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☆ With job cuts and drug tests, the Pentagon hopes to prepare its special-ops forces for a new era of warfare
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-21 | by ( Stavros Atlamazoglou | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

US Navy/MCS 1st Class Anthony W. WalkerNaval Special Warfare Command announced in September that it would start testing its personnel, including Navy SEALs and Naval Special Warfare Combatant-Craft Crewmen, for performance-enhancing drugs. The initiative comes after several drug-related incidents in the Naval Special Warfare community and is designed to protect the force's health and readiness. Special Forces Assessment and Selection candidates carry a telephone pole during a ruck march at Camp Mackall in North Carolina in March 2020. The Navy Special Warfare Community has swelled to about 4,000 SEALS — 10 times as many as at the height of the Cold War. A US Special Forces soldier free falls over a drop zone in Germany in March 2015.

Persons: —, Anthony W, Keith Davids, Jason Johnston, Stavros Atlamazoglou Organizations: Pentagon, Service, US Navy, Walker, Warfare Command, Navy, Warfare, Craft, Navy SEAL, Special Forces, US Army, Special, Command, Army, 75th Ranger, Operations Command, US Special Forces, Hellenic Army, 575th Marine Battalion, Johns Hopkins University, Johns Hopkins School, International Studies, Boston College Law School Locations: Iraq, Afghanistan, Syria, Ukraine, Beijing, Asia, Pacific, Russia, China, Coronado , California, Mackall, North Carolina, Germany

☆ Russia's electronic warriors are switching to 'much more subtle' operations around the frontlines in Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-08 | by ( Stavros Atlamazoglou | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Electronic warfare has played an important if less visible role in the war in Ukraine. As the war has evolved, EW troops on both sides have had to adapt and innovate to remain effective. After nearly 300,000 casualties and many humiliating defeats, the Russian military is still struggling to adjust to Ukraine's willingness and ability to fight. Electronic warfare — the use of electronic signals to find, intercept, and jam enemy forces — has been an important element of daily combat. Russian EW has been a major area of investment" and its EW troops "tend to be technically competent," the RUSI report says.

Persons: —, Storm, Denis Abramov, Stavros Atlamazoglou Organizations: Service, Royal United Services Institute, REUTERS, GPS, EG, Rockets, Russian Defense Ministry, Russian, Hellenic Army, 575th Marine Battalion, Army, Johns Hopkins University, Johns Hopkins School, International Studies, Boston College Law School Locations: Ukraine, Russia, Ukrainian, British, Donetsk, Russian, Moscow, Kyiv

☆ Cheap drones and expensive missiles mean there's no more 'safe rear areas' in wartime, top NATO general says
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-28 | by ( Stavros Atlamazoglou | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Russia and Ukraine have made prolific use of cheap drones and pricier cruise and ballistic missiles. One such insight has been how the proliferation of drones and long-range missiles is changing the battlefield. AP Photo/Roman Hrytsyna, FileUkraine and Russia are both using drones in a variety of roles, including surveillance and strikes. AdvertisementAdvertisementRussia has also leaned heavily on long-range missiles and drones to target Ukrainian logistical nodes, command-and-control hubs, and civilian infrastructure, often far from the frontlines. For its part, Ukraine is using Western-made long-range missiles to hit Russian military targets and using drones, some of them possibly deployed on Russian territory, to hit targets deep inside Russia.

Persons: —, Johnny Stringer, you've, Stringer, Phil Speck, Stavros Atlamazoglou Organizations: NATO, Service, AP, Royal United Services Institute's, Air, Allied Air Command, US Air National Guard, US Air Force, Combat, Hellenic Army, 575th Marine Battalion, Army, Johns Hopkins University, Johns Hopkins School, International Studies, Boston College Law School Locations: Russia, Ukraine, Europe, Kyiv, Russian, Wyoming

☆ Australia's new submarines are still 2 decades away from delivery, but the Aussies are already looking out for spies
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-26 | by ( Stavros Atlamazoglou | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Australia is working with the US and UK to build nuclear-powered subs and other military technology. It can be intentional — for example, a foreign intelligence service spreading election conspiracies on social media — or unintentional, as when someone unwittingly shares the foreign intelligence service's social-media posts. Australian officials look at the Collins-class submarine HMAS Collins in September 2021. Those Australian intelligence officials echoed worries that US officials have about foreign efforts to compromise AUKUS. US intelligence officials estimate that Chinese espionage steals US economic secrets worth between $200 billion and $600 billion a year.

