Ideas

No Turning Back? First Woman Makes Army’s Elite 75th Ranger Regiment, Big Step For Women in Combat

One woman just made it that much harder for anyone to argue women don't belong in America's most elite combat positions.

Threats

US Special Operators Accelerate Killings of ISIS Leaders

Defense Secretary Ash Carter says this will weaken Mosul’s defenders and stop attacks in the United States.

Ideas

The Hidden Costs of America's Addiction to Mercenaries

Washington’s reliance on unheralded private military contractors to fight its wars has mutated into a strategic vulnerability.

Threats

America’s New Special Operations Commander Wants to Predict the Future

With so many elite troops fighting ‘an extremist phenomenon that’s gone rabid’ in failed states, Gen. Tony Thomas wants to get his operators ahead of the curve.

Ideas

A Cyber JSOC Could Help the US Strike Harder and Faster

A network-attack analogue to the manhunting Joint Special Operations Command would allow cyber warriors to decide, deconflict, and execute more effectively.

Ideas

How NATO Can Disrupt Russia's New Way of War

Here are a few things the West can do against Moscow’s potent combo of special forces and electronic warfare.

Ideas

Look Out, Special Operators in Syria, the Internet Has Spotted You and That's a Problem

It's not only the improvement of an airstrip in Northeast Syria that warrants attention, but how it was discovered.

Threats

Here’s How US Special Operations Command Views Libya

The next battleground in the war on ISIS is forming in the sands of Tripoli.

Science & Tech

If We Were Really Going to Invade Iran, We Would Have Used This

The future of covert sea operations looks nothing like what just happened in Iran.

Ideas

America’s Not Ready for Today’s Gray Wars

To defeat terrorists, we need to overhaul our military and other levers of government to tackle complex and shifting threats.

Business

Special Ops Survey Showed 85% Opposed Serving With Women

If integration of women is going to work, special operations leaders will have to convince the rank-and-file.

Threats

Dozens Killed in Hotel Siege; Many More Rescued By Mali, French, US Special Forces

170 people were taken hostage in an attack jointly claimed by al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb and the African jihadist group, al Mourabitoun.

Business

Eyes On Target ‘Not Required’ For Airstrikes Like the One On Kunduz Hospital

Military gunships are loaded with expensive sensors to hit targets. But that’s not the same as knowing what to hit.

Threats

What the Syrian Train-and-Equip Effort Could Learn from US Ops in Africa

The commander of U.S. special operators in Africa also says African warlord Joseph Kony is on the run — but he needs more authority from Congress to broaden the U.S. military’s mission in Africa.

Threats

Bye-Bye ‘No Boots on the Ground’: US to Send Special Ops Troops to Syria

After months of looking at new options, the White House will send in ground forces.

Ideas

5 Reasons Obama’s Afghan Withdrawal Delay is Necessary But Not Sufficient

A former Green Beret and White House policy advisor ticks off the missing elements of success.

Business

As New Book Arrives, Pentagon Warns Special Operators Against Leaks

Defense secretary, SOCOM remind troops to keep secrets as new details of bin Laden raid and other missions emerge.

Threats

Inside the Pentagon’s Manhunting Machine

A brief history of Joint Special Operations Command, from Panama to the war on terror

Ideas

How JSOC Harnessed Networks To Take on Terrorists

A former SEAL and McChrystal aide outlines the cultural shifts that helped fight AQI — and are needed against ISIS.

Business

Meet the Women Who Survived Army's Ranger School (Navy SEALs Are Next)

Shortly after two women earned their Army Ranger tabs, the Navy's top admiral said SEALs will give women their shot.