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☆ 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

☆ 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

☆ The US Army's Green Berets have struggled to bring enough recruits into their elite ranks, data shows
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-08 | by ( Steve Beynon | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

Army Special Forces has struggled to bring in new talent since before the pandemic, recruiting data shows. These elite troops, known as Green Berets, are the military's go-to force for guerrilla warfare. But the service's Special Forces has been struggling to bring in new talent since before the pandemic, recruiting data shows. It exceeded its goals that year with 1,358 new Special Forces contracts, but dropped again with 779 recruits in 2022. So far this year, 527 new applicants have signed on to try for the Green Berets.

Persons: —, Jon Braga, Military.com, we've, Braga, you'll, Camp, Katherine Kuzminski, Militarry.com, Z, Kuzminski, It's Organizations: Special Forces, Green Berets, Service, Army, Forces, Green Beret, Military.com, Green, U.S . Army, Operations Command, U.S . Army CH, Southern Strike, Center, New, New American Security, Special Forces Groups, 75th Ranger Regiment, Defense Department, Navy, National Guard Locations: America, Camp Shelby , Mississippi, Afghanistan, New American

☆ France's last surviving D-Day commando joins beach landing anniversary
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-06 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Gautier, 100, presented a student marine commando with his green beret at a passing out parade at Colleville-Montgomery, near where a 17-year-old Gautier had landed on Sword Beach in a hail of enemy fire. Gautier was one of 177 French green berets under the command of Captain Philippe Kieffer who took part in the Normandy landings. In 2019, Gautier recounted on the occasion of the 75th D-Day anniversary how French troops had been the first to wade chest-deep onto Sword Beach. "Your honour," Gautier recalled British Colonel Robert Dawson telling the French green berets. Reporting by Noemie Olive; Writing by Richard Lough, editing by Ed OsmondOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Commando Kieffer Leon Gautier, Read, Leon Gautier, Emmanuel Macron, Gautier, Captain Philippe Kieffer, " Gautier, Robert Dawson, Noemie Olive, Richard Lough, Ed Osmond Organizations: Commando, Fusiliers, Tuesday, Thomson Locations: Normandy, MONTGOMERY, France, Gautier, Colleville, Montgomery, Nazi Germany

☆ 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.

☆ Moscow's 'special' forces: An inside look at how Russia's famed Spetsnaz really operate
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-30 | by ( Mark Galeotti | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +24 min

Russia's Spetsnaz forces are often depicted as a kind of Russian super troops. Osprey PublishingMost countries' special forces emphasize physical fitness, determination and aggression. Special people, for special tasksMembers of the Russian military's 16th Separate Special Purpose Brigade during an exercise in 2018. Even so, being better than most of the Soviet army's miserable and recalcitrant conscript forces did not make most of them truly special, special forces. The special operations commandMembers of Russian's 22nd Separate Guards Special Purpose Brigade during an exercise in November 2017.

☆ U.S. Seeks Ways to Help Burkina Faso’s Military Junta Fight Jihadists
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-08 | by ( Michael M. Phillips | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

ACCRA, Ghana—The Biden administration is quietly helping Burkina Faso’s ruling junta battle al Qaeda and Islamic State in a hotly contested corner of West Africa, without running afoul of U.S. laws banning most security aid to military regimes. The U.S. has included Burkinabe commandos in American-led exercises, but excluded the West African country’s top officer from an international gathering of defense chiefs after a military takeover last year. The Pentagon has a team of U.S. Green Berets stationed in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso’s capital, but won’t allow them to train their beleaguered local counterparts.

☆ How the US Army's Best Ranger competition uses days of grueling challenges to find the military's best 2-man team
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-31 | by ( Stavros Atlamazoglou | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

US troops will gather in Georgia in April for the US Army's Best Ranger Competition. The Best Ranger competition is organized and run by the US Army in conjunction with the National Ranger Association. 101st Airborne Division soldiers compete in the Best Ranger Competition at Fort Benning in April 2022. David DumasThe Best Ranger competition typically starts strong with a 10-mile run followed by a swim event and an obstacle course. 10th Mountain Division soldiers complete a casualty evacuation lane during the Best Ranger Competition in April 2022.

☆ A key air defense system wasn't working right when a drone killed an American in Syria, pushing the US to retaliate with force
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-24 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

The main air defense system at a coalition airbase was "not fully operational" when the attack unfolded, The New York Times reported on Friday. One US official told the Times that the Avenger defense system could have been suffering from a maintenance problem. The drone, which the US intelligence community suspects is of Iranian origin, killed a US contractor and wounded five American service members and an additional contractor. The three injured service members and the contractor were transported to a coalition medical facility in Iraq, while the other two injured service members were treated on site. Austin said his thoughts are with the family and colleagues of the contractor who was killed and also with the wounded service members.

