US Military Evacuates Diplomats, Shuts Embassy in Violence-Torn Sudan (AP) Story provided by The American Legion

US Military Evacuates Diplomats, Shuts Embassy in Violence-Torn Sudan: Roughly 70 remaining American employees were airlifted from a landing zone at the embassy to an undisclosed location in Ethiopia.

Viasat Receives $325M US Special Operations Command Contract Extension - Avionics International

Viasat Receives $325M US Special Operations Command Contract Extension - Avionics International: U.S. Special Operations Command (SOCOM) awarded Viasat a $325 million contract extension for tactical satellite communications and network management. Viasat Inc (VSAT)

IS Leader Kills Himself During Raid by US Troops in Syria

On Wednesday 7 December 2022,US Special Operations Forces conducted a night raid in Idlib,Northwest Syria,resulting in the death of Islamic State leader Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurayshi,US President Joseph R. Biden announced Thursday morning.Mr.Biden said: Thanks to the bravery of our troops,this horrible terrorist leader is no more.Knowing that terrorist had chosen to surround himself with families,including children,we made a choice to pursue a Special Forces raid at a much greater risk to our own people rather than targeting him with an airstrike.* Such missions are in support of Operation Inherent Resolve (OIR),which seeks the lasting defeat of IS.Al-Qurayshi took control of IS when US troops neutralised former IS mastermind Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi in 2019.* In the course of the approximately two-hour combat operation,up to thirteen people were killed,including civilians as well as militants,according to a Syrian Civil Defence group.The Pentagon is conducting an after-action review of the raid.* Al-Qurayshi blew himself and his family up with an explosive device when the US SOFs announced their presence outside the multi-family residence.The suicide blast caused the residence's partial destruction.Al-Qurayhsi's deputy and the deputy's wife were on the first floor and were killed by the SOFs when he engaged them in a firefight.No US troops were harmed during the raid.It is believed a few other militants were killed by attack helicopters as the militants approached the compound and were deemed hostile.* According to the monitoring organisation the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR),since early December,IS has stepped up its activity in areas held by US Ally the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF).These activities include the assassination of,and attacks on,SDF members and members of the Autonomous Administration.At least eight IS operations were documented by SOHR activists against SDF members in the Deir Ezzor and al-Hasakah areas that killed three SDF members and wounded six others,including a civilian.There were also clashes in the Deir Ezzor countryside between the SDF and IS cells.The IS cells threaten everyone in the area,SOHR said.* There are about 900 US troops in Syria,and 2500 in Iraq,serving in support of OIR.Through August 2022,US troops in Iraq and Syria combined had come under 30 indirect-fire attacks-mainly rocket attacks,according to OIR.Several attacks were launched against US troops by Iran-backed militants.* IS no longer controls territory in Iraq or Syria.It just conducts sporadic attacks with its militant cells.*

U.S. Air Force Makes New AFWERX Investment in Boom Supersonic Airliner Research - Aviation Today

U.S. Air Force Makes New AFWERX Investment in Boom Supersonic Airliner Research - Aviation Today: The U.S. Air Force has made a new $60 million investment in Boom Supersonic for the development of its supersonic Overture airliner demonstrator aircraft.

Marines, Special Ops Troops Secretly Deploying to Taiwan Amid China Tensions, Report Says | Military.com

Marines, Special Ops Troops Secretly Deploying to Taiwan Amid China Tensions, Report Says | Military.com: The news report came amid a record-setting number of Chinese military flights around the island.

