The Army is testing its newest sniper rifle, the MK-22, Modular Precision Sniper Rifle (PSR), manufactured by Barrett Arms, at Fort Bragg, NC according to a press release from the Army. This operational testing by snipers from the 82nd Airborne and the Special Operations Command is the final hurdle before the weapons are fielded to […]
SOF
Some basic survival skills everyone should know
We live in a techno-centric age. Everything is at our fingertips. We have cell phones that can navigate our roads from point A-to-point B. Our phones also have GPS grid coordinates at the quick typing of an app, that can pinpoint your exact location. But what happens in the event of an emergency and you […]
Where does the term ‘operator’ come from?
Operator – someone who operates. In the civilian world, that could be someone operating an excavator, a wheeled tractor, and other similar heavy equipment. Historically, the term applied to people who worked in the old-school telephone centers and operated the manual telephone switchboards that were necessary in order from someone to call another number. In […]
Worst War Movies Ever | Don’t Waste Your Time on These Stinkers
Back in May around Memorial Day, we listed some of our favorite War Films that are guaranteed to entertain and keep your interest. We could have easily added a couple of more as the genre always has some worthy additions by Hollywood’s filmmakers. This year’s blockbuster “Dunkirk” could easily make its way into that list. But today’s […]
Rucking for the SOF Candidate: ‘Wear it Until You Love it’
Recently we have revisited some of the basics of Land Navigation, one of the trio of the biggest obstacles that Special Operations candidates will face in their individual Selection courses. And now we’ll move on to the next one, and one we always get a lot of questions about. Rucking. I look upon rucking just […]
A Green Beret’s guide to choosing the right survival knife
A survival knife is a tool and not a fashion statement, but for any guys out there that have been in a survival situation or a school environment as in a training course, you’d know that. So it becomes a case of practicality over all else. While I’m admittedly no expert on knives, I know […]
Deception and Low-Visibility Ops: Here are the three most interesting SOF courses
One of the indirect benefits of being a Special Operations Forces (SOF) unit member is getting the chance to attend a series of interesting schools. Such schools aim at improving the participants’ craft, whether he’s a shooter or an enabler (support guy). Each component command has a number of schools tailored to the needs of […]
WATCH: How to pass Special Forces Assessment and Selection
The journey to becoming a Special Forces soldier won’t be easy. Special Forces training is rigorous and highly selective, but the courage and strength you will gain as a candidate will stay with you your entire life. In addition to Basic Combat Training, soldiers must have completed Advanced Individual Training and U.S. Army Airborne School […]
Ranger regiment testing new rucksacks for Airborne Operations
The 75th Ranger Regiment is working with the U.S. Army Operational Test Command’s (OTC) Airborne and Special Operations Test Directorate (ABNSOTD) based at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, to put some new rucksacks through their paces during airborne operations. The Rangers are testing out three different rucksacks that are produced by Mystery Ranch Mountain Backpacks, a […]
More rucking tips from a Green Beret: Revisiting the hills with a 45-lb ruck
About six months ago in our SFAS training tips, we hit the trails with our rucksack and were hitting the hills as they present issues that as a Selection candidate that you will encounter in the various courses that the services will offer. With the rain, we had in the area as the remnants of […]