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 […]
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Adjust target: MARSOC Marines caught running a tactical gear contraband gig
Five Marines from the 3rd Marine Raider Battalion, Marine Special Operations Command (MARSOC), have been arrested for stealing government property worth more than $300,000 and then selling it on the black market. In the span of two years, two separate theft rings run by Marine special operators allegedly stole vehicle parts and tactical gear. The […]
Acquiring a Pistol in Kurdistan: No Easy Task
There is a major shortage of firearms in Kurdistan today; this is primarily because there is a war being waged. With the small amount being trafficked into Kurdistan and the majority of the weapons from the coalition being sent to Iraq and Syria, very few find their way into Peshmerga hands. This creates very unique problems and solutions […]
Perfecting an Exoskeleton for SOF Needs To Happen Now
Today’s military is much more technology-based than in previous eras but while the high-tech gadgets make the soldier’s job easier and much more lethal on today’s battlefield, it also weighs them down more than ever before. The price of having the technology at their fingertips is that, while all of that gear works and is […]
Robin Sage Begins June 9th, Time For the SF Students to Step Up
The Special Forces rite of passage is about to begin for the next class of SF candidates. The final training in Special Forces Qualification Course (SFQC) for prospective SF soldiers is the Unconventional Warfare (UW) exercise “Robin Sage”, which we went over in detail in an earlier post, that you can read here: The prospective Green […]
My top four battlefield tips and tricks
I’m sure we’ve all seen the soldier in a movie (or real life) with his two magazines taped together upside down or the dude rocking the single knee pad so he can retain freedom of movement. My personal favorite comes from the days before Magpul Industries when high-speed dudes used to tape 550 cord to […]
Kurdish Peshmerga train with the SPG-9
The SPG-9 is a recoilless rifle designed by the Soviet Union and brought into service in 1962 under the nomenclature of Kopye (Spear). It fires a 73mm projectile that travels at speeds of up to 700 meters per second and is stabilized by an expanding fin system like that of an RPG-7 projectile. The weapon […]
The Peshmerga and the AK-47, the World’s Most Enduring Rifle
Like most armies in this part of the world, the Peshmerga’s go-to weapon is the AK-47/AKM. Sure, they have the G36 and a few M16/M4s floating around (usually with officers), but the Kalashnikov is the name of the game. What makes it fascinating is the number of variants and origins that you can find in the […]
Top Military Advisor: Joint Forces Will Beat ISIS to Death with Entrenching Tools
A top military advisor has issued a stern warning to ISIS fighters, saying via social media that the bad guys would be shot in the face or beaten to death with entrenching tools if they fail to surrender. “ISIS needs to understand that the Joint Force is on orders to annihilate them,” the statement from Army Sgt. Maj. […]
Surviving the Unthinkable, What to do in a Terrorist Incident
The recent events that have unfolded in London, Manchester and other places have people scrambling for answers as to what to do in a terrorist incident. We as a people must maintain our way of life and go about our daily business. Otherwise, the terrorists win. Because they ultimately want to disrupt your lives and […]