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Excerpt - TAMPA, Florida: A U.S. Navy admiral who won a Silver Star for his role in a famous 1993 battle to rescue downed Black Hawk helicopter crews in Somalia took charge Monday as the new commander of the U.S. Special Operations Command. Adm. Eric T. Olson, 55, is the first Navy officer — and the first Navy SEAL — to run the command, which oversees the military's elite forces fighting terrorism in more than 50 countries, including Iraq and Afghanistan. ~ snip ~

Excerpt - WASHINGTON, Feb. 22 — The American military quietly waged a campaign from Ethiopia last month to capture or kill top leaders of Al Qaeda in the Horn of Africa, including the use of an airstrip in eastern Ethiopia to mount airstrikes against Islamic militants in neighboring Somalia, according to American officials. The close and largely clandestine relationship with Ethiopia also included significant sharing of intelligence on the Islamic militants’ positions and information from American spy satellites with the Ethiopian military. Members of a secret American Special Operations unit, Task Force 88, were deployed in Ethiopia and Kenya, and...

AMERICA scored one clear success in the War on Terror last week with the killing of Abu Musab al-Zar qawi, the longtime leader of al Qaeda in Iraq - but also a clear failure, with the taking of Mogadishu, Somalia's capital, by Islamist militias. The contrast between the two covert operations is telling - for the details teach an abject lesson in the difference between a "learning organization" and one that closes itself to outside influences while insisting that it can perform functions far beyond its core competence. Supremely well-coordinated intelligence is vital to any successful special operation. Zarqawi was...

Meet the military's quiet professionals Elite new regiment ready to fly into hot spots on short notice, but Rambos need not apply Chris Wattie National Post April 29, 2006 CFB PETAWAWA, Ont. - Canada's newest special forces unit began training its first soldiers this week, gearing up at a breakneck pace to prepare for a first mission that could come as early as August and send the Canadian Special Operations Regiment to a hot spot anywhere in the world with only a few hours' notice. The National Post was given an exclusive look at the first soldiers of this elite...

A Bush administration proposal to fold a civilian office tasked with oversight of the Pentagon’s special-operations forces could face stiff resistance in Congress. Sources tell The Hill that Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld is considering a proposal to eliminate the office of the assistant secretary of defense for special operations and low-intensity conflict (ASD SO/LIC) and spreading its responsibilities across other Pentagon offices. The proposal comes from Ryan Henry, the principal deputy undersecretary of defense for policy, according to a source familiar with the plan. It is unclear whether Rumsfeld would sign off on such a suggestion or would reject...

WASHINGTON -- In a historic step designed to bolster the military's ability to fight a global war on terrorism, Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld said Tuesday he approved adding Marines to U.S. Special Operations Command, the organization in charge of SEALs, Green Berets and other commando-style forces. It is the first time since the command was created in April 1987 that the Marine Corps has been included, and Rumsfeld said the change reflects a need for the Pentagon to continue to adapt to the tactics of an adversary like the al-Qaida terror network that uses unconventional means to counter American...

CHOOSE A NAME FOR THIS LATEST CLINTON SCANDAL-- How about "WALLGATE" or "TREASONGATE"?

"...In April, CNSNews.com staff writer Scott Wheeler reported that a senior U.S. government official and three other sources claimed that the 1995 memo written by Jamie Gorelick, who served as the Clinton Justice Department’s deputy attorney general from 1994 to 1997, created "a roadblock" to the investigation of illegal Chinese donations to the Democratic National Committee. But the picture is much bigger than that. The Gorelick memo, which blocked intelligence agents from sharing information that could have halted the September 11 hijacking plot, was only the mortar in a much larger maze of bureaucratic walls whose creation Gorelick personally oversaw..."

"...So it's my clear belief that the wall itself developed this culture which restrained in a substantial way the exchange of information in the intelligence and law enforcement communities. The Bellows report, which was part of some recommendations following the Wen Ho Lee case, indicated that it was part of the culture at the FBI that if one made a mistake and shared information that was later deemed to be inappropriate, it was called a career- ender, so that the risk of a person sharing information improperly was at least known in the culture of the law enforcement community to...