Persons: —, Joe Biden, Rishi Sunak, Anthony Albanese, Tayfun, Andrew Shearer, Mike Burgess, Burgess, CPOIS Damian Pawlenko, Azorian, PETER, Stavros Atlamazoglou Organizations: US, Service, Australia, British, Australian, Anadolu Agency, Getty, Australian National Intelligence, of National Intelligence, US Navy, Australian Security Intelligence, ASIO, FBI, Collins, Royal Australian Navy, intel, China Aviation, of State Security, Western, Hellenic Army, 575th Marine Battalion, Army, Johns Hopkins University, Johns Hopkins School, International Studies, Boston College Law School Locations: Australia, France, China, Canberra, San Diego, Virginia, North Dakota, Canada , New Zealand, AUKUS, Soviet, Beijing

☆ The US Air Force is using satellites and dirt runways to prepare its drones for a different kind of war
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-25 | by ( Stavros Atlamazoglou | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

The war in Ukraine has highlighted how hard air operations are in a large conventional conflict. The US Air Force is already training to keep its drones flying by spreading out and using new tech. In response to that challenge, the Air Force is training to disperse its forces and make targeting harder for enemies. For the US Air Force, fighter pilots have long been that dominant influence. Of 22 Air Force chiefs of staff, the service's highest-ranking uniformed officer, 17 have come from the fighter/attack communities.

Persons: —, Phil Speck, Doniell, Antonio Salfran, Christa Anderson, Stavros Atlamazoglou Organizations: US Air Force, Service, US Air National Guard, Air Force, Cannon Air Force Base, Holloman Air Force Base, Combat Employment, Andersen Air Force Base, Pentagon, Hellenic Army, 575th Marine Battalion, Army, Johns Hopkins University, Johns Hopkins School, International Studies, Boston College Law School Locations: Ukraine, China, Russia, Wyoming, New Mexico, Europe, Guam, East, Africa

☆ British commandos have trained hundreds of Ukrainian marines in the 'art' of amphibious raids
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-13 | by ( Stavros Atlamazoglou | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

For six months, British Royal Marines have been training hundreds of Ukrainian marines in "the art" of conducting commando raids and complicated amphibious operations. The British Royal Marines Commandos are one of the best amphibious-warfare units in the world. Ukrainian marines training with British Royal Marines in March 2023. Ukrainian marines training in the UK in February 2023. Ukrainian marines could also join the shadowy fight taking place in the marshes and inlets of the Dnipro River Delta.

Persons: Mark Johnson, Ben Wallace, Wallace, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Stavros Atlamazoglou Organizations: British Royal Marines, Ministry of Defence, British Royal Marine Commandos, British Royal Navy, Royal Navy, British Commandos, UK Royal Marines, British Royal Marines Commandos, Commandos, Royal Marines, Argentine, British Marines, Naval Center of Special, Hellenic Army, 575th Marine Battalion, Army, Johns Hopkins University, Johns Hopkins School, International Studies, Boston College Law School Locations: Ukrainian, Ukraine, Crimean, Crimea, British, Argentina, East Falkland, Dnipro, Russian, Delta

☆ In a US showdown with China, there are some missions with no special-operations 'easy button'
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-11 | by ( Stavros Atlamazoglou | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

Special-operations forces have been a centerpiece of US military operations for two decades. US leaders should remember that special operators aren't suited for some tasks, one expert says. But in an era of strategic competition with China, there are some missions with no special-ops "easy button," according to David Ucko, a professor and expert on irregular warfare. First, the US special-operations community should consolidate its core strengths, particularly irregular warfare, which is "highly relevant" to strategic competition with China. US Navy SEALs train with Philippine Navy special-operations and Australian army special-operations troops in Palawan in April 2022.

