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SOFWERX – Blast Exposure Monitoring System Collaboration Event

Tuesday, March 3rd, 2020

SOFWERX, in concert with USSOCOM Program Executive Office (PEO) SOF Warrior (SW), will host a Blast Exposure Monitoring (BEMO) System Collaboration Event (CE) in April 1st, to identify solutions to blast overpressure exposure recognition. This event will be a compelling opportunity for the leading minds in Industry, National Labs and Academia to better understand and influence current SOF needs.

Experts in the following areas are encouraged to apply:

Hardware:

• Blast pressure sensor capable of detecting 0.5 to 100 psi

• Batteries/Wireless rechargeable atteries

• Mounting/wear options on kit or civilian clothing

• Microphone(s) to capture acoustic events

• Acoustic event counter to count events that exceed safety levels (>140 decibels)

• Trigger count for a dynamic environment (multiple weapons being fired in a small area)

Software/Data:

• Automation of blast data analyses and output

• Algorithm(s) for identifying weapons being fired on a range

• Blast data visualization that are intuitive, informative and easily understood

• Algorithm(s) for identifying directionality or blast and differentiating incidental from reflective overpressure readings on wearable blast gauge sensor

For full details and to register, visit www.sofwerx.org/bemo.

Posted in CIED, SOF | Comments Off on SOFWERX – Blast Exposure Monitoring System Collaboration Event

SCUBAPRO Sunday – Iran – Iraq War USSOCOM History

Sunday, March 1st, 2020

Iraq attacked Iran in September 1980, launching a war that would last eight years. By 1982, more than 100,000 people had died. The war was costing each side about $1 billion a month and devastated both countries’ oil industries. In the so-called “tanker war,” both countries launched attacks on neutral merchant vessels transiting the Gulf (mostly Kuwaiti flagged ships). In December of 1986, the Kuwaiti government asked then-President Reagan to help protect their oil tankers from mine placed by the Iranian. Reagan sent the U.S. Navy, and the newly formed USSOCOM sent the SEALs, Special Boat Units (now Special Boat Teams), and the 160th Special Operation Aviation Regiment (SOAR). This was the first time in SOCOM history (its short history at the time) that these three groups would be deployed together.

The Task Unit was deployed on two barges, Hercules and Wimbrown, that the Pentagon promptly converted into Mobile Sea Bases (MSBs)complete with their own extensive self-defense weapons. Naval Special Warfare Task Units (NSWTU) was run by a SEAL commander and answered to the regional Naval Special Warfare Task Group. Their mission was to stop Iranian forces from mining the Persian Gulf or otherwise attacking shipping. Each MSB had two detachments of Mark III patrol boats, a SEAL platoon, an EOD detachment, Marines to provide security, army MH-6, and AH-6 Little Bird helicopter gunships and Black Hawk rescue birds, and an air force combat controllers. MSB Hercules was manned by East Coast NSW, SEAL Team Two, and SBU 20 and 24. MSB Wimbrown 7 was manned by West Coast SEAL Team One and SBU 12 and 13. They also had other boats and helos available to them, like the SeaFox.

On September 21, a trio of Little Bird choppers flying off the frigate Jarrett was assigned to shadow the Iranian tank landing ship Iran Ajr,s suspected to have been converted for minelaying. An MH-6 helicopter equipped with a forward-looking infrared (FLIR) sensor and night-vision goggles led the way, escorted by two AH-6 gunships loaded with 7.62-millimeter miniguns and 2.75” rocket pods. The helicopter crews recorded the Iran Ajr’s crew deploying mines next to the Middle Shoals navigational buoy used by tankers. The Little Birds were ordered to open fire, and they opened up on the Iranians with their miniguns, the crew to take cover and did not return fire. The Iranian sailors resumed deploying the mines a half-hour later. This time the 160th pilots unleashed a sustained barrage, including rockets, killing three crew—and causing the remaining twenty-six to abandon ship. The following morning, SEALs on Mark III Patrol Boats rescued all but two of the Iranian sailors and boarded Iran Ajr. They found nine mines onboard and seized a logbook recording past minelaying activity, including maps showing the locations of those mines. Then the Navy towed Iran Ajr’s too deep water and blew her up.