According to The New York Times (8 July 2003): "the federal commission investigating the Sept. 11 terror attacks said today that its work was being hampered by the failure of executive branch agencies, especially the Pentagon and the Justice Department, to respond quickly to requests for documents and testimony." Several alternative media have joined the bandwagon. George W. Bush is accused of obstructing the investigation...Former Jersey governor Thomas Kean, the commission's chairman is presented as an honest and uncompromising individual, who is courageously confronting the US government: "Without greater cooperation, Kean said, ''we cannot do the job we are supposed...

"...It was a deeply rewarding experience to work with highly capable colleagues and for such distinguished and thoughtful commissioners. Our commission sessions had long and occasionally heated discussion, but it was always productive and the commissioners themselves were devoted to achieving bipartisanship and unanimity. They understood very well that their impact would be greatest if they were unanimous..."

The National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States (also known as the 9-11 Commission), an independent, bipartisan commission created by congressional legislation...is chartered to prepare a full and complete account of the circumstances surrounding the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, including preparedness for and the immediate response to the attacks...

...The former intelligence official said the first Able Danger report identified all four men as members of a "Brooklyn" cell, and was produced within two months after Mr. Atta arrived in the United States. The former intelligence official said he was among a group that briefed Mr. Zelikow and at least three other members of the Sept. 11 commission staff about Able Danger when they visited the Afghanistan-Pakistan region in October 2003...

In September 2000, one year before the Al Qaeda attacks of 9/11, a U.S. Army military intelligence program, known as “Able Danger,” identified a terrorist cell based in Brooklyn, NY, one of whose members was 9/11 ringleader Mohammed Atta, and recommended to their military superiors that the FBI be called in to “take out that cell,” according to Rep. Curt Weldon, a longtime Republican congressman from Pennsylvania who is currently vice chairman of both the House Homeland Security and House Armed Services Committees...

...We do know that Able Danger made their report about four of the attackers in 2000. We do know the report was submitted and the request for action was denied. We do know the Gorelick policy ‘wall’ was in effect at the time. We do know Clinton was President and Dick Clark was terrorism guru. We do know 9-11 commission staffers were briefed on these events and 9-11 commissioners were not...

June 14, 2005: The U.S. Marine Corps has agreed to turn over a force of 2,500 specially trained marines to SOCOM (Special Operations Command.) Bowing to pressure from the Department of Defense, and SOCOM, the marines are the last of the services to make such a contribution. Created in 1987, SOCOM gained control over army Special Forces (including Civil Affairs, Psychological Warfare and special helicopter units), navy SEALs and air force commandoes and special aviation units. But the marines said they had nothing to offer. The marine SOCOM force will consist of 400 marines trained to provide military instruction for...

"PhDs with guns" Linda Robinson's "Masters of Chaos: The Secret History of the Special Forces" Reviewed by W. Thomas Smith Jr. Few Americans had ever heard of Special Forces before the release of the Vietnam-era movie, The Green Berets (1968), starring John Wayne. But by 1982, when First Blood – starring Sylvester Stallone as a former Special Forces soldier on a payback rampage – was released, almost every American schoolboy had at some point fancied himself a member of the U.S. Army's vaunted Green Berets. Countless books and articles have since been written about the Army's Special Forces, but U.S....

WASHINGTON - It was a quarter-century ago this month, April 24, 1980, that the secret American raid into Iran to rescue 53 hostages from the U.S. Embassy in Tehran collapsed in disaster on a make-shift airstrip in the middle of the Iranian desert. The embarrassingly public failure of the raid, code-named Operation Eagle Claw, was a low-water mark for the Carter administration and for our military as well, still struggling to get back on its feet in the wake of the debacle in Vietnam just five years before. Eight American servicemen died when the raid came apart with the fiery...

Obscure provision cuts reliance on CIA WASHINGTON Congress has given the Pentagon important new authority to fight terrorism by authorizing Special Operations forces for the first time to spend money to pay informers and recruit foreign paramilitary soldiers. The new authority, which would also let Special Operations forces purchase equipment or other items from the foreigners, is spelled out in a single paragraph of an 800-page defense authorization bill passed by Congress and signed into law by President George W. Bush in October. It was requested by the Pentagon and the commander of Special Operations forces as part of a...

Dear Mr.Hersh, I read with great interest your article titled  The Coming Wars: What the Pentagon can now do in secret carried by the New Yorker in its issue dated January 24, 2005, about US preparations for a possible covert operation against Iran's suspected military nuclear installations set up with Pakistani complicity. I particularly noted your findings about the role of the Pakistani intelligence in the preparations being made by the US. . . .[ . . . ]Mr.Hersh, Musharraf's clandestine co-operation with the USA against Iran started in February, 2002. In return, the USA did not act against him...

