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COMAFSOC Releases 2023 Strategic Guidance

Friday, October 6th, 2023

HURLBURT FIELD, Fla. —

Lt. Gen. Tony Bauernfeind, Commander of Air Force Special Operations Command, released the 2023 AFSOC strategic guidance on September 18.

The strategic guidance aligns with the 2022 National Defense Strategy and sets forth a framework for Air Commandos, their readiness, and pathfinding efforts. The command is transforming to properly prepare, prevent, and prevail against any adversary in today’s complex and uncertain operational environment.

“Warfighting, valor, and innovation are in our DNA,” said Bauernfeind. “We draw inspiration from the great legacy of Air Commandos who came before us. AFSOC has an immense history of Air Commandos who have paved the way, and we are committed to continuing the legacy in the years to come.”

The strategic guidance emphasizes that the AFSOC mission is to enable the joint force by delivering SOF Mobility, Strike, ISR and Air-to-Ground capabilities across the spectrum of competition and conflict.

The three lines of effort to achieve this mission are:

– Inspire and Develop a High-Performing Air Commando Force

– Trained and Ready Air Commandos

– Rapidly Pathfinding Concepts and Capabilities to WIN

Through these efforts, AFSOC will ensure that we sustain the level of peerless and professional Air Commandos in our force, that we are always ready to answer the nation’s call, and that we will advance our capabilities to create dilemmas for our adversaries.

“It’s going to take every Air Commando to implement this guidance,” said Bauernfeind. “I acknowledge that we’re in the whitewater of change, but I also know that we’re up for the challenge. The current and future operating environments will be demanding, but we will succeed because of our competitive advantage… our Air Commandos.”

By Air Force Special Operations Command Public Affairs

Posted in Air Force, Guest Post, Profession of Arms, SOF | Comments Off on COMAFSOC Releases 2023 Strategic Guidance

30th Anniversary of the Battle of Mogadishu

Tuesday, October 3rd, 2023

Today marks the 30th anniversary of 1993’s Battle of Mogadishu, a watershed event in the history of special operations.

The battle pitted elements of a joint SOF element named “Task Force Ranger” against the Aideed militia, with many in the city of Mogadishu joining in the battle.

Members of the unit had conducted an operation on that city’s Olympic Hotel in order to capture key leaders of the Aidid Militia. Unfortunately, during the exfil portion of the raid, a battle ensued which claimed the lives of 18 Americans and wounded another 73. Additionally, CW3 Michael Durant was captured by the militia. Fortunately, Durant was later repatriated and went on to retire from the 160th.

Of the men killed that day, two would be awarded the Medal of Honor, Delta Operators Gary Gordon and Randy Shughart for their selfless efforts to protect Durant after his aircraft, callsign Super 64 was shot down.

For those of you unfamiliar, one of the best accounts of the battle is contained in the book, “Blackhawk Down” by author Mark Bowden. Much of the information was serialized prior to the book’s publication in the Philadelphia Enquirer. Later this was made into a movie bearing the same name.

For an insider account, watch SOF Veteran MSG Paul Howe (USA, Ret) discuss “The Battle Of The Black Sea” on Makeready.TV.

Please take a moment to remember these men and their sacrifice.

Posted in History, SOF | 2 Comments »

Naval Special Warfare Initiates Random Performance Enhancing Drugs Testing For Health Of Force

Monday, October 2nd, 2023

CORONADO, Calif. — In a decisive move to underscore the health, safety, and readiness of its force, Naval Special Warfare (NSW) Command is set to introduce incremental, random force-wide urinalysis testing for Performance Enhancing Drugs (PEDs), commencing Nov. 1st of this year.

This initiative stems from the command’s continuous effort to eliminate unauthorized PED use, a matter that Rear Adm. Keith Davids, commander, Naval Special Warfare Command, stresses is of paramount importance.

“My intent is to ensure every NSW teammate operates at their innate best while preserving the distinguished standards of excellence that define NSW,” said Davids.