A trio of minigun-armed MH-6 helicopters tangled again with four Iranian ships approaching MSB Hercules on October 8, including a corvette, a Swedish-built Boghammar, and two Boston whaler type boats. The Boghammar’s crew fired Stinger missiles at the scout helicopters before being sunk by return fire. Eight Iranian crew were killed, and six more rescued from the water. One of the Boghammar’s was later brought back and used by SBU-12/13 for the Coronado July 4 demonstrations and as an aggressor boat for exercises in the San Diego area.

When an Iranian missile struck the U.S.-flagged Sea Island City on October 16, injuring eighteen crew, Washington authorized a counterattack three days later called Operation Nimble Archer, resulting in the destruction of two Iranian oil platforms used to host IRGCN boats.

But Iranian minelaying continued. On April 14, 1988, the crew of the frigate Samuel B. Roberts spotted three Iranian mines and realized she had unwittingly cruised into a minefield. While attempting to back out of danger, Roberts struck a mine that nearly split her in two and injured ten sailors. A heroic damage control effort saved the ship and her crew. Navy divers later identified additional mines in the area—with serial numbers identical to those on the Iran Ajr’s. Four days later, the U.S. launched a second retaliatory strike targeting two more Iranian oil platforms called Operation Praying Mantis. This time frigates and gunboats of the regular Iranian Navy counter attacked, resulting in the U.S. Navy’s largest naval battle since World War II, in which half of Iran’s surface combatants were sunk or crippled.

The Iran-Iraq war ended four months later—but not before one final tragic incident. On July 3, the U.S. Aegis missile cruiser Vincennes was skirmishing with Iranian fast boats, having unknowingly entered Iranian territorial waters, when her radar reported an Iranian F-14 Tomcat fighter was approaching her. The cruiser fired two radar-guided SM-2 missiles at the contact—bringing down Iranian A300 airliner Flight 655, killing all 290 civilians aboard.

Operation Earnest Will concluded September 26 when the USS Vandergrift escorted a final tanker into the Persian Gulf. The operatives involved in Prime Chance remained active, however, until June 1990.

www.defensemedianetwork.com/stories/ussocoms-first-test-of-fire-operations-prime-chance-and-praying-mantis

Posted in Advertiser, Guest Post, History, Maritime, SOF | 3 Comments »

Air Force Changes Path of Entry for Enlisted Special Warfare Operators

Friday, February 21st, 2020

JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO-RANDOLPH, Texas – To better afford enlisted recruits the time and opportunity to find the path of their greatest calling, the Air Force has created a single path of entry into the special warfare recruiting and initial training pipeline.

TACP FTX @ Camp Bullis, Texas

The Special Warfare Operator Enlistment Vectoring program will officially commence in early April of this year with a new Air Force Specialty Code for accessions and the first shipment of special warfare candidates to the service’s basic military training.

“On initial entry into the Air Force, the 9T500 AFSC will be the only path for new Airmen to pursue a career into the Combat Control, Pararescue, Tactical Air Control Party or Special Reconnaissance career fields,” said Lt. Col. Joseph Lopez, chief of the special warfare division at Air Education and Training Command headquarters. “This change allows candidates to make a more informed career decision, prior to being vectored, after months of education, training, development, and mentorship, to see what career field might be the best fit for them. The program also enhances the Air Force’s ability to assign Airmen a permanent AFSC in an equitable way across the special warfare community after a thorough “whole-person” evaluation has been conducted on every candidate going through through the accessions and initial phase of training.”

Every day, special warfare Airmen deploy around the world to project American military power through global access, rescue friendly forces through personnel recovery operations and to destroy the enemy through precision strikes.

The SWOE-V program centers on a “coach-develop-mentor” mindset that begins in the pre-accession phase where recruiting development teams identify potential special warfare operators and begin the process to prepare them for the rigors of the special warfare training pipeline and later, their designated career field.

“The typical special warfare scouting, recruiting and development process for a candidate from pre-accessioning to shipping to BMT takes from four to six months,” said Lt. Col. Heath Kerns, commander of the 330th Recruiting Squadron which specializes in special warfare and combat support recruiting. “During pre-accessioning with help from our developers, candidates begin a 21-day “Pass the PAST” workout program developed to help them pass the Physical Abilities Stamina Test, while at the same time being educated on special warfare components, missions and specialties and the SWOE vector process.”

Another key element to the SWOE-V program will be the base lining of enlistment standards for recruits.

