Leader Of U.S. Special Operations Command: Special Forces Should Copy Federal Express

Photo: Admiral William H. "Bill" McRaven, USN, 9th Commander, U.S. Special Operations Command. Wikipedia

McRaven: Special Operations Can Learn From FedEx -- National Defense

TAMPA, Fla. — The leader of U.S. Special Operations Command is looking at the business model of a package delivery company in planning for the future.

Adm. William McRaven, chief of U.S. Special Operations Command, said May 14 that FedEx serves as a model on which he is basing his vision for the future of globally deployed forces. The company has a network and a logistics base that the military should emulate, he said.

“FedEx runs a global operation. ... If we’re going to run a globally networked force, I wanted to find out how they do business. There is a standard of excellence that FedEx has set,” McRaven said in a speech at the 2013 Special Operations Forces Industry Conference.

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My Comment: Wow .... what he says make sense. Read it all.

Special Operations Command Chief Issues Warning That After 10 Years Of War US Special Forces Are Showing Signs Of 'Fraying'

Photo: Special Operations Command chief Adm. William McRaven

McRaven: US Special Forces 'Fraying' After Decade Of War -- The Hill

On the two-year anniversary of the daring U.S. special operations raid that killed Osama bin Laden, America's cadre of elite troops are starting to buckle after more than a decade of constant combat.

Even before the May 2011 Navy SEAL raid on bin Laden's compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan, U.S. special operations forces had already shown signs of fraying, according to Special Operations Command chief Adm. William McRaven.

"That fraying has [only] accelerated" during McRaven's tenure as command chief, he said Thursday during a speech at the Wilson Center in Washington.

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My Comment: Adm. McRaven is primarily worried about this.

Several Navy SEALs Taken Off Duty To Deal With Aftermath Of Bin Laden Book

Elite SEALs Taken Off Duty To Deal With Aftermath Of Bin Laden Book As Whole Command Is ‘Put On The Bench’ -- Daily Mail

Several Navy SEALs have been pulled off active duty and are ‘on the bench’ to deal with the fallout from the controversial book about the killing of Osama bin Laden.

An expert and former SEAL has claimed that ‘No Easy Day’ has caused such a storm among military leaders they have moved men away from combat posts.

Brandon Webb also said that the entire command of SEAL Team Six, which carried out the raid, has also likely been told to temporarily stand down.

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Update: Special Ops Veterans Respond to Navy SEAL Book ‘No Easy Day’ -- Daily Beast

My Comment: The fallout from this book in the special ops community will probably reverberate for a very long time. I also suspect that the careers for those who were involved in the Bin Laden raid .... at least in the special ops community .... are now over.

Special Operations Commander Wants To Expand Global Operations

Photo: Adm. William H. McRaven

U.S. Special Forces Commander Seeks To Expand Operations -- L.A. Times

In a sign of shifting Pentagon tactics and priorities, draft plans indicate a push to expand clandestine units to fight terrorism and other 'emerging threats' around the globe.

WASHINGTON — A top U.S. commander is seeking authority to expand clandestine operations against militants and insurgencies around the globe, a sign of shifting Pentagon tactics and priorities after a grueling decade of large-scale wars.

Adm. William H. McRaven, a Navy SEAL and commander of the raid that killed Osama bin Laden, has developed plans that would provide far-reaching new powers to make special operations units "the force of choice" against "emerging threats" over the next decade, internal Defense Department documents show.

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My Comment: Adm. William H. McRaven's department (Special Operations Command) has been exempted from defense budget cuts .... so it is only natural to assume that this request to expand operations is probably following a certain script. My prediction .... he will get some additional leeway but with tight White House/Pentagon strings attached to it.

Inside A Special Forces Team In Afghanistan

SANGIN, Afghanistan - COL Abudul Majeed, 1st Kandak, 209th Afghan National Army Corps commander,(left) combat advised by a US Army Special Forces company commander, assigned to the Combined Joint Special Forces Task Force- Afghanistan, assesses a location for a new governors headquarters in Sangin District of Helmand Province on 9 April 2007. Coalition and ANA forces have killed over 60 Taliban fighters while reclaiming the Sangin District area over the past several days in southern Afghanistan. (U.S. Army photo by Spc. Keith Henning)

Secret Bases, ATVs, Awesome Beards: Inside A Special Forces Team In Afghanistan -- Danger Room

The secret base-within-the-base was the first sign that I was about to see something special.

It was early February at a snow-encrusted NATO compound on the outskirts of Kabul. I’d come at the invitation of a U.S. Army sergeant assigned to Special Forces Task Force 10. After reading one of my recent dispatches from the front lines of the more than decade-old Afghanistan War, the sergeant had extended me a rare invitation to visit and report on one of Task Force 10′s “A Teams” working to train up Afghan security forces out in the provinces.

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My Comment: Nothing new here, but it is a nice summary of what happens in a special forces unit.

