal that follows years of effort to design a one-of-a-kind commando rifle, the U.S. military’s Special Operations Command has abruptly decided to abandon the new SOCOM Combat Assault rifle – the “SCAR,” as the rifle is commonly known – in favor of previously-fielded carbines.

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MC-130P Crash – Afghanistan, 2002

Details, video and still images taken from reconnaissance and strike footage of a downed Combat Shadow aircraft in Afghanistan in 2002.

From: Jouster.com

Here are some pics and vids of my aircraft, crashed in the Hindu Kush of the Shahi-Kot valley Afghanistan and its final bombing and destruction by the squids F18.

This the bird I had flow on for all my “stan” missions up until the night it crashed. That evening, another crew had flown a mission, came back and mission hogged our line and took our bird. Well hell long story short, they logged one more takeoff than landing

Almost felt bad about giving the crew such a hard line of **** about hogging us, almost. In the end, due to a number of fortuitous circumstances, nobody died, even though it took four or five hours to cut one of the loadmasters out of the airplane and he spent the next year and a half locked up in Walter Roach er Reed.

I have sat on these things since Feb 13th 2002, all classified tell tales have been redacted and there shouldn’t be any problem posting them now.

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Special Operations In Afghanistan

From USA Today:

In Afghanistan, commanders say, Special Forces have become an indispensable component of a strategy that involves killing the enemy in places where no one else can, and acting as ambassadors, protectors and instructors to Afghans who have expressed a desire to free themselves of militants and overlords.

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Kutschbach, Afghanistan

International Security Assistance Force Special Operations Forces fire a 81mm mortar at an insurgent position from Forward Operating Base Kutschbach, Afghanistan, Nov. 18. The ISAF SOF fired mortars to drive back insurgents attacking an Afghan Security Forces checkpoint.

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How do special forces minimize risks in hostage rescue missions?

“British aid worker Linda Norgrove may have been accidentally killed by US forces during a rescue mission in Afghanistan. It’s not the first time such a perilous task has ended tragically. So how are they planned and what are the key considerations?

Questions were already being asked as to why the operation failed, after it was initially reported that she had been killed when one of her captors detonated a suicide vest.

UK Prime Minister David Cameron’s announcement that the 36-year-old Scot may have been killed by a US grenade has now put the mission under closer scrutiny.

All such missions are inherently dangerous. But how do special forces minimise the risks?

“Typically, you want to do the rescue operation as quickly as you can, with as much speed as possible because you want the captors to be confused as to how to respond.”

However, he says this is difficult because every operation is unique.

And no matter how well-planned is the operation, unexpected deviations are almost inevitable.

“You tend to have to make a lot of adjustments. You need people who are well trained at assessing situations and making spot decisions,” he added.”

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-11513568

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