Persons: David Ucko, David Devich, Ucko, US Army John F, Mario A, Ramirez, Jared N, Stavros Atlamazoglou Organizations: Service, US Special Forces, US Army, Royal United Services Institute, China, Air Force, RAF Mildenhall, US Air Force, Tech, Westin Warburton, Kennedy Special Warfare Center and School, State, Justice, Treasury, US Navy, Philippine Navy, US Marine Corps, Army Green Beret, Philippine National Police, Coast Guard, British SAS, Commonwealth, Group, SAS, Allies, Army Delta Force, Delta Force, US Army Rangers, US Army Green Berets, Psychological Operations, Boat Service, Hellenic Army, 575th Marine Battalion, Army, Johns Hopkins University, Johns Hopkins, School, International Locations: China, Wall, Silicon, SOF, Afghanistan's Ghazni, British, Russia, North Carolina, Palawan, Ukraine, Taiwan, North Africa, Iraq, Afghanistan, Johns

☆ A possible future mission for the US's secretive Phoenix Ghost and Switchblade drones? Hunting Russian nukes
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-28 | by ( Stavros Atlamazoglou | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

The tense environment has been punctuated by Russian threats of nuclear strikes against the West in response to NATO's military support for Ukraine. In a future war, the secretive drones the US has supplied to Ukraine — the Phoenix Ghost and Switchblade — could get a new mission: hunting Russian nukes in Kaliningrad. NATO forces could use loitering munitions — drones designed to linger near a target before crashing into and destroying it — for such a mission in Kaliningrad. "A focus should also be on the training of these forces with the Phoenix Ghost and Switchblade drones to assist them in their search and destroy efforts," DiRubbio writes. The US has provided a few hundred of those two drones to Ukraine, including both version of the Switchblade.

Persons: Vladimir Putin's, nukes, Vitaly Nevar, William DiRubbio, DiRubbio, Sarah Pysher, Stavros Atlamazoglou Organizations: Service, NATO, Russian, Ukraine, Baltic Fleet, REUTERS, US Air Force, Royal United Services Institute, Russian Defense Ministry, US Army's Delta Force, Special Air Service, Phoenix, Delta Force, Lejeune, US Marine Corps, Hellenic Army, 575th Marine Battalion, Army, Johns Hopkins University, Johns Hopkins, School, International Locations: Russia, Ukraine, Kaliningrad, Europe, Wall, Silicon, Moscow, Russia's, Baltic, Vitaly Nevar Kaliningrad, Lithuania, Poland, British, Russian, North Carolina, Johns

☆ US Special Operations Command is working on a new mini-sub to carry SEALs to their targets in style
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-10 | by ( Stavros Atlamazoglou | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

The Dry Combat Submersible would shield SEALs from the sea, unlike other delivery vehicles. US Navy/Chief Photographer's Mate Andrew McKaskleThe battery-powered Dry Combat Submersible is about 40 feet long and weighs a little over 28 tons. But perhaps the biggest difference is that the Dry Combat Submersible keeps frogmen dry, unlike the SEALs' other submersibles, which are open to the sea. US Navy/Chief Journalist Dave FliesenUS special-operations leaders have big ambitions for the Dry Combat Submersible and their other mini-subs. The Mark 11 is meant to carry small teams of Navy SEALs into an enemy harbors and shores without detection.