Green Beret Killed in Afghan War Identified

The Green Beret killed on 23 December in Afghanistan has been identified by the US Army as SFC Michael James Gobel,33,of Westwood Township, New Jersey.He was killed in Kunduz Province, Northern Afghanistan while supporting combat operations in the province, several districts of which are controlled by the Taliban.*
The Taliban claimed they blew SFC Gobel's
 vehicle up with an IED in Chardara District as the US and Afghan National Defence and Security Forces conducted a joint combat operation in the stategically significant province,a gateway to Northern Afghanistan.*
SFC Gobel was a member of 7th Special Forces Group (Airborne) out of Eglin Air Force Base, Florida.In his third deployment to Afghanistan, he had completed several courses, including the Special Forces Sniper Course; Military Freefall Advanced Tactical Insertion Course; Special Forces Intelligence Sergeant Course; Special Operations Force Surveillance Operator; and Advanced Special Operations Techniques-Level III Course.
Among his decorations were the Bronze Star Medal (4) and the Army Commendation Medal with combat "V" device.*
SFC Gobel is survived by his partner and  a young daughter.*
"Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.
Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil."
- Ephesians 6:10-11

Operation Inherent Resolve: Coalition and Partners Conduct Big Sweep Against IS in Syria - updated

On 22 November 2019,OIR Coalition Forces and Partner Forces conducted a large clearance mission in Deir-ez-Zor Province of Northeast Syria, Special Operations Joint Task Force-Operation Inherent Resolve said in a press release.Several Islamic State militants were killed and wounded as the Coalition and Partners cleared multiple IS compounds, capturing more than 12 IS militants.
According to SOJTF-OIR:
Terrorist sleeper cells remain a persistent threat in Northeast Syria.Local security forces, with Coalition assistance, are continuing to conduct counter-terrorism operations.
Said US Air Force MG Eric T. Hill, SOJTF-OIR commamder:
SOJTF-OIR remains committed to our relentless pursuit of Daesh (another name for IS).As Daesh presents a threat, we must stay vigilant to prevent it, for the sake of the region and our homelands.*
The mission was a reaction to increasing threats of IS attacks.It was conducted after days of joint planning and preparation.Once the IS compounds had been cleared,a significant amount of small arms,IEDs and ammunition were removed.*
The monitoring group Syrian Observatory for Human Rights notes that those involved in the raids included US troops and the Syrian Democratic Forces (Kurds). Speaking at the Manama Dialogue in Bahrain on 23 November, just after the Northeast Syria operation,US Marine Corps GEN Kenneth McKenzie,Jr., Commander,US Central Command,had promised that:
Over the next days and weeks, the pace will pick back up against remnants of ISIS (another word for IS). What we're talking about are the pockets of people who represent the wreckage that followed on the wake of the caliphate.They still have the power to injure, still have the power to cause violence.We don't have an end date.*

'It was a brilliantly executed operation': Defense secretary on al-Baghd...

US and Poland Bulking Up NATO's Eastern Flank

In light of NATO's need for more parity with Russia's forces along its Eastern Flank, the Presidents Donald Trump and Andzrej Duda signed a bilateral Joint Declaration Advancing Defense Cooperation on 23 September 2019 at the United Nations headquarters in New York.The Declaration is meant to:

Strengthen our strategic and defense relationship, which enhances our mutual security and that of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization.*
The current US troop strength of about 4500 rotational personnel:
Is expected to grow by approximately 1,000 additional U.S. military personnel in the near term.*
Locations for the enhanced US military presence include:
Poznan to host the Divisional HQ and the US Army area support group;
Drawsko Pomorskie to host the primary Combat Training Center for both Polish and US forces;
Wroclaw-Strachowice to host the US Air Force debarkation airfield;
Lask to host the USAF remotely-piloted aircraft squadron;
Powidz to host a combat aviation brigade, combat sustainment support battalion, and a Special Operations Forces facility;and
Lubliniec to host another SOF facility.*
What is more, discussions on where to locate an Armored Brigade Combat Team (4743 troops) are ongoing.The two countries are optimistic about finding a location for the ABCT.*