U.S. Special Operations Chiefs Worry About Impending Budget Cuts

Special Operations Leaders Outline Budget Concerns -- US Department of Defense

WASHINGTON, Sept. 22, 2011 – Success in special operations missions rests, in part, on critical enabling capabilities the Army, Navy and Air Force provide, the nation’s civilian and military special operations chiefs told Congress today.

Michael D. Lumpkin, acting assistant secretary of defense for special operations and low-intensity conflict, and Navy Adm. William H. McRaven, commander of U.S. Special Operations Command, discussed future special operations needs in testimony before the House Armed Services Committee.

“As we enter an era of constrained defense budgets, we must not repeat the mistakes that led to degraded [special operations forces] capabilities throughout the 1970s,” Lumpkin said.

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Update #1: Adm.: "Pent-up" demand for special forces -- CBS/AP
Update #2: Concern over budget cut effect on elite US forces -- AP

My Comment: With special forces playing ever more increasing roles in conflicts and counter-terrorism operations .... I will be shocked if cutbacks become the order of the day for this branch of the military. But in today's political environment .... I guess no one (in Special Forces) is taking any chances.

The Growing Role Of Special Ops

In Afghanistan War, Navy SEALs And Special Ops Playing More Central Role -- Christian Science Monitor

Navy SEALs and special operations forces are not being withdrawn from Afghanistan war at the same rate as other forces, meaning their duties in the region will only grow. With the Aug. 6 helicopter shoot-down, the SEALs lost 1 percent of their operational population.



Special operations troops such as the Navy SEALs killed in the tragic Aug. 6 helicopter crash in Afghanistan are increasingly at the heart of the US military’s Afghan effort.



As the raid that got Osama bin Laden showed, special ops units have carried out some of the most spectacular and successful operations in the region. Seventy-eight percent of the suspected Taliban members detained in the region were caught in special ops raids, according to congressional testimony from US officials.



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My Comment: Special Forces are already stressed-out .... will increasing their responsibilities change the situation on the ground in Afghanistan. Hmmmm ... I doubt it.

Mystery Rifles For U.S. Spec Ops Units

Knight’s Armament Mystery Rifles for Spec Ops Units -- Kit Up/Military.com

In 2008, while attending the Gryphon Group mobile force protection course I was fortunate to be invited to attend a tour of the Reed Knight factory in Florida with a small group of soldiers from other Special Forces Groups. At the time, taking pictures was pretty much forbidden, but it seems that since then Reed Knight has hosted a number of open house events for the public.

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My Comment: Impressive.

Longest Serving Navy SEAL Talks About Al Qaeda

Al-Qaeda 'Nearing Its End' Says US Special Operations Commander -- The Telegraph

Osama bin Laden's al-Qaida is bloodied and "nearing its end," the commander of US special operations forces said, but warned the next generation of militants could keep special operations fighting for a decade to come.

Navy SEAL Adm Eric T. Olson described the killing of bin Laden by a special operations raid on May 2 as a near-mortal blow for what he called "al-Qaida 1.0".

Adm Olson said the group had already lost steam because of the revolts of the Arab Spring, which proved the Muslim world did not need al-Qaida to bring down governments, from Tunisia to Egypt.

"I think the death of bin Laden was an uppercut to the jaw," Adm Olson told a packed crowd, opening the Aspen Security Forum. "It just knocked them on their heels."

Olson echoed other administration officials who are predicting al-Qaeda's demise if a few more key leaders can be eliminated.

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Previous Post: Is al-Qaeda On The Brink Of Collapse?

More News On US Navy SEAL Admiral Eric T Olsen And Al Qaeda

Special ops chief warns of al Qaeda 2.0...days after reports that bin Laden-led al Qaeda is on brink of collapse -- Daily Mail
U.S. special ops chief warns of al Qaeda 2.0 -- CBS/AP
Special ops chief says bin Laden raid was routine -- Aspen Daily News
U.S. Special Ops Chief Warns of 'Al Qaeda 2.0' -- CBN
More terror groups waiting in the wings -- CBS News
Al-Qaeda at death’s door, but home-grown terror has taken its place -- Peter Goodspeed, National post
Is al Qaeda collapsing? -- The Week
Al-Qaeda on the Brink? -- Daveed Gartenstein-Ross, NRO

U.S. Special Operations Forces Under Stress

Vice Adm. William McRaven. Navy

Commander: Special Operations Forces Under Stress -- Washington Times/AP

WASHINGTON (AP) — The military commander who directed the raid that killed Osama bin Laden is warning that the escalating demands on U.S. special operations forces are hampering their training and could slowly eat away at their combat readiness.

Vice Adm. William McRaven said demand for the elite forces around the world continues to grow, so there often isn’t enough time to train between deployments. And he said the helicopters and other equipment they need are not available to units in the United States who are preparing to deploy.

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My Comment: On the one hand, the U.S. is facing huge deficits and generational bankruptcy .... on the other hand, we have demands being made on our special forces to do a job that entails enormous resources and manpower .... all of which will probably be short changed as we come to grips on managing our fiscal mess.