Persons: Lockheed Martin, SOCOM, Photographer's, Andrew McKaskle, Gregg Bauer, John Parker, Bauer, Dave Fliesen, Christopher Perez The, Mark, Stavros Atlamazoglou Organizations: Operations Command, Lockheed, Service, US Navy SEALs, Special Operations Command, US Navy, Navy, DCS, Naval, Warfare Command, Navy SEALs, Warfare, Special Boat Service, US State Department, Hellenic Army, 575th Marine Battalion, Army, Johns Hopkins University, Johns Hopkins, School, International Locations: Wall, Silicon, Russia, China, Ukraine, Philadelphia, Georgia, Naples, Italy, Sutton, Dallas, Norfolk, Pearl, Christopher Perez The British, British, Johns

☆ China's sprawling spy agencies are designed to root out the 'five poisons' at home and abroad, British intelligence says
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-03 | by ( Stavros Atlamazoglou | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

Yin Gang/Xinhua via Getty) (Xinhua/Xinhua via Getty ImagesIn a recent report to parliament, the British intelligence services detailed the operations and goals of the Chinese intelligence services. The Chinese intelligence services are also collecting information on the Chinese democracy movement at home and abroad — including in the US — in an attempt to subvert it. According to the British intelligence report, Xi has sought to make Chinese intelligence activity more professional through reform and investment. "In more ways than one, the broad remit of the Chinese Intelligence Services poses a significant challenge to Western attempts to counter their activity," the report said, citing assessments by British intelligence officers. "To compound the problem, it is not just the Chinese Intelligence Services: the Chinese Communist Party co-opts every state institution, company and citizen.

Persons: Yin, Ma Ying, Xi Jinping, Chuang, Gong, Dalai Lama, Murad Sezer, Xi, Xie Huanchi, hoover, Stavros Atlamazoglou Organizations: Chinese Communist Party, intel, Beijing, Service, Ministry of Public Security, Yin Gang, Getty, Xinhua, of State Security, of Public Security, Force, NSA, REUTERS, CCP, of, People, US National Counterintelligence and Security Center, Chinese Intelligence Services, Hellenic Army, 575th Marine Battalion, Army, Johns Hopkins University, Johns Hopkins, School, International Locations: China, Wall, Silicon, Beijing, Xinhua, Taipei, Singapore, Xinjiang, Taiwan, Tibet, Bhutan, Nepal, India, Istanbul, Johns

☆ Russia's complex defenses are a brutal test for Ukrainian troops' close-quarters-combat skills
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-20 | by ( Stavros Atlamazoglou | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

A recent video shows Ukrainian troops using close-quarters-battle skills inside a Russian trench. While Ukrainian troops are making progress, they are not moving as quickly as Kyiv and its Western partners had hoped. The proximity of the fighting and Russia's complex defenses has put Ukrainian troops' close-quarters combat skills to a brutal test. Ukrainian frogmen clearing Russian trenchesA Ukrainian soldier in a Russian trench in a image from a video widely shared on social media in June. As the Ukrainian forces continue to push forward with the counteroffensive, close-quarters combat will be more frequent.

Persons: frogmen, John Spencer, Ritzau Scanpix, Marinka, Jacob Holmes, isn't, Anthony Jones, Eli Fieldboy, Stavros Atlamazoglou Organizations: Service, Russian, Ukrainian, Special Operations Forces of, Twitter, 73rd Naval Center of Special, Navy, West, Institute, Ukrainian National Guard, Getty, 73rd Naval Center, NATO, Green Berets, US, Special Forces Group, New York Times, US Army, Army's Delta Force, Navy's, Training, Hellenic Army, 575th Marine Battalion, Army, Johns Hopkins University, Johns Hopkins, School, International Locations: Ukraine, Wall, Silicon, Kyiv, Russia, Special Operations Forces of Ukraine, Russian, Ukrainian, Odesa, AFP, Dnipro, Kherson, Bakhmut, Israeli, Johns

☆ Air forces are ditching runways to prepare their jets to keep operating when enemies aim for their bases
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-19 | by ( Stavros Atlamazoglou | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

It is meant to be a test of the British air force's ability to operate away from its main bases. Some air forces moved away from that capability after the Cold War and now have to train for it again. US Air Force/Senior Airman Jonathan Valdes MontijoThe US military has also been planning distributed air operations from unconventional airfields and runways. When done correctly, ACE "complicates the enemy's targeting process, creates political and operational dilemmas for the enemy, and creates flexibility for friendly forces," according to the Air Force's ACE doctrine. Gen. James Hecker, the head of US Air Forces in Europe, said last year that his command was sending airmen to study the Swedish approach.

