Op-Ed

That’s What She Said: Close range self-defense

Long before I was a member of the team here at SOFREP, I was a Crate Club member. I love gear. I love outdoorsy gear, shooting gear, fitness gear, and all the fun extras that our team puts together for our members. You’ve heard from the guys. Now it’s time to get the female perspective. […]

OSS weapons ingenuity: The secret gear of America’s WWII spies

General Donovan motivated the Office of Strategic Services (OSS) research and development branch to fabricate weapons in-house for officers in the field. These weapons ranged from the amazingly complex to the remarkably fundamental. OSS guns and blades were intended for simple but effective use. American servicemen going into harm’s way had a variety of ingenious places to hide small, even miniature, compasses for […]

Watch: How to ruck – Pack, footwear and movement with Nick Bare

I’m in Austin Texas at Bare Performance Nutrition and I felt it was fitting for this Tactical Tuesday to discuss our experiences about rucking over long distances. What kind of ruck to use. How to wear a ruck. What boots and socks to wear. – Nick Koumalatsos *Photo courtesy of Nick Koumalatsos Youtube channel

Master Time Like an Operative

We can’t function without the concept of time, it’s all-encompassing, embedded in every aspect of our lives. But we can try harnessing it like a tool. “If you spend too much time thinking about a thing, you’ll never get it done.” -Bruce Lee The way we perceive and use time is the most fundamental intangible […]

Start Living a Warrior Lifestyle

Today the United States of America as a whole lives a completely different lifestyle than our forefathers. Now I could reference all kinds of differences between now and then but in this article, I’m going to concentrate on one subject in particular. The subject that I’m referring to is a Warrior Lifestyle. This is something […]

Don’t rely on gear to get you selected or succeed on a team

Wars and battles were fought and won before the cool gloves that can work a smartphone. Special Operators are gear junkies. For that niche product line of tactical gear and clothing, SOF personnel are the ultimate consumers. It’s a kind of fashion for operators. Even the kind of gloves you buy and wear can distinguish […]

Active Shooter inside the Airport | What can you do to increase your survivability?

Criminals and terrorists both tend to take advantage of a ‘soft target’ when possible. We saw this take place at the Ft. Lauderdale airport baggage claim area. This area of an airport can be considered to be a ‘soft target’ since everyone for the most part is going to be unarmed due to airport traveling […]

Watch: Detect tampering of personal effects in a hotel room

100 Deadly Skills – Skill #38 – Detect Tampering Of Personal Effects “Scrutiny of Westerners in developing economies is an increasingly common phenomenon. Whether seeking trade or government secrets or attempting to determine a visitor’s ulterior motives for travel, in many countries hotel security and government officials work in tandem to surreptitiously police foreigners staying […]

Shot Placement and Human Targeting | Timers and Switches

As a concealed carrier one of the concepts you need to be aware of is shot placement. Rather than debating on what caliber will do the most damage consider shot placement. Shot placement is king regardless of bullet size. Timers – A timer is started as soon as a bullet impacts the human body. Depending […]

Watch: U.S. Marine and Japanese Scout Snipers conduct Stalk Training

U.S. Marine and Japan Ground Self-Defense Force scout snipers use vegetation to camouflage themselves during exercise Forest Light, at Somagahara, Japan, March 8, 2017. Forest Light is one of various bilateral training opportunities conducted by JGSDF and deployed U.S. Marine forces to demonstrate both countries’ enduring commitment to peace, stability, and security across the region. […]