“Having a standardized baseline of enlistment standards will eliminate confusion amongst potential recruits, as well as opens up a larger pool of candidates during the recruiting process who might be eligible for and interested in a career in special warfare,” Kerns said.

After a potential candidate passes the PAST, a test that represents the minimum physical fitness entrance standards for enlisted special warfare career fields, they compete for selection and receive a developer recommendation before contracting and shipping to BMT at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland, Texas, as a SWOE candidate, Kerns said.

During BMT, SWOE candidates will master curriculum that includes the Air Force mission and vision, core values, drill and ceremony, history and priorities, field training and joint warfare like every other trainee, but undergo additional training to prepare them for the Special Warfare Prep Course.

100% and then some, TACP apprentice course

“While assigned to their special warfare BMT flights, candidates conduct additional physical training and continue their education about all things special warfare related including components, missions and specialties and the SWOE vectoring process,” Lopez said.

SWOEs’ BMT performance evaluation data is collected throughout training to be included as part of the vectoring process once trainees enter the Special Warfare Prep course, administered by officials at the Special Warfare Training Wing, also at JBSA-Lackland.

“Along with the performance data from BMT, data from the Special Warfare prep course, and a SWOE’s career preference, candidates are vectored to either the Special Tactics and Guardian Angel, or the Tactical Air Control Party, courses of initial entry,” Lopez said.

Selection for a specific special warfare Air Force Specialty Code is heavily based on a candidate’s performance, which drives a competitive model early on, even before shipping to BMT, thus helping shape individual’s drive, determination and strengths, intended to create trust and team cohesion among candidates, Lopez said.

Special Warfare trainees honor fallen combat controller

“Nothing is given; Airmen must earn their spot in their chosen career field and fight for it,” Lopez said. “We are evaluating them continuously through pre-accessioning, BMT and the Special Warfare Prep Course, using a whole person concept that includes cognitive, physical skills, as well as Airmanship and instructors’ evaluation of teamwork and attitude.”

From this point in the pipeline, SWOE candidates are split into one of two paths: the four-week Special Tactics and Guardian Angel course of initial entry or the TACP initial course of entry.

“After successful completion of the ST/GA initial course of entry, candidates will be assigned into the combat controller, pararescue or special reconnaissance AFSC based on their continued performance during training and their preference,” Lopez said. “After successful completion of that course, candidates continue along their respective AFSC-specific training pipelines.”

Special Warfare Airmen train with U.S. Marine Corps Reserve

Those who enter the TACP course of initial entry and successfully complete it will continue along in the remainder of the TACP training pipeline, said Lopez.

“The SWOE-V really is a big deal as it represents a momentous change for the Air Force special warfare community,” Lopez said. “By removing constraints in the recruiting and accessions process, we are expanding the talent pool while streamlining entry into the service. We also ensure ensure equitable distribution consistent with and proportional to Air Force-established production goals.”

By Dan Hawkins, Air Education and Training Command Public Affairs

AF Note: To hear more about the SWOE-V program, listen to “The Air Force Starts Here” podcast featuring Lt. Col Lopez, AETC’s special warfare division chief, and Lt. Col. Heath Kerns, 330th Recruiting Squadron commander. The podcast is available for download or streaming on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and Google Play, as well as on the AETC website.

Posted in AFSW, Air Force, Guest Post, Profession of Arms, SOF, Training | 4 Comments »

MARSOC to Consolidate All Marine Special Operations Forces to Camp Lejeune by 2022

Wednesday, February 19th, 2020

CAMP LEJEUNE, N.C. – Marine Forces Special Operations Command will soon begin implementing a phased plan to consolidate all MARSOC personnel and equipment to its headquarters aboard Camp Lejeune by the end of 2022. This initiative will relocate approximately 900 Marines, Sailors, and civilian employees from 1st Marine Raider Battalion and 1st Marine Raider Support Battalion, which have been located aboard Camp Pendleton, C.A. since MARSOC’s inception in 2006.

“MARSOC has been pursuing numerous lines of effort to increase performance, efficiencies, and capabilities in support of the 2018 National Defense Strategy’s imperatives to build a more lethal force and reform the department for greater performance and affordability. One line of effort is the consolidation of all Marine Special Operations Forces to the east coast. Consolidation will enhance the command’s Enterprise Level Agility to meet the future operating environment challenges articulated in the NDS, the Commandant’s Planning Guidance, and our own vision and strategy, MARSOF 2030,” said MajGen Daniel Yoo, MARSOC Commander. “It will also position MARSOC for more economical experimentation, testing, and evaluation of future operating concepts and near-peer offset capabilities, while streamlining organizational learning to enhance component-wide standards, performance, training, and readiness across the force.”