Persons: Jon Hobley, Air Marshal Harvey Smyth, Smyth, Janis Laizans, Sweden's JAS, Jonathan Valdes Montijo, Phil Speck, James Hecker, " Hecker, Janes, Stavros Atlamazoglou Organizations: Service, Royal Air Force Eurofighter, FGR4, Coningsby, Getty, NATO, Britain's Royal Air Force, Air, Aviation, RAF, REUTERS, US Air Force, Marine Corps, Agile, US Air National Guard, Air Force, Aircraft, US Air Forces, Hellenic Army, 575th Marine Battalion, Army, Johns Hopkins University, Johns Hopkins, School, International Locations: Wall, Silicon, Ukraine, London, Finland, Finnish, Russia, Sweden, Guam, Estonia, Wyoming, Europe, Swedish, Johns

☆ A US Green Beret drill with fake guerrilla fighters shows how Sweden has been preparing for an 'unconventional' clash with Russia
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-13 | by ( Stavros Atlamazoglou | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

In May and June, US Army Green Berets conducted unconventional warfare training in Sweden. In the US military, unconventional warfare is the bread and butter of the Green Berets of US Army Special Forces. Winning wars unconventionallyUS Army Green Berets demonstrate detainment procedures during training in Kalix, Sweden on May 29. Unconventional warfare can still play an important role in that kind of war, but it would be a supporting role. Cadets talk to role-players during West Point Irregular Warfare Group's Unconventional Warfare Exercise in April 2019.

Persons: Anthony Bryant, Patrik Orcutt, Anthony Bryant Sweden, refocusing, Erwin Rommel, Stavros Atlamazoglou Organizations: US Army Green Berets, Service, NATO, US Green Berets, Swedish Home Guard, US Army, Staff, Green Berets, US Army Special Forces, US Army Special Operations Command, Green, US Special Forces, 10th Special Forces Group, Sweden's, Guard, Home Guard, Operations Command, Green Beret, US Army Green, EU, Army Green Berets, Pentagon, Al, Delta Force, US Military, British Special Air Service, Commonwealth, Group, Hellenic Army, 575th Marine Battalion, Army, Johns Hopkins University, Johns Hopkins, School, International Locations: Sweden, Soviet Union, Russia, Wall, Silicon, Kalix, Europe, Soviet, Swedish, Stockholm, Al Qaeda, China, North Africa, Ukraine, Ukrainian, Johns

☆ How a record-setting 'Ugly Baby' mission allowed US special operators to outmaneuver Iraqi forces
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-29 | by ( Stavros Atlamazoglou | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

US special-operations forces wanted to infiltrate northern Iraq to tied down Iraqi forces there. Operation Ugly BabyA map of the Ugly Baby mission route along Iraq's western border on March 22, 2003. US Green Berets in an MC-130H heading to Iraq during Operation Ugly Baby on March 22, 2003. A US special-operations aircraft that was forced land by enemy fire during Operation Ugly Baby in March 2003. In all, Task Force Viking numbered about 400 special operators, including elite Delta Force commandos, Green Berets from the 10th Special Forces Group, and frogmen from the UK's Special Boat Service.

Persons: —, Saddam Hussein, Elwell, JOSEPH BARRAK, Baby, Stavros Atlamazoglou Organizations: Service, Operation, US, Allies, US Army, Operation Iraqi, NATO, Turkish, Special Forces, Green Berets, Air, Special Operations Squadron, Detachment Alpha, Air Force, Task Force, US Army 173rd Airborne Brigade, Getty, Delta Force, 10th Special Forces Group, CIA, Republication Guard, Hellenic Army, 575th Marine Battalion, Army, Johns Hopkins University, Johns Hopkins, School, International Locations: Iraq, Operation Iraqi, Baghdad, reorienting, Turkey, Kurdish, Turkish, Romania, Jordan, Syria, Erbil, AFP, Afghanistan, Al Qaeda, Johns

☆ US Green Berets are looking to troops from NATO's newest member as 'mentors' for harsh winter combat
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-28 | by ( Stavros Atlamazoglou | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

In March, US Green Berets trained in the Arctic with "mentors" from Finland's Utti Jaeger Regiment. The Utti Jaeger RegimentUtti Jaeger Regiment soldiers during training in May 2019. The Utti Jaeger Regiment takes part in about 40 "executive assistance tasks," which likely includes training and real-world missions, each year. But Finnish forces live in those conditions, and the Special Forces soldiers looked up to them because of it. US Green Berets and Utti Jaeger Regiment troops at a helicopter landing zone in Lapland on March 12.