In strict alignment with Department of Defense (DoD) and Department of Navy regulations, the use of unauthorized PEDs, including steroids, human growth hormone, and SARMs, without a military medical prescription following DoD protocols, remains dangerous and poses significant risks.

NSW’s new testing initiative will consist of incremental, random tests conducted in parallel with the Navy’s standard testing and following the mandated 15% of the unit’s population per month.

Defense Instruction (DoDI) 6130.06, Use of Dietary Supplements in the DoD, dated 9 March 2022, prohibits use of products on the DoD Prohibited Substance Ingredients List, found on the Operation Supplement Safety website, unless authorized by a DoD healthcare provider.

“This incremental, random force-wide testing initiative is far more than a regulatory step—it’s a steadfast commitment to the health, safety, and operational readiness of every member of the NSW community,” Davids said.

According to Davids, NSW leadership understands that there can be legitimate medical conditions that warrant treatment with prescription supplementation and medication – under military medical supervision.

“The unauthorized and unsupervised use of PEDs is what we are trying to identify and prevent,” said Davids. “Nevertheless, we realize that some of our teammates may have legitimate medical conditions that need to be treated with prescription supplementation. If that is the case, we encourage our teammates, who haven’t already, to speak with their medical providers to get diagnosed and properly treated.”

Learn more about DoD prohibited dietary supplement ingredients at www.opss.org.

By Naval Special Warfare Command Public Affairs

Posted in Guest Post, Medical, Navy, Profession of Arms, SOF | 10 Comments »

USSOCOM Awards Contract to Final Forge for Rotary Wing Advanced Tactical Helmets

Sunday, October 1st, 2023

Last week USSOCOM awarded an IDIQ contract to Final Forge for the Rotary Wing Advanced Tactical Helmets we wrote about awhile back which were adopted by the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment ‘Night Stalkers.’

Final Forge, Blountville, Tennessee, has been awarded an indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract (H92403-23-D-0004) with a maximum ceiling of $49,000,000 and a $5,000 minimum ordering guarantee for a new generation of rotary wing advanced tactical helmets with spare parts and accessories. The helmets provide operationally relevant characteristics and performance including but not limited to excellent comfort, stability, field of view, and head mobility. This contract will fulfill the full operational capability requirements for all U.S. Special Operations Command (USSOCOM) rotary wing aviation components. Fiscal 2023 procurement funds in the amount of $874,970 are being obligated at time of award on the first delivery order. This contract is a follow-on production contract stemming from a competitive prototype agreement and is being awarded in accordance with10 U.S. Code 4022(f). USSOCOM, MacDill Air Force Base, Florida, is the contracting activity.

The RATH was developed and is manufactured by Final Forge, a company founded by David Rogers who coincidentally also founded Ops-Core before selling it to Gentex in 2012.

Posted in Aviation, Contracts, Helmets, SOF | 4 Comments »

USSOCOM Awards Geissele Automatics $29 Million for Mid Range Gas Gun – Sniper

Saturday, September 30th, 2023

This week, USSOCOM finally issued a contract for the Mid Range Gas Gun – Sniper or MRGG-S (pronounced Margie-Ess at SOCOM), a 6.5 Creedmoor gas gun. However, the barrel is user swappable to 7.62mm as per the requirement.

This photo was taken during SOF Week. The program of record rifle features everything you see here except the optic as SOCOM has several optics initiatives under way.

Below is the DoD contract announcement:

Geissele Automatics, North Wales, Pennsylvania, has been awarded an indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract (H92403-23-D-0003) with a 10-year ordering period and a maximum ceiling of $29,263,029 to procure a new sniper support weapon, designated marksman, rifle taking advantage of advances in ammunition and weapons technology to improve the intermediate range sniper rifle lethality, reliability and performance when suppressed during 50-1,500 meter engagements. This effort will also provide for complete sustainment over the life cycle of the weapon system, including associated spare parts and vendor support, new equipment training, engineering, and travel. Fiscal 2023 procurement funds in the amount of $4,240,133 are being obligated at time of award on the first delivery order. This contract is a follow-on production contract stemming from a competitive prototype agreement and is being awarded in accordance with 10 U.S. Code 4022(f). U.S. Special Operations Command, MacDill Air Force Base, Florida, is the contracting activity.