...Even during ongoing military campaigns, Mr. Rumsfeld never wavered from his transformational objectives.... Mr. Rumsfeld, with the brilliant leadership of General Schoomaker, was able to move personnel from noncombat to combat units, enabling them with additional reorganization to create 15 newly restructured combat brigades. Also, because of Mr. Rumsfeld's successful plan, our military is more flexible, more agile and better able to fight unconventional enemies. A new civilian personnel system was designed to reward merit, reduce force stress and replace a bureaucratic culture of risk aversion with one of innovation. Moreover, he was able to move military personnel out of...

The purpose of FreeRepublic.com's multiple message boards is to limit the topics for each board to particular topics. Posting the same message on all the boards defeats the purpose of multiple-boards for special topics. It is very annoying to see the same message on every bulletin board. PLEASE! DO THE READERS A FAVOR. STOP CROSS-POSTING YOUR MESSAGES!

...We strategized Tora Bora in essentially the same way [as] the Afghanistan war: by using a combination of our elite Special Forces and CIA Agents, embedded with native Afghan troops. We chose this approach in waging the Afghan war for many reasons: it minimized the number of U.S. troops put in harm's way; it drew on the strengths of the native Afghans who had been fighting in that terrain for years and who were adept at traversing the mountainous terrain on horseback; and it helped avoid the same mistake the Soviets made in Afghanistan. They had opted for a large...

RELEASE NUMBER: 040601-02 DATE POSTED: JUNE 1, 2004 Army, special ops troops star in NASCAR Memorial Day salute By Walt Sokalski U.S. Army Special Operations Command CONCORD, N.C. (USASOC News Service, June 1, 2004) - The crowd came to its feet as they banked around Turn 3, moving toward the finish line at Lowe's Motor Speedway here on May 30. Six hours later, the crowd would do the same for Jimmie Johnson in the No. 48 car at the end of the race. That first standing ovation, however, was for the MH-60 Black Hawk helicopters delivering a Special Forces A-team...

Lord, Keep our Troops forever in Your care Give them victory over the enemy... Grant them a safe and swift return... Bless those who mourn the lost. . FReepers from the Foxhole join in prayer for all those serving their country at this time. ...................................................................................... ........................................... U.S. Military History, Current Events and Veterans Issues Where Duty, Honor and Countryare acknowledged, affirmed and commemorated. Our Mission: The FReeper Foxhole is dedicated to Veterans of our Nation's military forces and to others who are affected in their relationships with Veterans. In the FReeper Foxhole, Veterans or their family members should feel...

The 22d MEU (Special Operations Capable) will deploy to Afghanistan to assist coalition forces in hunting down remnants of Taliban and al-Qaeda forces.

Story Number: NNS040310-04 Release Date: 3/10/2004 8:58:00 AM By Stacey Byington, Naval Station Pascagoula Public Affairs PASCAGOULA, Miss. (NNS) -- USS Ticonderoga (CG 47) will depart its homeport at Naval Station Pascagoula for its final deployment March 10. The ship is scheduled to be decommissioned Sept. 30. While deployed, the ship will initially conduct counter-drug operations in the eastern Pacific Ocean and Caribbean Sea, and then participate in UNITAS operations off the coast of South America. UNITAS is an annual series of multinational training exercises and operations conducted by the Navy, Marine Corps, Special Operations and U.S. Coast Guard forces...

<p>CAMP LEMONIER, Djibouti — Three high-definition television screens, a bank of green military radios and detailed maps line the walls. Laptop computers cover three rows of tables. And military officers, among them Lt. Cmdr. Victor Cooper, keep 24-hour vigil, tracking terrorists from afar.</p>

E-mail AuthorAuthor ArchiveSend to a Friend <% printurl = Request.ServerVariables("URL")%> Print Version December 23, 2003, 1:01 a.m.Remember the SoldierPart of the war effort. Has this been a tough year for America? Think about that for a minute. I'll bet your answer is framed in terms of the war, the stock market, and politics. We'll all remember 2003 for the war in Iraq, and the tough economic times. But those memories are of news reports, debates with friends, and other things that blended seamlessly with our peacetime lives. For most Americans, 2003 hasn't been a year of personal sacrifice, or...