Persons: Finland's Utti, —, Utti Jaeger, Utti, Lance Cpl, Scott Jenkins, Anthony Bryant, Izabella Workman, I'm, Jaeger, Stavros Atlamazoglou Organizations: Green Berets, Finland's Utti Jaeger, Service, NATO, Utti, Utti Jaeger, US Marine Corps, Utti Jaeger Regiment, US Army, Staff, US Army Special Forces, Green, Special Forces, Special Forces Group, US, Warfare, Finns, 10th Special Forces Group, US Air Force, Utti Jaeger Regiment Helicopter Battalion, Tech, Special Jaeger Battalion, Army, Hellenic Army, 575th Marine Battalion, Johns Hopkins University, Johns Hopkins, School, International Locations: Finland, Ukraine, Russia, Lapland, Finland's, Fort Carson, Colorado, Alaska, Europe, Swedish, Johns

☆ How a dysfunctional mission in the Caribbean became 'the pivotal point' for the creation of US Special Operations Command
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-27 | by ( Stavros Atlamazoglou | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

Those problems helped spur the creation of US Special Operations Command several years later. According to Maj. Gen. Richard Scholtes, the first commander of Joint Special Operations Command, US military officers involved in the planning soon butted heads. A task force of Delta Force operators, Rangers, and helicopters from the elite 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment also attacked Fort Rupert and Richmond Hill Prison. Bettmann/Getty Images"The Pentagon was waging a frontal and rear assault in opposition to the creation of a special operations command," William Cohen said in the mid-2000s, according to Kukielski's article. Stavros Atlamazoglou is a defense journalist specializing in special operations, a Hellenic Army veteran (national service with the 575th Marine Battalion and Army HQ), and a Johns Hopkins University graduate.

Persons: —, Peter Carrette, Eagle, JSOC, Reagan, Richard Scholtes, butted, jean, Louis Atlan, Scholtes, Philip Kukielski, frogmen, Fort, Paul Scoon, Bettmann, Formally, William Cohen, Cohen, Nunn, Eric BOUVET, SOCOM, Chance, Stavros Atlamazoglou Organizations: Operations Command, Service, Fury, Pentagon, Delta Force, Soviet Union, Getty, US Atlantic Command, Atlantic Command, US Marine Corps, CIA, State Department, Team, Air Commando, US Defense, Rangers, 2nd Ranger, Porto Salines, Marines, 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment, Radio Free, US, Dover Air Force Base, Special Warfare, Craft, 160th, American, Hellenic Army, 575th Marine Battalion, Army, Johns Hopkins University, Johns Hopkins, School, International Locations: Grenada, Caribbean, Tehran, Cuba, Soviet, Richmond, Porto, Fort Rupert, Rupert, Radio Free Grenada, Grenada's, Point Salinas, Scholtes, Beirut, Grenada —, Persian, Johns

☆ US special operators are tinkering with a low-tech kind of aircraft to overcome high-tech threats in future wars
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-23 | by ( Stavros Atlamazoglou | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

For US special operators, who may have to operate far from friendly forces in those wars, one new effort is the use of a low-tech kind of aircraft to overcome high-tech threats. A special-operations gliderUS Army special operations soldiers load a GD-2000 glider into a C-27J airplane at Yuma Proving Grounds in February. Thoman JohnsonIn February, a US Army Special Forces team tested a prototype aircraft that could ease the logistical challenges faced by special-operations units in contested areas. That long glide distance is equal to what special operators can cover during a High Altitude, High Opening free-fall jump. David Bathgate/Corbis via Getty ImagesDuring the conflicts in Afghanistan, Iraq, and Syria, the US military's resupply operations have been largely uncontested.

