NELLIS AIR FORCE BASE, NV, UNITED STATES U.S. Air Force pararescueman gives a ready sign to the shore before beginning his mission during a diving training course, June 20, 2012, at Lake Meade, Nev. To become a pararesuceman means out-lasting nearly 90 percent of your starting class, which is the highest dropout rate of any […]
Special Operations
Mounting an IR Laser on Your M-4 Carbine: You’re Probably Doing It Wrong
The most popular place to mount an IR laser on a carbine or rifle is 12 o’clock, top rail, up front towards the muzzle. It is a safe bet that about 95% of Special Operations run their lasers this way. The primary reason for this? So that the laser will not be obstructed by the […]
Loadout Room photo of the day: Navy SEAL training
VIRGINIA BEACH, VA, UNITED STATES An East-Coast based U.S. Navy SEAL (Sea, Air, and Land) cuts a hole in a steel door using a exothermic torch during breacher training on Joint Expeditionary Base Little Creek-Fort Story, July 16. Navy SEALs are the maritime component of U.S. Special Forces and are trained to conduct missions from […]
Watch: What does it take to become a Delta operator?
While covering a story recently, I had the opportunity to tour some facilities with a number of current and former elite operators hailing from various military branches and government agencies. Although these men may have different abbreviations on their identification cards, the community of people with their unique skill set and level of expertise is […]
The Future of Special Operations
It is 2025, a decade after the first female soldiers were allowed to attend the Army’s premier leadership school (Ranger School). Since then, there has been a full integration of women across all facets of the military, including special operations. There were some growing pains. In 2018, two of the joint-chiefs actually resigned in protest […]
Loadout Room photo of the day: Air Force Special Tactics integrate into Marine Raider training
CAMP LEJEUNE, NC, UNITED STATES U.S. Marines and Airmen fire Kalashnikov AK-47 assault rifles 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 initial Marine Raider […]
Gatorz Magnum | Reviewed
When it comes to sunglasses there is quite a smattering of products used among Special Operations groups. However you seem to see two main brands used. Oakley and Gatorz. Up until yesterday I had no experience using Gatorz though I had on many occasions seen my coworkers or other Operators utilizing them. My experience lay […]
Special Operations Gear: RECCE/SNIPER Chest Rack
The RECCE/ Sniper Chest Rack was designed and developed on the battlefield by Special Operations Snipers. I know we hear the word “operator” being thrown around a lot when it comes to the military community or gear, but what makes it “operator” worthy? The word operator is in reference to Tier 1 special operations units, commonly referred […]
Loadout Room photo of the day: A member of Air Force Special Operations, assigned to the 23rd Special Tactics Squadron, provides security during a combat search and rescue exercise
AMMAN, JORDAN AMMAN, Jordan (May 11, 2017) A member of Air Force Special Operations, assigned to the 23rd Special Tactics Squadron, provides security during a combat search and rescue exercise in support of Eager Lion 2017. Eager Lion is an annual U.S. Central Command exercise in Jordan designed to strengthen military-to-military relationships between the U.S., […]
Loadout Room photo of the day: Special Operations Detachment – Africa crosses one-year milestone
DJIBOUTI, DJIBOUTI U.S. Army Maj. Duncan Smith, Special Operations Detachment – Africa (SOD-A), Texas Army National Guard, front, trains alongside U.S. special forces and French special operations snipers on various sniper and spotting techniques using French weapons systems, Djibouti, May 2013. SOD-A soldiers conduct various missions in Africa in support of Special Operations Command-Africa, whose […]