socom

Iron Man? Russian Special Ops Going For Predator Camouflage

In the never-ending search for the next best technology, both the United States and Russia are searching for armor, camouflage, and exoskeletons to carry the next generation of Special Operations Forces into battle. And as they are both working on the latest upgrades for their troops, some of the newest technology looks like it came […]

Speed Up Your Recovery After the 12-Mile Rucksack March

Our Sunday daily workout piece to help our prospective candidates prepare for Selection featured a 12-mile rucksack march. And hopefully for those that followed it and conducted it, (it was a cold 40 degree, rainy morning here), followed our normal rucksack marching tips. Wearing the correct boots and socks, having the correct and comfortable clothes […]

Workout Routine in a Rut? Try the Georgia Throw Down Thursday Challenge

We talk often here about how Special Operations Forces are not athletes but tactical military members. That’s not to say that SOF troops aren’t athletic but that training an operator is much different than training a football or baseball player. However, certain aspects of each’s workouts have bled into one another’s training regimen. Some of the […]

Character Is a Very Important Discriminator During Selection

“Knowledge will give you power, but character respect.” – Bruce Lee “Just because you are a character doesn’t mean you have character.” – Winston Wolfe -Pulp Fiction One of the things that will be given a lot of weight during Selection is a candidate’s character. And it is going to show through during the events and tests […]

Russian Spetsnaz Take Out Terrorists in Dagestan

Much of what we post here is based on preparing the potential Special Operations candidates for what they will face in the various Selection or qualification courses. But sometimes it is good to change things up a bit and delve into our shared history to learn and respect where we come from. Other times, like […]

Rucking Practical Exercise, Dodge the Rain Drops

Against my better judgment today, I decided to throw caution to the wind and go rucking despite having an injured calf/ankle. Last weekend I was shooting a high school football game for one of the newspapers I work for. Yes, that O&I photography class is still paying dividends after all these years. So, near the […]

“The Catcher Was a Spy” Moe Berg, OSS, A Swing, and a Miss

Like most Special Forces guys, especially of my generation, I can’t get enough of OSS (Office of Strategic Services) from World War II. OSS was the “Greatest Generation” version of both CIA and the U.S. Army Special Forces (Green Berets) as both sprang forth from the extraordinary organization that General William “Wild Bill” Donovan built […]

Spartan Selection Began At Birth and Lasted a Lifetime

Thanks to the film “300”, the Spartan lifestyle and their iconic Hoplite helmet has become a popular one among military age males and is frequently used ad campaigns or on t-shirt designs. But what was life like, as a Spartan male who would eventually become part of their military? We’ll take a quick look at […]

Remember Rucking is a Marathon and Not a Sprint

As we frequently do here at SpecialOperations.com, we post pieces on what many times are based on our messages or messages on Twitter. And this week I’ve gotten a few messages and questions concerning rucking. And when it comes to rucking, we get about 50/50 with our messages and/or questions regarding that or Land Navigation. And […]

Knot Tying and Lashing, A Needed Valuable Skill in SFAS

When you attend Special Forces Assessment and Selection (SFAS), if, and a big if you make it to the final phase which is called Team Week, there are certain skills that you will need to have to make it thru. And any team without them will certainly have a rough go of it if not […]