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 […]
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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 […]
Watch: 97-year-old D-Day veteran recreates jump into France 75 years later
For Tom Rice, jumping out of an airplane is nothing new. Seventy-five years ago, a 22-year-old Rice fell through the skies over Normandy to the rocking beat of anti-aircraft fire, as one of thousands to participate in the Allied invasion of occupied France. Today, a 97-year-old Rice returned to France to recreate that fateful jump, […]
Gear in the Wild: The many uses of a good rope
An Air Force Special Tactics Airman with the 24th Special Operations Wing rappels into the Al-Badia Cave Complex during a personnel rescue mission for Eager Lion on May 13, 2017, in Mafraq Province, Jordan. Special Tactics teams have the ability to conduct personnel recovery missions, from rapid mission planning to technical rescue, treatment and exfiltration. […]
Oakley’s limited edition 75th Anniversary D-Day Fuel Cell Glasses may be the coolest thing you see today
As a part of Oakley’s efforts to honor the sacrifices of those who participated in the historic D-Day invasion of Normandy, France 75 years ago this week, they are about to begin offering an extremely limited run of special edition 75th Anniversary D-Day Fuel Cell glasses that are an absolute must-have for history buffs, Oakley […]
Gear in the Wild: Foreign weapons familiarization with the Kalashnikov AK-47
U.S. Marines and Airmen fire AK-47 assault rifles (also known as Kalashnikovs) during a foreign-weapons familiarization class at Marine Special Operations School’s Individual Training Course, April 10, 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 […]
Professionals Playbook: Learn what it takes to become the commander of the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds
Lt. Col. John “Brick” Caldwell is the Commander and Leader of the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds. I had never met Brick before this interview, but several pilots I’ve flown with have a tremendous amount of respect for him. After our conversation, I do as well. He is an accomplished warrior with deployments to Iraq and […]