The efficiencies gained through consolidation extend beyond performance and training, with significant impacts to time and money. Consolidation will allow MARSOC to gain back almost 2000 man-days per year that would otherwise be lost to PCS and other TAD requirements not associated with deployments. This creates tangible and significant cost-savings and increased readiness across the force. In addition, MARSOC will be better positioned to meet the Secretary of Defense’s Deployment-to-Dwell (D2D) guidance, providing greater stability and increased quality of life to Marine Raiders and their families.

The physical movement of personnel and equipment from the West to the East Coast will occur over three phases. The phasing plan allows for minimal disruption to normal Marine Corps transition timelines, like those associated with Permanent Change of Station (PCS) orders. It also provides a managed population increase to the local area. Personnel and families will begin moving from the West Coast during the traditional PCS cycle beginning in the summer of 2021.

MARSOC and Marine Corps Installations East (MCIEAST) School Liaisons and Community Plans and Liaison Officers (CPLO) have been working together to estimate impacts on the local communities and school districts. According to Joe Ramirez, MCB Camp Lejeune Director of Government and External Relations, MCB Camp Lejeune will continue working with Onslow and Pender County Schools and Governments to anticipate and plan for increases in student population and to ensure that all students will be accommodated effectively and receive a quality education.

Story by Maj Kristin Tortorici, Marine Forces, Special Operations Command

Photo by Cpl Bryann K. Whitley , Marine Forces, Special Operations Command

Posted in SOF, USMC | 10 Comments »

Osprey New Vanguard 282 – Combat Vehicles of Russia’s Special Forces

Monday, February 17th, 2020

The upcoming “Combat Vehicles of Russia’s Special Forces” from Osprey Publications will feature Spetznaz, Airborne, arctic and interior troops vehicles. It is written by Professor Mark Galeotti.

These books are always excellent general references and I recommend them for any library.

Russian SOF are being outfitted with a combination of armored vehicles and light all terrain vehicles for mobility regardless of the environ they’ll be operating in.

The contents give you an idea of what will be covered.

Introduction
The Spetsnaz: Whatever They Need
The Airborne Troops: By Air and Land
The Naval Infantry: Finding Their Sea Legs
Specialised Forces: War and Peacekeeping
Security Forces: Hurricanes And Punishers
Prospects For The Future
Further Reading
Index

It seems they have changed recently the cover, with the new version seen above. This title is expected to be released on May 26, 2020.

Posted in International, Mobility, SOF | 1 Comment »

SOFWERX Presents The $225,000 Tech Sprint: Hyper Enabled Partner Force

Thursday, February 13th, 2020

In concert with the USSOCOM Joint Acquisition Task Force (JATF), SOFWERX is hosting The $225,000 Tech Sprint: Hyper Enabled Partner Force event, 04-14 May 2020.

Up to 15 selected technologies and their submitters will receive a prize award in the amount of $15,000 to combine and/or integrate their most provocative technologies into the Hyper Enabled Operator (HEO) system. Participants may also have the opportunity to showcase their technology at SOFIC.

The technologies of interest are those that will assist in providing new, novel or provocative solutions in the following categories:

• Linguistical Fluency

• Cultural Fluency

• Social Awareness

• Operational Awareness

• Other Hyper Enabled Capabilities

To get involved, you’ll need to submit NLT 23 March 11:59 PM EST.

For full details, visit www.sofwerx.org/partnerforce

Posted in Disruptive Tech, SOF | Comments Off on SOFWERX Presents The $225,000 Tech Sprint: Hyper Enabled Partner Force

Review Finds No Systemic Ethical Problems in US Special Operations Forces

Sunday, February 2nd, 2020

WASHINGTON — U.S. special operations forces have no “systemic” failures of ethics, but a review points to the need for strengthening leadership at all levels, the commander of U.S. Special Operations Command said.

Army Gen. Richard D. Clarke told reporters at the Pentagon Tuesday that he ordered the comprehensive review of special operations culture after several instances of misconduct and unethical behavior threatened public trust and caused leaders to question special operations forces’ culture and ethics.

