On May 16, active-duty and veteran U.S. Marines from units stationed around the globe gathered in Camp Pendleton, California, to participate in the annual Recon Challenge. The Recon Challenge is an endurance event that takes participants through numerous tests inspired by the Reconnaissance Marine training and operational history. There is, for example, a grueling 30-mile […]
New reloadable ‘digital flashbang’ could offer more options for special operators, law enforcement officers
A new, reloadable flashbang with a digital fuse promises to give law enforcement officers and war-fighters a crucial tactical advantage when it comes to close-quarters combat (CQC). Liberty Dynamic has been working on the Enhanced Diversionary Device (EDD) for more than four years. According to the manufacturer, their flashbangs are superior to current products for […]
Former Green Beret reviews Jack Murphy’s new memoir, ‘Murphy’s Law’
Editor’s note: This review was written by Steve Balestrieri, a former Special Forces NCO and Warrant Officer that now serves as the Editor of SpecialOperations.com I always balk at when someone I know writes something and I’m asked to give an opinion on it. As my circle of friends has grown smaller, I have erred […]
Gear in the Wild: The power of concealment
A Special Operations Command sniper attached to the 7th Special Forces Group (Airborne), walks along a ridgeline during a special reconnaissance mission, Feb. 17, 2016, while participating in training at the Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center at Twentynine Palms, Calif. MCAGCC conducts relevant live-fire combined arms, urban operations and joint coalition level integration training […]
ProTech TR-3 EDC knife reviewed by a retired Navy SEAL
Knives are like boots and gloves to an operator, what works for me is junk for you. For me, a knife is a tool, I find a use for it practically every single day. It is used to cut rope, open a package, cut out a splinter. I don’t use it as a weapon, that […]
The Crate Club Fishing Spear is on sale now — Here’s how to use it
Let’s go stab something was the first thing that crept through my head when I opened the Crate Club fishing spear. The fishing spear is actually a spearhead, and its designed to be packed in a bug out or survival bag to give you the ability to create a proper spear when needed. Carrying a […]
Gear in the Wild: An operator and his dog
A dog handler with U.S. Army Special Forces clears a building during a close-quarters battle demonstration for Marines with Special-Purpose Marine Air-Ground Task Force Crisis Response-Africa in Baumholder, Germany, March 9, 2015. The use of military dogs is an efficient way to detect hazardous materials and locate individuals within a structure. Image courtesy of the […]
SEAL teams to get new clandestine underwater craft
As the Pentagon shifts its gaze from low-intensity conflicts to nation-level adversaries, the Special Operations Command (SOCOM) is following suit, and the Navy SEAL teams are eager to prove their strategic utility in the rediscovered domain. SOCOM and the Naval Special Warfare Command (NSWC) are focusing their efforts on two underwater craft: a Shallow Water […]
Gear in the Wild: Green Beret’s participate in a stress shooting competition
A Green Beret assigned to the 7th Special Forces Group (Airborne) engages a target from the window of a building during a stress shoot competition held Oct. 15 at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla. The competition tested the Special Forces Soldier’s ability to navigate terrain and obstacles while engaging targets accurately despite his elevated heart […]
Gear in the wild: Maybe he’s born with it…
A Marine Special Operations School’s Individual Training Course student applies camouflage paint during Field Training Exercise Raider Spirit, May 3, 2017, at Camp Lejeune, N.C. For the first time, U.S. Air Force Special Tactics Airmen spent three months in Marine Special Operations Command’s Marine Raider training pipeline, representing efforts to build joint mindsets across special […]