U.S. Special Operations Forces may be under stress right now, but this will pale with what they may face and go through in the next few years.

The Ranks And Budgets For Special Forces Is Increasing

U.S. Boosts Ranks of Elite Forces -- Wall Street Journal

White House Has Secretly Expanded Strike Teams; Stepped-Up Raids Kill and Capture Thousands.

WASHINGTON—The Obama administration has been secretly building up its ranks of hunter-killer commandos, such as the Navy SEAL team that killed Osama bin Laden.

Since 2009, the U.S. has boosted the number of strike teams in Afghanistan from four to 20, each with 10 to 100 men. These and other special-operations forces have carried out thousands of raids in the past year, officials said, killing about 3,200 insurgents and capturing approximately 8,000 more.

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My Comment: With the war on terror being a conflict that is occurring across undefined borders and in failed states .... special forces is now the wave of the future to counter these threats.

U.S. Special Forces Preparing To Leave Iraq

Iraq Special Operations Forces (ISOF)

In Iraq, U.S. Special Forces Gearing Up To Leave -- Washington Post

MOSUL, Iraq — Several nights a week, Iraqi and U.S. special forces operatives head out in Humvees or Black Hawk helicopters to arrest extremists in the most volatile region of Iraq.

After years of training with their U.S. counterparts, the black-clad Iraqi forces are taking the lead, busting in doors and arresting suspects while their American advisers monitor the mission.

The United States has its own counterterrorism force on the ground here, and its work has remained a priority even as the number of American combat troops declines, in preparation for their full withdrawal by the end of the year.

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Update: Iraqi forces ready, U.S. trainers say -- UPI

My Comment: Let us hope that this is finally 'mission accomplished'.

After Many Years Of War, U.S. Special Forces Are Feeling The Pressure

Hamid Karzai and US Special Forces. Wikimedia

Special Forces Feeling Pressure, U.S. Says -- UPI

WASHINGTON, Feb. 9 (UPI) -- U.S. Special Operations Forces can't keep up with the demands in Afghanistan despite troop and financial reinforcements, a U.S. Navy admiral said.

U.S. warfare has undergone a sea change at least since a new counterinsurgency strategy was introduced during the Iraq war starting in 2003.

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More News On U.S. Special Forces Feeling The Pressure

US commander: Special operations forces stressed -- AP
Special operations forces stressed -- Stars And Stripes/AP
US commander: Special operations forces stressed -- Houston Chronicle/AP
Special Operations Faces Soaring Demands, Commander Says -- U.S. Department of Defense
Special Ops Forces Could Use A Breather: Commander -- The Danger Room

My Comment: After almost 10 years of war .... I am sure that some fatigue must be setting in.

The U.S. Special Ops Center Is Now Open

Special Ops Center To Streamline Secret U.S. War -- CBS News

Obama Administration Opens Military Targeting Center for Increasing Covert Special Ops against Militants in Global Hot Spots.

(AP) WASHINGTON - The Obama administration has ramped up its secret war on terror groups with a new military targeting center to oversee the growing use of special operations strikes against suspected militants in hot spots around the world, according to current and former U.S. officials.

Run by the U.S. Joint Special Operations Command, the new center would be a significant step in streamlining targeting operations previously scattered among U.S. and battlefields abroad and giving elite military officials closer access to Washington decision-makers and counterterror experts, the officials said.

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My Comment: This was put together rather quickly .... but it is a clear sign on where this administration is taking America's "war against terror" .... i.e. CIA, black ops, shadow teams, special ops, etc.

U.S. Army Special Forces Needs 2,300 Addtional Operators

Special Operations: Chasing The Chosen -- Strategy Page

The U.S. Army's effort to recruit another 2,300 operators (as members of the Special Forces are called) has been a hard slog. Qualified candidates are out there, but it's hard to convince them to endure the additional effort, stress and danger to become a Special Forces operator. Even with higher pay ($10,000 or more additional a year) and high reenlistment bonuses (about $10,000 more a year), it's hard to find the men who can meet the high standards, and are willing to put up with the large amount of time spent overseas.

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My Comment: A good review and summary on the direction that the U.S. Army is now going (at least in regard to special operations).

U.S. Special Forces Have A New Rifle

Photo: The SCAR assault rifle demonstrated at the Eurosatory in Paris, June 16, 2008 (FN Herstal) (CBS)

U.S. Special Ops Take Shine to Tech-Tuned Rifle -- CBS News/AP

Unconventional Belgian Rifle Becomes Favorite Of US Special Operations In Afghanistan.

The Special Operations Forces Combat Assault Rifle - also known as SCAR - is intended redress the shortcomings of the M-4, an updated version of the M-16 which has been in service since the mid-1960s.

The U.S. military's workhorse rifle did well in Iraq, where much of the fighting was in urban settings. But its light rounds have underperformed in Afghanistan, where the Taliban tend to rely on deadly long-range fire.

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My Comment: Many years in the planning and development .... it is good to see this out in the field and receiving approval from the men on the ground.