Afghan War:Army Ranger Killed in Battle with al-Qaida

A US Soldier killed in action over the weekend has been identified.On 24 November 2018,a US Army Ranger,SGT Leandro A.S. Jasso,25,of Leavenworth,Washington State,was killed as a result of a firefight with al-Qaida militants,the Pentagon said.Struck by small arms fire,he was medevaced to the neighbouring Helmand Province for advanced treatment,where he died.The battle occurred in Khash Rod District of Nimruz Province in Southwestern Afghanistan.Nimruz has desert borders with both Pakistan and Iran.The incident is under investigation.*
SGT Jasso was a team leader with Alpha Company,2nd Battalion,75th Ranger Regiment out of Joint Base Lewis-McChord,Washington.He was on his third tour in Afghanistan,serving in support of the US counterterror mission there,Operation Freedom's Sentinel.SGT Jasso had earlier received the Combat Infantryman Badge,indicating he was already a combat veteran at the time of Saturday's battle.According to 2nd Battalion commander LTCOL Rob McChrystal:
SGT Jasso was a humble professional who placed the mission first,lived the Ranger Creed and will be deeply missed.*
It was the second American death in the Afghan War this month,and the tenth of 2018.On 7 November,MAJ Brent R. Taylor,Mayor of North Ogden,Utah,was killed in a green on blue attack in the Afghan capital,Kabul,while serving with the Utah Army National Guard.

West Virginia Soldier Killed in Afghanistan as New Commander Takes the Reins

A senior US Army non-commissioned officer was killed in a green on blue attack,an attack by a person disguised as an Afghan soldier or police officer against a coalition member,on Monday 3 September 2018 in Eastern Logar Province.CSM Timothy Bolyard of Thornton,West Virginia,42,was the sixth US combat death of the year in the Afghan War,and the second to fall in a green on blue attack.CPL Joseph Maciel was killed in a green on blue attack in July in Uruzgan Province.*
A second US Soldier was wounded in the most recent attack and is in stable condition.Reportedly, there had been a meeting of key Afghan leaders and US military advisors at Forward Operating Base Shark preceding the attack.Then of a sudden a spray of bullets from an Afghan National Police Humvee struck the two Soldiers in the back.An ANP officer was shot dead in response,and four others were arrested.
The Taliban miltants have an office that promotes and encourages green on blue attacks.*
CSM Bolyard was a member of 1st Squadron,38th Cavalry Regiment,currently a unit of the 1st Security Force Assistance Brigade (SFAB) out of Fort Benning,Georgia.The SFAB concept was formulated by the Trump Administration as part of its South Asia Strategy.It assigns members of non-special operations units to train,advise and assist the Afghan National Defence and Security Forces on the frontlines,thus freeing up Special Operations Forces and Brigade Combat Teams to concentrate on counter-terror missions against the Taliban,ISIL-K and al-Qaida Islamist extremists.*
Another US service member was killed in Afghanistan on 4 September in a so-called non-combat incident,the seventh US military death in Afghanistan for 2018.This service member's identity is being withheld pending family notification.Both incidents are under investigation.*
CSM Bolyard,who was married and the father of two,was on his thirteenth deployment and had been repeatedly decorated for his accomplishments,having been awarded six Bronze Star Medals,two of them with combat V device for valour;six Army Commendation Medals;nine Army Achievement Medals;four Meritorious Service Medals;the Iraq Campaign Medal with four Campaign Stars;the Kosovo Campaign Medal;and the Combat Action Badge.
BGEN Scott Jackson,commander of 1st SFAB,said of CSM Bolyard that:
He will live in our memories and the hundreds of Soldiers he led and cared for throughout his exceptional career.*
On Sunday 2 September 2018,the former Commander,US Special Operations Command,GEN Austin Scott Miller,US Army,assumed command of NATO Resolute Support Mission and US Forces-Afghanistan from GEN John Nicholson after his 30 months of service.GEN Miller has served in both Iraq and Afghanistan,as well as Somalia,having been decorated with the Bronze Star Medal,Purple Heart Medal and the Legion of Merit,among other awards.