☆ Russia's struggles in Ukraine are showing US special operators that they'll need to fight without their 'tethers' to win future wars
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-28 | by ( Stavros Atlamazoglou | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

For US special operators, the war is a reminder that such a network won't always be available. Ukraine thwarted Russia's initial attack and, with extensive Western support, has driven Russia's forces back. Logistics and special operatorsRomanian, Ukrainian, and US Army Green Berets conduct close quarters battle training in Romania in May 2021. We are trained and mentally prepared to fight without much logistical support," said the Green Beret, who was granted anonymity to discuss potential future operations. "Again, depending on the unit and the mission, we will require some sort of logistical support eventually.

☆ A senior ISIS leader is dead, but the raid went sideways when an explosion injured several US troops and a dog
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-17 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

US troops and the Syrian Democratic Forces carried out a joint helicopter raid in Syria on Thursday. The target, a senior Islamic State leader named Hamza al-Homsi, was killed during the operation. Although the target, Hamza al-Homsi, was killed, the operation went sideways when an explosion wounded the four Americans and their working dog. Meanwhile, the US military and its partner forces continue to hunt down ISIS fighters in Iraq and Syria. Local Syrian forces killed the Islamic State's leader, Abu al-Hassan al-Hashimi al-Qurayshi, during an October raid.

☆ Taiwan's 'SEALs' would be on the frontline of a war with China. Here's how they'd try to hold off an invasion.
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-01 | by ( Stavros Atlamazoglou | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Taiwan's special-ops units, like the 101st Amphibious Reconnaissance Battalion, would be on the frontline. Taiwan's special-operations units, especially the 101st Amphibious Reconnaissance Battalion — the country's version of the US Navy SEALs — would be on the frontlines of that fight. Although a maritime unit with an intense focus on littoral and maritime special operations, the 101st Amphibious Reconnaissance Battalion is part of the Taiwanese army. Like many of the world's special-operations units, the 101st Amphibious Reconnaissance Battalion was stood up with help from US commandos. Members of the 101st Amphibious Reconnaissance Battalion during a demonstration in September 2016.

☆ 33 years ago, the US Army's elite Delta Force pulled off its first successful hostage rescue mission
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-31 | by ( Stavros Atlamazoglou | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

Early on December 20, 1989, Delta Force operators descended on a Panamanian prison holding a CIA operative. But it was also the first time that Delta Force successfully completed a large-scale hostage rescue. In the months prior to the mission, the Delta operators practiced the mission multiple times. Once inside the cell, the Delta operators gave Muse a helmet, body armor, and goggles for protection before heading back to the MH-6s. A few minutes later, armored personnel carriers, carrying Delta operators and medics from the main invasion force, rescued them.

☆ A Green Beret recalls the Christmas Day mission that was almost his last
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-26 | by ( Stavros Atlamazoglou | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Recon Team ST Idaho was tasked with locating and destroying a fuel pipeline inside Laos. Just shy of a month earlier, on Thanksgiving Day, ST Idaho had barely survived a cross-border operation in Cambodia. ST Idaho debated if it was possible to lose the NVA and continue their mission but ultimately deiced against it. ST Idaho adjusted its path and continued its slow progress, throwing grenades at any noise they heard, nightmares of previous close-calls on their minds. Thick black smoke choked and blinded ST Idaho, but the SOG operators could see enemy troops advancing close behind the flames.

☆ With tension rising in the Pacific, US special operators have a new goal: Creating 'multiple dilemmas' for China
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-08 | by ( Stavros Atlamazoglou | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

US special operators are aiming to create "multiple dilemmas" for China, SOCOM's commander says. Multiple dilemmasUS Navy SEALs, Philippine Navy special operators, and Australian special-operations soldiers during an exercise in Palawan in April. 1st Class Jared N. GehmannUS special operators need to continue "developing and strengthening the partner and ally piece that's a comparative and competitive advantage for this nation," Fenton said. Moreover, US special operators have been working closely with all US military branches to better understand how those branches operate and how SOCOM can support them in a conflict with China. The Pentagon's top special-operations official said in May 2021 that special operators could be "a key contributor" to resisting a Chinese attempt to seize Taiwan.

☆ A secretive US special-operations base in Syria is taking fire from a shadowy Middle East war
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-01 | by ( Rachel Nostrant | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

US troops at the al-Tanf outpost in Syria have been conducting counter-ISIS operations since 2016. Israeli, Syrian, and Iranian forces are also active around the base in southeastern Syria. The base was established in 2016, when US forces were in the thick of combat operations against ISIS in Syria. Al-Tanf — in southeastern Syria along the M2 Baghdad-Damascus highway and near the borders with Iraq and Jordan — was the ideal location. DELIL SOULEIMAN/AFP via Getty ImagesRussia's war in Ukraine may create new problems for US troops at al-Tanf.

☆ Mysterious fires and explosions at sensitive Russian sites are hints of a hallmark mission for special-operations units
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-26 | by ( Stavros Atlamazoglou | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Some may be the work of Russians opposed to Putin; others show signs of military special operations. In a matter of a days this month, Ukrainian forces managed to liberate more territory than the Russian military captured and held over six months of war. For months now, sensitive sites and important facilities throughout Russia have been hit by mysterious fires and explosions, hinting at a sabotage campaign that is the hallmark of special-operations forces. Smoke and flames rise at a Russian military base in Crimea after explosions there on August 9. 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.

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