The review team looked at all aspects of the force and interviewed thousands of individuals, the general said.

Clarke said the review showed the vast majority of special operators maintain the highest standards of conduct every day, and they do so in some of the most challenging conditions around the globe.

However, he added, the review team did find that some aspects of the special operations culture did, at times, set conditions favorable for inappropriate behavior.

“We have a ‘can do’ culture with a bias toward action,” he said. “This culture is part of what makes us great. Nearly 20 years of continuous conflict have imbalanced that culture to favor force employment and mission accomplishment over the routine activities that ensure leadership, accountability and discipline.”

Force generation, force training and leader development are at the heart of the solution, Clarke said. “We need to improve our leader development programs and improve accountability in our training and management processes,” he said. “Leaders drive culture, and maintaining a healthy and high performing culture requires present and actively involved leadership.”

Clarke said some of the command’s professional military education is inadequate, and the command is taking steps to improve it.

The study also found that the pressure of deployments meant that leaders often were not present, or not involved, in training. “Our force has spent the last two decades rushing to get back into the fight,” the general said. “In doing so, we have often been too complacent as we build, train and certify our teams for the rigors of operating in a complex world. We are renewing emphasis on proper accountability and supervision, and setting conditions for leader presence in the right places.”

The review team concluded that special operations culture is overly focused on force employment and mission accomplishment, creating contexts or situations that allow misconduct and unethical behavior to develop.

“The review team uncovered not only potential cracks in the [special operations forces] foundations at the individual and team level, but also through the chain of command, specifically in the core tenets of leadership, discipline and accountability,” the review says.

Clarke said he will emphasize the need for leaders at all levels in the organization to be there for their troops and provide the corrections needed when teams are going astray. Leaders can give guidance on the ethical and moral aspects of irregular warfare and can model “what right looks like,” the general said.

The force knows how to produce ethical warriors, Clarke said, noting that standard operating procedures detail the training, education, exercises and certification needed to deploy. But the pressure of deployments sometimes means that troops go through these hoops without leaders present, the review found.

“U.S. Special Operations Command must manage the institutional bias towards employment and reclaim resources for investment in the other key areas by applying leadership, discipline and accountability to force employment processes and business rules,” the review states. “These actions will enable and complement those recommended under force accountability, focusing on bringing discipline to force generation processes, emphasizing active and engaged leadership during these periods.”

The press of operations and the seemingly endless demands for special operations forces has prompted a breakdown in force generation, which, in turn, disrupted leader development. “Bringing more structure and emphasis back to these areas enables [Special Operations Command] to reinvest in leader development and groom leaders with the required balance of character and competence,” the review says.

The command will invest the money and time needed to ensure units can institutionalize these changes. The command will also scrub the joint force’s current special operations requirements. “This assessment will impact SOF requirements for continued counter violent extremist organization efforts and inform [the command’s] transition as part of broader DOD alignment towards great power competition,” the review says.

As in most things, the review’s findings and recommended actions require a strong implementation plan and the will to execute it.

“This report reemphasizes our enduring responsibility as leaders and informs a consolidated, focused effort to drive necessary change across our formation,” Clarke said. “I am forming an implementation team that will follow through on these findings and recommendations, assess results, and refine our policies accordingly.”

The review team found concern about the force from all levels of special operations. Special operations noncommissioned officers spoke about the need for the presence of leaders and the need to ensure teams train together before they deploy, said Air Force Chief Master Sgt. Greg Smith, senior enlisted leader for the command.

Clarke and Smith agreed changing a culture takes time, and that the command is willing to invest the time.

By Jim Garamone, Defense.gov

Posted in Guest Post, Profession of Arms, SOF | 11 Comments »

SOFWERX – USSOCOM Innovation Foundry Event In March

Monday, January 27th, 2020

Space, Cyber Space and EMS/C4ISR Subject Matter Experts Needed !

On 10-12 March, SOFWERX, in collaboration with USSOCOM’s Directorate of Science and Technology (S&T), will host the Fifth Innovation Foundry Event (IF5) focused on Space, Cyber Space and the Electro-Magnetic Spectrum (EMS). This event will bring together Special Forces Operators and Subject Matter Experts to assist USSOCOM in discerning future capability areas for tech exploration in Unconventional Warfare (UW).?

Request to Attend NLT 12 February 11:59 PM EST U.S. Citizens Only

www.sofwerx.org/IF5

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