Army’s Wormuth: Congress will soon hear plans to revamp force structure, trim SOF

Army’s Wormuth: Congress will soon hear plans to revamp force structure, trim SOF
Army’s Wormuth: Congress will soon hear plans to revamp force structure, trim SOF

“The Army is in a moment of transformation where we are really pivoting from [counterinsurgency] COIN and [counterterrorism] CT to large-scale combat operations: So, we’ve got to transform our force structure,” said Army Secretary Christine Wormuth.

Army special ops put ‘launched effects’ prototype through its paces at EDGE 23

Army special ops put ‘launched effects’ prototype through its paces at EDGE 23
Army special ops put ‘launched effects’ prototype through its paces at EDGE 23

“As you would imagine coming out of a rapid prototyping [effort], there’s numerous options” on how to proceed with acquiring the new small drone system, said Program Executive Officer for Aviation Maj. Gen. Robert Barrie.

SOCOM Head On Global Terrorism: ‘I Think It’s Spread’

SOCOM Head On Global Terrorism: ‘I Think It’s Spread’
SOCOM Head On Global Terrorism: ‘I Think It’s Spread’

“I don’t see a direct threat to the homeland today, but I think it’s something that we have to be aware of,” Gen. Richard Clarke said.

US Army, Marines, Special Forces Eye Israeli ‘Hero’ Attack Drones

US Army, Marines, Special Forces Eye Israeli ‘Hero’ Attack Drones
US Army, Marines, Special Forces Eye Israeli ‘Hero’ Attack Drones

Uvision’s Hero line of loitering munitions – aka kamikaze drones – carry precision-guided warheads ranging from just over a pound to 17-plus lbs.

Profile: Medal of Honor Recipient Sgt. Maj. Thomas Patrick Payne

Profile: Medal of Honor Recipient Sgt. Maj. Thomas Patrick Payne
Profile: Medal of Honor Recipient Sgt. Maj. Thomas Patrick Payne

“Every man on the mission that night was engaged in their own unique problem set. My teammates were also looking for some way to liberate those hostages,” said Payne.

Mr. President, Leave Syria

Mr. President, Leave Syria
Mr. President, Leave Syria

No one knows precisely what happened inside the White House that resulted in President Trump’s sudden about-face on Syria. One day he was planning to extricate American ground troops from Syria; then he wasn’t. Regardless, whoever is urging the president to leave a small contingent of 2,000 lightly armed soldiers and Marines in a remote corner of Syria is doing the president and the nation a grave disservice. 

US, Israeli Special Forces Test Innovative Ground Vehicle

US, Israeli Special Forces Test Innovative Ground Vehicle
US, Israeli Special Forces Test Innovative Ground Vehicle

The CH-53 landed in complete dark 10 miles from the target, a terrorist stronghold somewhere in the Middle East. The back ramp was down in two minutes: 15 U.S special forces commandos with their gear and accessories for the planned operation headed out on their way to the target. An hour and 20 minutes later the commandos could see the enemy sentries through their night vision systems. They hadn’t done double time to the target. They crossed the 10 miles from the landing site riding on new, unique vehicles.

What To Be Thankful For

What To Be Thankful For
What To Be Thankful For

It’s one thing to tell a veteran, “thank you for your service.” It’s another to understand what that service really requires — and what being truly grateful would look like. Just today, the Navy’s already beleaguered 7th Fleet announced one of their 30-year-old C-2 Greyhounds — an aging shore-to-carrier transport due for replacement — had…

Stop The Malignant Misuse Of America’s Military

Stop The Malignant Misuse Of America’s Military
Stop The Malignant Misuse Of America’s Military

Last month, Secretary of Defense James Mattis warned that if Congress doesn’t “remove the defense caps,” he said, “then we’re questioning whether or not America has the ability to survive.” This claim that insufficient increases in Pentagon spending threatens American security is flatly wrong. The real and present danger to our national security is the…

A Glimpse Of Warfare’s Future, Today

A Glimpse Of Warfare’s Future, Today
A Glimpse Of Warfare’s Future, Today

WASHINGTON: Building seamless ties between US and allied forces is a dream long held and oft delayed. Allowing a friendly foreign commander to call in pinpoint US airstrikes simply, reliably and quickly with a phone is exactly the kind of military miracle science fiction and military visionaries have dreamt of since at least the late…

Britain To Buy P-8s, Reaffirms Full F-35 Buy; Doubling Special Forces Spending

Britain To Buy P-8s, Reaffirms Full F-35 Buy; Doubling Special Forces Spending
Britain To Buy P-8s, Reaffirms Full F-35 Buy; Doubling Special Forces Spending

WASHINGTON: The British have released their Strategic Defense Review, declaring they will plug the gaping hole in their anti-submarine warfare capabilities by buying nine P-8s from Boeing and showing considerable confidence in Lockheed Martin’s F-35 as they pledge to buy more earlier. The “National Security Strategy and Strategic Defence and Security Review” also restated its commitment to…

Killing Is Not Enough: Special Operators

Killing Is Not Enough: Special Operators
Killing Is Not Enough: Special Operators

ARLINGTON: “We have, in my view, exquisite capabilities to kill people,” said Lt. Gen. Charles Cleveland. “We need exquisite capabilities to manipulate them.” Psychological subtlety and the US military don’t always go hand-in-hand. Worldwide, we’ve become better known for drone strikes and Special Operations raids to kill High Value Targets. But that wasn’t enough for the last 13…

SOCOM, Allies Buy Lightweight DAGOR Truck; Debuts At AUSA

SOCOM, Allies Buy Lightweight DAGOR Truck; Debuts At AUSA
SOCOM, Allies Buy Lightweight DAGOR Truck; Debuts At AUSA

WASHINGTON: It’s six days until the largest defense conference of the year, the Association of the US Army’s annual meeting, and here at Breaking Defense our email runneth over. Amidst the missives touting everything from “e-learning solutions” to free steak dinners for reporters, though, this one in particular caught our eye. On first sight, it’s a…

SOCOM’s Iron Man Suit Sees ‘Astounding’ Progress: Adm. McRaven

SOCOM’s Iron Man Suit Sees ‘Astounding’ Progress: Adm. McRaven
SOCOM’s Iron Man Suit Sees ‘Astounding’ Progress: Adm. McRaven

WASHINGTON: Special operations types — like those who found and killed Osama bin Laden –may stand tall and do amazing things sometimes, but they tend to be fairly plain spoken. You rarely hear them say something is “astounding,” especially a new weapon. For example, one special operator recently awarded the Silver Star said he would…