Although listed on Geissele’s website, the gun is not in stock.

The commercial variant features a 20″ cold hammer forged from CRMOV steel and chrome lined barrel. The barrel is interchangeable between 6.5 Creedmoor and 7.62×51 mm NATO at the user level. The full features are available at the Geissele site.

There is still a program afoot to adopt an Assaulter version of MRGG. It features a shorter barrel and different stock as well as full-auto fire.

Posted in Contracts, SOF, weapons | 33 Comments »

SOFWERX – Family of Small Unmanned Ground Systems (FosUGS) Assessment Event

Saturday, September 30th, 2023

I’m pretty excited to tell you that SOFWERX, in collaboration with SOF Acquisition, Technology, and Logistics (SOF AT&L) Program Executive Office Tactical Information Systems (PEO-TIS), will host an Assessment Event (AE) 04-07 December 2023, to identify production model solutions for general-purpose multi-role/multi-mission robot systems.

This assessment solicits white papers to describe the current capabilities of off-the-shelf robot systems in the 10-40 lbs weight range. Systems will be reviewed by USSOCOM stakeholders and Subject Matter Expert’s (SME’s) to identify solutions for future participation in the FosUGS indoor presentation/outdoor demonstration that will occur at SOFWERX to provide a pathway to ultimately conduct tests on selected systems for specific cyber, safety, and performance requirements.

Technology desired by USSOCOM is an intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) general-purpose multi-role/multi-mission robot system in the weight range of 10-40 pounds that has some level of autonomous behaviors or capabilities which reduce operator workload and can operate in all-weather conditions within rural/urban environments. The system must have an integrated electro-optical/infra-red (EO/IR) full motion video (FMV) capability for day and night ISR operations and be payload agnostic to support additional payloads.

The 10-40 lbs range seems to be the one which the services are having the most trouble with. There are lots on micro systems out there (below 10 lbs) and loads of larger robots on the market but this small size seems to be a bit of an engineering challenge, balancing size, capability, and payload.

Remember, the robot is the platform and carries tailored, modular mission platforms. A robot with sensors, or weapons built-in becomes a screwdriver rather than a multi-tool and is less desirable due to its limited use. The image below gives you an idea of what I’m talking about regarding size. The larger robot is the Transcend Vantage and the much smaller robot is the Mini Vantage.

Program Executive Office Tactical Information Systems is a newly formed PEO within USSOCOM which combines elements of the old PEO Special Reconnaissance and PEO C4. It is responsible for Technical collection and communication, Integrated sensor systems, Sensitive Site Exploitation, Remote Capabilities; and Tactical Communications. Enterprise C4 systems have moved under the Director for Enterprise Information Systems.

To participate in this AE, submit NLT 20 October 2023 11:59 PM ET here.

Posted in Robotics, SOF | Comments Off on SOFWERX – Family of Small Unmanned Ground Systems (FosUGS) Assessment Event

Special Forces of the German Armed Forces to use Vector reconnaissance drones from Quantum Systems in the future

Thursday, September 28th, 2023

German drone manufacturer from Munich wins “FALKE” tender from the German Federal Office of Bundeswehr Equipment, Information Technology and In-Service Support (BAAINBw)

Germany, Munich, September 27, 2023 – Quantum-Systems GmbH, Munich-based manufacturer of dual-use reconnaissance drones that use multi-sensor technology to collect data for government agencies and commercial users, yesterday signed a framework agreement with the BAAINBw for the delivery of Vector reconnaissance drones.