Lord, Keep our Troops forever in Your care Give them victory over the enemy... Grant them a safe and swift return... Bless those who mourn the lost. . FReepers from the Foxhole join in prayer for all those serving their country at this time. ...................................................................................... ........................................... U.S. Military History, Current Events and Veterans Issues Where Duty, Honor and Countryare acknowledged, affirmed and commemorated. Our Mission: The FReeper Foxhole is dedicated to Veterans of our Nation's military forces and to others who are affected in their relationships with Veterans. In the FReeper Foxhole, Veterans or their family members should feel...

Transformation from the War Fighter’s Perspective Col Kurt “Two-Lips” Dittmer, USAF* Editor’s Note: PIREP is aviation shorthand for pilot report. It’s a means for one pilot to pass on current, potentially useful information to other pilots. In the same fashion, we intend to use this department to let readers know about air and space power items of interest. *Colonel Dittmer is chief of Combat Forces Capability Requirements, Headquarters USAF, Pentagon, Washington, D.C. For people who place themselves in harm’s way, it is easy to recognize a "transformational" capability. If you are going to fly a combat sortie into Country X,...

Dear Lord, There's a young man far from home, called to serve his nation in time of war; sent to defend our freedom on some distant foreign shore. We pray You keep him safe, we pray You keep him strong, we pray You send him safely home ... for he's been away so long. There's a young woman far from home, serving her nation with pride. Her step is strong, her step is sure, there is courage in every stride. We pray You keep her safe, we pray You keep her strong, we pray You send her safely home...

Hard-Shelled,SOF-Centered The Synergy of Might and Mind By Gordon T. Lee Gordon Lee is a research communicator at RAND. The message received by U.S. Navy Captain Robert Harward at Camp Rhino outside Kandahar in late February was cryptic but urgent: "Mullah K has left the building. He's on the move." With that message—sent by the operators of a Predator surveillance drone circling above the rugged hills of Afghanistan's Paktia province—Harward, the top-ranking Navy SEAL in Afghanistan and a former RAND Navy Fellow, gave the green light to a lightning-fast operation that resulted in the capture of a key Taliban...

President gives military 90-day deadline to crush the ASG PRESIDENT Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo on Friday imposed a 90-day deadline on the military to crush the Abu Sayyaf bandit group as she also ordered them to go after those responsible for an attack on a power transmission tower in Mindanao that resulted in an extensive power outage. The President cited the recent capture of an enclave operated by another Muslim rebel group after being given a week to do so as evidence the military "follow deadlines very well." "I suppose they'll be able (to do it.) If they have the proper allocation...

U.S. Military History, Current Events and Veterans Issues Where Duty, Honor and Countryare acknowledged, affirmed and commemorated. Our Mission: The FReeper Foxhole is dedicated to Veterans of our Nation's military forces and to others who are affected in their relationships with Veterans. We hope to provide an ongoing source of information about issues and problems that are specific to Veterans and resources that are available to Veterans and their families. In the FReeper Foxhole, Veterans or their family members should feel free to address their specific circumstances or whatever issues concern them in an atmosphere of peace, understanding, brotherhood...

Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld recently announced that he was going to give America’s Special Operations Forces more independence and authority to attack terrorists, and more money and manpower to do it. SOF, as these troops are known, fought with the Northern Alliance in Afghanistan, directing American firepower with such devastating effect that the Taliban regime collapsed in a matter of weeks. Based on this performance, one would guess that Rumsfeld did the right thing. But he did more than this. Rumsfeld has staked the success of his tenure as Secretary of Defense on his ability to transform the U.S....

Bush already has proofs from field of Iraq`s unconventional weapons Running circles around the UN arms inspection headed by Swedish diplomat Hans Blix, the Iraqi government dropped a massive pile of documents – its reply to the UN Security Council demand for a full accounting of Iraq’s weapons of mass destruction – in the laps of the international media Saturday, December 7, before allowing Blix a peek. The presentation was accompanied by yet another formal denial that Iraq has no weapons of mass destruction. The 11,880 pages on CD-Rom, landing with a thud in Baghdad, will not reach UN Headquarters...

