On April 30th, 1980 terrorists stormed the Iranian embassy in London, England to demand the release of prisoners held in Iran. Throughout the 1970’s international terrorism was a frightening new reality that western governments were still trying to cope with. By taking hostages and barricading themselves against assaulters, terrorists could hold entire countries hostage in […]
Liaison Control Element: US Special Forces in Marawi
The usual breathless media reports have emerged from the Philippines latest security crisis in regards to American Special Operations units present in the area. To be sure, the siege of Marawi has spun into a serious attack which bares some resemblance to the 2013 siege of Zamboanga. Philippine SOF units such as the Light Reaction […]
A never before seen look inside the Light Reaction Regiment of the Philippines
On any given day in the Philippines, the front page of your daily newspaper can be treated like the sports pages as the public follows along and keeps score between the various terrorist groups and the Armed Forces of the Philippines. A typical day’s headlines in the Philippine Star read: “Sayyaf kidnaps soldier.” “3 killed […]
Philippine SEALs in close combat against Maute Group
The warning order came in at 1500 requesting sniper/observer teams from the SEALs. They scrambled to prepare their men and were airlifted from Zamboanga to Lanao by C-130 that morning at 0500. The mission was dubbed Operation Haribon after the Haribon Infantry Brigade in the area. When NAVSOG Detachment 8 hit the ground, the SEALs […]
Special Forces Detachment Korea
“It was silk everywhere and it was just marvelous to see,” Sergeant Paul Redgate said, describing 4th Ranger Company’s combat jump at Musan-Ni. In was March of 1951, the coldest winter that anyone could remember in Korea. Some American units were decimated by the freezing temperatures alone. Exiting the C-119 airplane, Redgate parachuted to the […]
Delta Force, the CIA, and botched covert ops in Syria
“Nobody believes in it. You’re like, ‘Fuck this,’” a former Green Beret says of America’s covert and clandestine programs to train and arm Syrian militias. “Everyone on the ground knows they are jihadis. No one on the ground believes in this mission or this effort, and they know they are just training the next generation of jihadis, […]