Delivery of 14 unmanned aerial systems begins at the end of 2024

In November 2022, the German Federal Office of Bundeswehr Equipment, Information Technology and In-Service Support (BAAINBw) published the project under the name “Framework contract for the procurement of remotely piloted reconnaissance systems, airborne, short range” – “FALKE” for short. The complex performance specifications of the competitive award procedure placed numerous requirements on the future supplier of the unmanned systems. Quantum Systems successfully submitted a bid and was able to conclude the framework agreement with the BAAINBw on September 26, 2023.

Delivery of the first 14 systems is scheduled to begin in the fourth quarter of 2024. In the future, the Bundeswehr will thus have a system for precise reconnaissance that can be deployed quickly and independently.

Requirements for availability, innovation capability and precise reconnaissance methods

The vertical take-off and landing capable drone type Vector provides the German Army’s special forces with a market-available tactical reconnaissance system optimized for their range of operations and meeting requirements in terms of range, flight time and sensor capability. Vector enables precise reconnaissance over a range of up to 30 km with a flight duration of up to three hours. The integrated ‘Raptor’ combi-sensor is equipped with an optical and an infrared camera, enabling day and night operations in all climates and under challenging environmental conditions.

For the operational tasks of the Army’s special forces, precise reconnaissance is a mandatory requirement.

Posted in Contracts, Press Release, SOF, UAS | Comments Off on Special Forces of the German Armed Forces to use Vector reconnaissance drones from Quantum Systems in the future

Welcome to the Jungle: MARSOC Diversifies Training Environment

Wednesday, September 27th, 2023

HAWAII – A team of Marine Raiders recently completed a jungle tracking and mobility course as part of their pre-deployment training program.

The course, administered by instructors from the Tactical Tracking Operations School, teaches mobility in a jungle environment, rope and rappel work, jungle tracking, and anti-tracking techniques.

For roughly two weeks, the team worked on enhancing these skills to be able to effectively operate in a jungle environment while deployed.

“Looking at the Pacific and deployments in that region, learning these skills is essential,” said a critical skills operator. “For so long we trained for desert environments and now we have to look at where we could be needed next, and the jungle is top of that list.”

Since 2015, TTOS has been offering some manner of jungle training for U.S. Special Operations Command units, and in 2021, upon the arrival of their current vice president, Cody Carroll, the program began to evolve into what it is today.

“My last deployment as a reconnaissance officer was to the Pacific region,” said Carroll. “Through my own research and training, I realized most units didn’t have the hard skills or training to succeed in this environment.”

The creation of the current course was not about creating a new, innovative program, but more about getting back to how historical forces would have trained.

“These same problems that we have now: low visibility, difficulty for intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance platforms, broken communications, and logistical issues, they all existed for troops during WWII and Vietnam,” Carroll said. “We didn’t need to reinvent the wheel, just build the skills that we stopped training because we spent 20 years in the desert.”

Throughout the two weeks, the team trained in every aspect of jungle mobility. They had to navigate thick brush, scale and rappel cliff faces, and traverse rivers and other water features. All while either tracking an adversary or preventing an adversary from being able to track them.

They also spent time learning jungle specific counter improvised explosive device techniques, reaction to contact in dense vegetation, and setting and countering ambushes.

“You see guys that are newer to the team start out very hesitant in these different drills and in tracking,” said a CSO. “By the end of it, the confidence is through the roof, you’ll see those same guys find a track and maneuver the jungle like they’ve been doing it their whole lives.”

The course culminates with an exercise designed to last up to 72 hours where the students are ambushed by an adversary and must regroup and utilize their command and control to organize tracking teams to capture the adversary using all of the tracking and mobility techniques learned over the two weeks.

The team all responded positively to the training, praising its effectiveness and the foundation it provides for SOF units to build upon as they deploy to regions where this sort of mobility is needed.

“I’ve been through this training with two teams now and both experiences were beneficial to everyone on the team,” a CSO said. “I really think every company that can deploy to a jungle environment should come do this training. It’s invaluable.”

Story by Cpl Henry Rodriguez II,

Marine Forces, Special Operations Command

Posted in Guest Post, SOF, Training, USMC | 6 Comments »