Afghan War:Taliban Mount Fierce Offensives,Seizing Most of Ghazni Province - Green Beret killed in action further south

Despite having met with US officials in Doha,Qatar recently in an effort to begin a dialogue,the Taliban Islamist extremists showed no desire for peace in recent days as up to 1,000 of them,having seized most of Ghazni Province,overran the provincial captal,Ghazni city on 10 August 2018.The massive assault on the city of about 280,000 took place in the pre-dawn hours and came from every direction.
Afghan National Defence and Security Forces fell back to protect critical defence-related buildings such as the police station,military bases and a prison;while the militants continued to control the neighbourhoods,local residents said.Many residents fled as power,food,water and medicine were cut off in the heat of combat.
The US conducted at least 16 air strikes in support of the ANDSF,killing some 200 Taliban,and a limited number of US troops stayed at the front lines to advise and assist their Afghan colleagues on the ground.About 100 ANDSF and 25 civilians were killed in the brazen seige,and hundreds more were wounded.
The Taliban had "achieved nothing,"NATO said.*
The Taliban were reportedly assisted by a number of foreign fighters from Pakistan and Chechnya,as well as al-Qaida elements.*
Also on 10 August,the Taliban swept over an Afghan SOF base in Ajristar district,killing at least 70 Afghan commandos and police.*
On 12 August,a US Soldier,SSGT Reymund R. Transfiguracion,36,of Waikaloa,Hawaii,was killed in action while on a combat patrol operation to the south,in Helmand Province,when an IED exploded near him.The incident is being investigated.SSGT Transfiguracion,a native of the Philippines,was a member of 3rd Battalion,1st Special Forces Group (Airborne),out of Joint Base Lewis-McChord,Washington State.Initially a member of the Hawaii National Guard,he had previously pulled tours in Iraq and the Phillipines.
Among his decorations were the Purple Heart Medal (second award);Army Achievement Medal (third award);Army Good Conduct Medal (third award);Combat Action Badge;and Air Assault Badge.*

NATO's Trident Juncture 18:Testing the Alliance in the Northern Reaches

Norway has issued a news release on the upcoming NATO Exercise Trident Juncture 18.It describes TJ 18 as one of the largest drills ever held in Norway,with more than 40,000 NATO and partner personnel taking part.They will be supported by about 130 aircraft;70 vessels;and 10,000 vehicles.*
TJ 18's tactical drills will run from 25 October to 7 November 2018;while the command post exercise (CPX) will run from 14-23 November 2018.The exercise will test the full spectrum of warfighting through its air,land,maritime,Special Operations Forces and amphibious scenarios,challenging both the NATO Response Force and other Allied and partner units with a view to seamless integration.*
Leading the drills will be Admiral James G. Foggo III,US Navy,Commander,NATO Joint Force Command,Naples.*
The exercise will be staged in Central and Eastern Norway and the adjacent waters of the North Atlantic Ocean and the Baltic Sea,and extending into Finnish and Swedish airspace in the bargain.The potential for adverse Nordic weather conditions may lend realism through additional hazards that need to be overcome by the Allied and partner forces.

US Soldier Killed in Action Identified - was assisting Special Operations Forces

The Pentagon has identified the US service member killed in action on 30 April 2018 in Eastern Afghanistan.Army Specialist Gabriel D. Conde,22,of Loveland,Colorado was killed by enemy small arms fire while serving in support of Operation Freedom's Sentinel,the US counter-terror role in Afghanistan.*
SPEC Conde was providing security to Special Operations Forces on a joint US/Afghan mission against Islamist extremist Taliban officials in Tagab district of Kapisa Province,east of the Afghan capital Kabul.He was a member of 3rd Battalion,509th Infantry Regiment,4th Infantry Brigade Combat Team (Airborne),25th Infantry Division out of Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson,Alaska.Such infantry units are routinely deployed to provide security assistance to SOFs in Afghanistan.*
SPEC Conde was on his first deployment to Afghanistan and nearly finished with his tour.So far,the Taliban militants have spurned offers of peace talks from the Afghan government of President Ashraf Ghani.