As senior defence officials in Washington contemplate how to better align US forces to fight the global 'war on terrorism', they are increasingly looking to special operations forces (SOF) as an answer. With SOF expanded missions expected to range from greater involvement in major conflicts such as a possible US-led campaign against Iraq to tracking down individual terrorist cells in the far corners of the globe, additional force structures and new equipment are being planned. US DoD leaders are now forming a plan to give US Special Operations Command (USSOCOM) leaders the flexibility to support the Bush administration's new pre-emptive...

WASHINGTON, Sept. 2 — Commanders in the American military's most elite Special Operations unit are contending that their troops should be freed from the fruitless hunt in Afghanistan for Osama bin Laden, military and intelligence officials say. Some senior officers in the Joint Special Operations Command have concluded that Mr. bin Laden, the leader of Al Qaeda, was probably killed in the American bombing raid at Tora Bora last December, officials said. They concluded that he died in a bombing raid on one of several caves that had been a target because American intelligence officials believed they housed Qaeda leaders....

WASHINGTON, Aug. 11 — Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld is considering ways to expand broadly the role of American Special Operations Forces in the global campaign against terrorism, including sending them worldwide to capture or kill Al Qaeda leaders far from the battlefields of Afghanistan, according to Pentagon and intelligence officials. Proposals now being discussed by Mr. Rumsfeld and senior military officers could ultimately lead Special Operations units to get more deeply involved in long-term covert operations in countries where the United States is not at open war and, in some cases, where the local government is not informed of...

by James DunniganJune 23, 2002 Recruiting commando quality troops is a difficult process. But over the last sixty years, a particularly effective method has been developed. It all has to do with training that takes men to the edge, and a little beyond. One of the unheralded military developments during World War II was training methods that can detect, and enhance those soldiers who can reliably operate in extreme situations. These initial commando training courses can last from a few weeks to a few months and are meant to evaluate a candidates psychological, as well as physical, stamina. The training...

<p>A murder investigation is under way after an Army officer from Fort Bragg was found shot to death in his Fayetteville home.</p> <p>Special Operations Major David Shannon, 40, was found dead in his home around 3 a.m. Tuesday. Police said he was found in a back bedroom and had been shot in the chest and head.</p>

The "Night Stalkers," the Army's only special operations aviation force, faced threats from man and nature in Afghanistan, one pilot says. The 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment based at Fort Campbell, Ky., flies the advanced MH-47 E helicopter as part of U.S. Special Operations Command and works exclusively with Special Operations ground forces, including Army Green Berets, Rangers, Navy Seals and others. One of the specially-equipped Boeing MH-47E helicopters was lost in Afghanistan during Operation Anaconda in March, said Capt. Kevin Cochie, headquarters company commander for the regiment during a visit to Congress with other Special Operations soldiers during Soldier...

In Afghanistan, the work of USAF Special Operations Forces was not seen but most assuredly felt. Masters of Invisibility By Richard J. Newman, Air Force Magazine It wasn't standard procedure, but the circumstances called for urgent action. North of Kandahar in Afghanistan, several US soldiers had been gravely wounded. Enemy forces were reported to the south. It was broad daylight, and local Afghans--loyalties unknown--were watching from surrounding hillsides. Soon, two MH-53 Pave Low helicopters--Chalk 1 and Chalk 2--from USAF's 20th Special Operations Squadron were speeding toward the site. As they did so, a medic on Chalk 1 pointed out that...

CAMP PENDLETON -- When Americans think of the U.S. military's elite, Army Rangers and Navy SEALs come to mind--not the Marine Corps' Force Reconnaissance. That could change with a decision by the Marine Corps to drop what some saw as organizational aloofness and join the other military services in coordinating special warfare operations. In another sign that the war on terrorism is reshaping the U.S. military, officials from the Marine Corps and the U.S. Special Operations Command recently met to discuss how Force Recon and other Marines trained in special operations can help as the war enters its next phase....

This is the summary of an operations update circulating around DOD, source is N/A but it's a good read... Let the message go forth to the Al Qaeda, other terrorists, and those who want to back them anywhere on the globe. Think you're tough? You want to kill our families, blow up civilians? Stand by! We are sending our very best to hunt you down and take you out. Army Special Forces, SEALs, USAF PJ's and CCTs, UK SAS and SBS, Australian SAS, New Zealand SAS, German KSK, US and Royal Marines, Canadian and American Infantry- These are the guys...