Persons: —, Thoman Johnson, Yates Electrospace, David Bathgate, Stavros Atlamazoglou Organizations: Special Forces, Service, US Army, US Army Special Forces, Troops, Green Beret, Getty, Hellenic Army, 575th Marine Battalion, Army, Johns Hopkins University, Johns Hopkins, School, International Locations: China, Ukraine, Russian, Yuma, Arizona, Afghanistan, Corbis, Iraq, Syria, Russia, Johns

☆ The destruction of a major dam near Kherson could be a game-changer for Ukraine's special operators
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-22 | by ( Stavros Atlamazoglou | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

But the flooding altered nearby shorelines and waterways, which may end up aiding Ukrainian forces. "While Russia may now see the terrain south of Kherson as safe, Ukrainian special operators should see opportunity. Alex Babenko/Getty ImagesNew and larger waterways will make it easier for Ukrainian special operators to move men and equipment around by boat. Ukraine's commandos and amphibious operationsThe collapsed Antonovskiy Bridge over Dnieper River in Kherson City, seen after Russian troops withdrew in November. They could also be used to distract Russian forces by launching diversionary raids elsewhere on the battlefield.

Persons: —, Maxym, Timothy Heck, Zachary Griffiths, Alex Babenko, Heck, Griffiths, GENYA SAVILOV, Narciso Contreras, Boyd Belcher, Stavros Atlamazoglou Organizations: Service, Getty, Ukraine, Modern, Institute, Ukraine's 73rd Naval Center of Special, Navy, Anadolu Agency, Getty Images, NATO, White, US Defense Department, Tech, Bradley, Leopard, Hellenic Army, 575th Marine Battalion, Army, Johns Hopkins University, Johns Hopkins, School, International Locations: Ukraine, Russia, Soviet, Russian, Kherson, Ukrainian, Kherson oblast, West, Crimea, AFP, Donbas, Kherson City, Germany's, Johns

☆ The US Air Force is finally retiring the aging A-10. Now it plans to get rid of some the specially trained airmen who guide the Warthog to its targets.
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-19 | by ( Stavros Atlamazoglou | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

The US Air Force has begun retiring the A-10, an aircraft famed for its role in close air support. Indeed, the US Air Force is finally retiring the aging A-10 Warthog ground-attack aircraft, which a top official has said "doesn't scare" China. According to Pentagon's budget request for 2024, the Air Force is looking to cut its TACP force by more than 40% over the next three years. If the plan goes ahead, the Air Force TACP community will have a little over 2,100 positions for officers, enlisted troops, and civilian personnel in 2025, down from the 3,700 slots it has currently, a spokesman told Air Force Times. "I think the military is getting ready for a war where we won't have air dominance," a former Air Force Combat Controller told Insider.

Persons: —, Tyler, Mercedee Wilds, Ryan Conroy, Michael Holzworth, Col, Nathan Colunga, Colunga, Stavros Atlamazoglou Organizations: US Air Force, Tactical Air Control Party, Service, China, US Air National Guard, Staff, Tyler Woodward Tactical Air Control Party, US Army, Marine Corps, Air Force, Air Force Times, Air, National Guard, Air Combat Command, Air Force Combat, Combat, Air Commando, 321st Special Tactics Squadron, Navy, Army Green Berets, Marine Raiders, Air Force Special Operations Command, Air Force Special, Squadron, Tech, Warfare, Hellenic Army, 575th Marine Battalion, Army, Johns Hopkins University, Johns Hopkins, School, International Locations: China, Estonian, Kansas, Fort Irwin, California, Ukraine, Afghanistan, Iraq, Estonia, Nevada, Johns

☆ Ukrainian special operators are learning to fight Russia without the 'tethers' other militaries have gotten used to
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-29 | by ( Stavros Atlamazoglou | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Ukrainian special operators in particular have been learning to fight without those "tethers." When Russia launched its attack early on February 24, 2022, Ukraine's government was caught off guard — but the Ukrainian military wasn't. Fortunately for Ukrainian special operators, their supply lines are short — they are fighting on their home turf, after all. Insider understands that the Ukrainian special operators often resort to unconventional methods to overcome logistics challenges on the ground. As the war drags on and the Ukrainian forces advance, Ukrainian special operators will continue to face logistical difficulties.