US Special Operations & Afghan Commandos in Combat Operations Against Ta...

Operation Inherent Resolve:Special Ops Raids Staged in Syrian Desert

Today,27 December 2017,a press release was received from the Special Operations Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve.Datelined Southwest Asia,it stated that:
In union with Coalition counter-Daesh forces,the Maghawir al-Thawra (or MaT,an Arab unit of the Syrian Democratic Forces),conducted a series of ground clearance operations Dec. 23 to drive Daesh out of the Hamad Desert in southern Syria.
Ongoing successful operations follow previous engagements earlier this month,in which the MaT killed several Daesh terrorists in the 55km de-confliction zone recognized by the Coalition,Russia,and the Syrian Regime.*
According to Major General James Jarrad,Commander of OIH's Special Operations Joint Task Force:
The combined operations are a result of many hours of planning,building trust and close cooperation between Coalition Special Operations Forces and the MaT.These operations have disrupted Daesh's freedom of movement by clearing several caves they have historically used to store weapons,explosives and communications equipment.ISIS has repeatedly surfaced in the Hamad Desert.However,inside the de-confliction zone,our partner forces have successfully thwarted ISIS' movements.*
No details were given as to which other Coalition partners participated or what their roles were,nor whether there were any casualties.

Crush the Enemy:CIA Covert Forces Expand Afghanistan Mission

Far from being drawn down as US military forces are being augmented in Afghanistan under the President's new South Asia Strategy,the CIA's Special Activities Division/Special Operations Group paramilitaries are reportedly also expanding their role in a conflict that has spanned more than sixteen years.It is said that President Donald Trump and his CIA director,Mike Pompeo,are determined to make the most of the Agency's paramilitary capability in hopes of quickening the end of the Taliban militants and other Islamist extremist elements who are trying to wreck the emergent democracy,such as al-Qaida,the Haqqani Network and ISIL-Khorasan.Speaking at the University of Texas in October,Mr.Pompeo said:
This is unforgiving,relentless.You pick the word.Every minute,we have to focus on crushing our enemies.If we are not out pushing the envelope,the Agency will not succeed.*
Immediately after the 9-11 attacks,the CIA was first on the ground in Afghanistan in the form of a small paramilitary team codenamed JAWBREAKER.This team and its follow-ons linked up with the indigenous resistance,the Northern Alliance,under Ahmad Shah Masood,gathering HUMINT on the Taliban and their al-Qaida guests and conducting joint operations with US and British military SOFs and the NA to eject the Taliban from cities such as Kabul and Mazar-e-Sharif.Once the Taliban had been thrown out of power in Afghanistan,however,the SAD Ground Branch settled into the role of training Afghan forces and collecting HUMINT,while the Air Branch struck targets inside Pakistan with armed Predator drones.*
The Agency's paramilitaries,be they recruited from the Armed Forces' Special Operations Command or from within the CIA,are trained for proficiency in:
sabotage;abduction;bomb damage assessment;personnel and material recovery;hostage rescue;and counterterrorism.That's not surprising,what with them being the heirs of the World War II Office of Strategic Services.
Typically operating in teams of six or less,they may even be tasked with solo missions.On the other hand,they have been frequently sent on joint operations with the Pentagon's SOFs and the Afghan National Defence and Security Forces.This is the joint role they are moving into now,as leaders of hybrid Counterterrorism Pursuit Teams with Pentagon SOFs detailed to the CIA under the Omega Program and ANDSF members.They are to range across the country seeking to quash Taliban bomb-makers in particular,as the mainline US SOFs and Afghan commandos focus on recapturing Taliban territory.The Taliban IED factories are a rising threat as the militants turn more to destabilising bombing campaigns,unable to make headway against the greatly improved ADNSF and their US advisors.
The CPTs will also include Afghan intelligence officers from the National Directorate of Security as well as CIA contractors.The SAD Air Branch was trying to expand its role to include an armed drone campaign within Afghanistan itself,not just striking militants in neighbouring Pakistan,but it isn't known if that was finally approved.

The Secret History of the CIA (2005) - Steve Coll,Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and author on his book "Ghost Wars"

Update:Soldier Killed in Afghanistan Identified - Special Forces member

US Forces Afghanistan in Kabul has released the identity of the fallen US Soldier killed in action against ISIL-K on 16 August 2017 in Achin district of Nangarhar Province Afghanistan:
Staff Sergeant Aaron Rhett Butler,27,of Monticello,Utah.
SSGT Butler was a Special Forces engineer with the 19th Special Forces Group of the Utah Army National Guard out of Salt Lake City.Sixteen other US service members were wounded in the raid.Fourteen of them were treated and released and the other two remain under hospital care.*
SSGT Butler was reportedly clearing a building with his unit when an IED exploded.The Soldiers were on a partnered operation with the Afghan National Defence and Security Forces against the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant-Khorasan.
General John Nicholson,Commander of all US and NATO Forces in Afghanistan,said that,despite the latest causalties,they were determined to continue the struggle against ISIL-K.*
On 17 August,General Mark Milley,Chief of Staff US Army,arrived in Kabul for meetings with Afghan defence officials.

War on ISIL:Air Campaign Update - plus a Canadian Forces sniper's world record kill

The air war against the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant continued on 26 June 2017,according to Combined Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve.The OIR coalition conducted 31 strikes consisting of 45 engagements,CJTFOIR said in a  press release.
In Syria,coalition forces conducted 27 strikes consisting of 39 engagements against ISIL targets,among them:
near Dawr Az Zawr,7 strikes engaged 2 ISIL tactical units and destroyed 3 vehicles;a tactical vehicle;2 bunkers;2 pumpjacks;a front-end loader;an IED factory;and an ISIL headquarters,while damaging 2 fighting positions;
near Raqqa,18 strikes engaged 15 ISIL tactical units and destroyed 13 fighting positions;2 vehicles;a VBIED;an IED factory and an ISIL headquarters,damaging 2 fighting positions.*
In Iraq,coalition forces conducted 4 strikes consisting of 6 engagements against ISIL targets,among them:
near Beiji,3 strikes engaged an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed a tactical vehicle storage facility;a tactical vehicle;and an ISIL fuel tanker;
near Tikrit,a strike engaged an ISIL tactical unit;
on 25 June,near Mosul,3 strikes began that engaged 2 ISIL tactical units and destroyed 14 fighting positions;5 weapons systems;3 medium machine guns;3 rocket-propelled grenade systems;2 mortar systems;a command-and-control node;and suppressed 5 mortar teams.These strikes closed within the past 24 hours,so were added to the 26 June report.*
The OIR strikes are conducted by fighter,attack,bomber,rotary-wing or remotely piloted aircraft;rocket-propelled artillery;and some ground-based artillery when fired on planned targets.No information on which countries participated in the strikes was provided.*
It is ironic that,with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau removing Canadian Forces from the OIR air campaign in an attempt to distance them from direct combat against ISIL,it was a Canadian Special Operations Forces member of Joint Task Force 2 who has just set the world record for a sniper kill by neutralising an ISIL militant from a distance of 3.54 kilometers,or about 2.2 miles.Congratulations to our loyal northern neighbours,who always find a way to assist,even joining the US Army so they could fight in the Vietnam War alongside Americans.
The sniper used a MacMillan TAC-50 .50 caliber weapon,which is the world's longest shoulder-fired firearm,and a 750-grain Hornady round.Experts point out that his spotter's skill in evaluating the atmospheric conditions all the way to the target was also critical to the success of the mission.
Mr.Trudeau insisted the sniper kill was both praiseworthy and consistent with Canada's advise and assist role in Iraq.Canadian Forces are expected to defend themselves and coalition partners during the course of their mission,he told reporters.