☆ A secretive SEAL-like unit is leading Ukraine's shadowy battle against Russia in a vital corner of the country
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-28 | by ( Stavros Atlamazoglou | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

The 73rd Naval Center of Special Operations appears to be leading the effort for Ukraine. For Ukraine, the 73rd Naval Center of Special Operations, a secretive SEAL-like unit, is leading the shadowy battle against Russia. Therese PratsThe 73rd Naval Center of Special Operations was based on the Soviet-era 17th Naval Special Purpose Brigade. The 73rd Naval Center of Special Operations could play a significant role in future large-scale fighting. Roxana DavidovitsLike the 73rd Naval Center of Special Operations, most of the Ukrainian military emerged from the Soviet military.

☆ Russia's scramble to find microchips for its weapons hints at struggles the US and China could face in a future war
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-11 | by ( Stavros Atlamazoglou | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Russia's scramble to find microchips for its weapons hints at struggles the US and China could face in a future war. Russian strikes and microchipsA Ukrainian military official with electronics from a destroyed Russian T-90M tank in Kyiv in March. Oleksii Chumachenko/Anadolu Agency via Getty ImagesWestern-made microchips and processors power many of Russia's weapon systems, even its most advanced missiles and aircraft. ASML is the only firm that produces extreme ultraviolet, or EUV, lithography machines, which are needed to make advanced microchips. A US-Chinese clash over Taiwan, or some other disruption, like a Chinese blockade, that halts exports of advanced semiconductors would affect numerous other industries.

☆ Ukraine's special operators have been 'taking it to the Russians,' the head of US Special Operations Command says
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-09 | by ( Stavros Atlamazoglou | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Ukrainian special operators have been putting their US-provided training to use against Russia. Ukrainian special-operations forces will also have a key role in the outcome of those battles. Ukrainian commandos on the jobRomanian, Ukrainian, and US Army Green Berets train in Romania in May 2021. Roxana DavidovitsAs Russian forces poured into the country at the start of the war, Ukrainian special operators went hunting. SOCOM had also incorporated a focus on unconventional warfare, a specialty of US Army Special Forces, into its training.

☆ After 35 years in flight, the US military says it's done buying one of its most unique and controversial aircraft
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-05 | by ( Stavros Atlamazoglou | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

Since its first flight in 1989, the V-22 Osprey has provided a unique capability to the US military. One of them is the V-22 Osprey, a unique and controversial aircraft that has carried conventional troops and special operators around the world for two decades. US Navy/Vernon PughIn the three decades since its first flight, the V-22 Osprey has brought a distinct capability to the US military's aviation fleet, despite its troubled development. Conventional and special-ops missionsUS Air Force special tactics operators fast rope from a CV-22B during an exercise in the UK in April 2021. In August 2022, Air Force Special Operations Command grounded its CV-22s over issues with its clutch, which had caused several "safety incidents."

☆ Surprise resort trips and empty hotel rooms reveal how Russia's plan for an easy victory in Ukraine fell apart
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-30 | by ( Stavros Atlamazoglou | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

While Russian intelligence services ramped up operations, the US intelligence community started declassifying intelligence about Russian plans. In an unprecedented move, the US revealed Russia's intentions and informed Kyiv about the Russian intelligence operations inside Ukraine. Once Russia's military secured the city, its special-operations forces would begin what the report calls "repressive operations." The Kremlin even compiled a target deck full of unwanted people to be "liquidated" once the Russian forces were in control of the country. Preparing the battlefieldA member of the Ukrainian military in front of a destroyed Antonov An-225 at the airport in Hostomel in July 2022.

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