Special Warfare articles from January 1 2009

Special Warfare archives from January 1 2009

From the commandant.
January 1, 2009... On Dec. 12, in the auditorium of the JFK Special Warfare Center and School, the 3rd Special Forces Group held the largest Silver Star Medal ceremony since the Vietnam War. Eighteen SF Soldiers received the Silver Star Medal for their actions in...

Strike the term 'surrogate from UW doctrine.(LETTERS TO THE EDITOR)(Letter to the editor)
January 1, 2009... The unfortunate proliferation of the term "surrogate" in our unconventional warfare, or UW, doctrine is a good illustration of what can come of the thoughtless and unrestrained use of a popular buzzword. In current UW doctrine and...

Special Forces pioneer passes away.(LETTERS TO THE EDITOR)(Obituary)
January 1, 2009... A U.S. Army Special Forces pioneer who fought in World War II, Korea and Vietnam, retired Colonel William M "Buzz" Miley Jr., passed away at age 86, Nov. 22, in Memphis, Tenn. A memorial service was held in his honor Dec. 17 at Odd Fellows...

3rd SF Group recognizes more than 100 in valor ceremony.(UPDATE)
January 1, 2009... On Dec. 10, more than 100 members of the 3rd Special Forces Group received valor awards for their actions in Afghanistan. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The 3rd SF Group commander, Colonel Gus Benton II, presented the awards to his men at the...

USSOCOM announces 2008 Medic of the Year.(UPDATE)(United States Special Operations Command)(Brief article)
January 1, 2009... Sergeant First Class Eric Strand, 3rd Battalion, 5th Special Forces Group, was named the United States Special Operations Command Medic of the Year during the Special Operations Medical Association's annual Mess Night Dec. 16 in Tampa Bay, Fla....

3rd SF Group Silver Star ceremony largest since Vietnam era.(UPDATE)(Special Forces)
January 1, 2009... In one of the largest award ceremonies since the Vietnam era, the 3rd Special Forces Group awarded 19 Silver Star Medals, two Bronze Star Medals for Valor, two Army Commendation Medals for Valor and four Purple Hearts at the JFK Special Warfare...

Character and the Special Forces soldier.
January 1, 2009... On a recent Friday I had the opportunity to address some of the finest Soldiers in the United States Army. These young men were graduating from the Special Forces Qualification Course--not an easy feat. Having spent 27 years in the...

Opportunities for ARSOF education at Fort Leavenworth.
January 1, 2009... For officers in Army special-operations forces, education opportunities in Intermediate Level Education, or ILE, at Fort Leavenworth, Kan., have never been greater. Those opportunities include the SOF Studies Program, a SOF-specific ILE...

Cliffhanger: fierce battle in the Shok Valley tests SF team's mettle.(special forces)
January 1, 2009... There are no roads leading into the Shok Valley. A village that stands sentinel over the valley is home to one of the fercest of the insurgent forces in Afghanistan--the Hezeb Islami al Gulbadin, or HIG. On April 6, 2008, a daring raid into...

Tribal engagement in Afghanistan.(Cover story)
January 1, 2009... There is an ongoing discussion about the merits of engagement activities--activities between coalition military forces and foreign civilian personnel--as a means of obtaining information, influencing behavior and building an indigenous base of...

Training and educating the Army's newest CMF.
January 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The creation of the Civil Affairs career management field, CMF 38, in October 2006 provided better utilization, career management and promotion opportunity for enlisted Soldiers in Civil Affairs. It also created a...

Relief in place: managing transition of authority.
January 1, 2009... The necessity for conservation of the fighting power of the troops requires profusion for the periodic relief of units in line. (1) Anyone who has served in a Special Forces group during the last six years has certainly participated in a...

Army shifts approach to training, promoting SGMs.(Enlisted)
January 1, 2009... The fiscal year 2009 Command Sergeant Major/Sergeant Major/Sergeants Major Course Selection Board will be conducted June 3-24. Eligible NCOs should remember that the Army has changed the way that it selects and trains future sergeants major....

TS clearance required for SF WOAC.(Warrant Officer)(top-secret, Special Forces Warrant Officer Advance Course)(Brief article)
January 1, 2009... Attendance at the SF Warrant Officer Advance Course requires all students to possess a final top-secret clearance and be eligible for sensitive compartmented information. The status of students' security clearances will be verified before...

Screening improves promotion files.(Officer)(Brief article)
January 1, 2009... ARSOF officers continue to remain competitive for promotion and command because of quality officer evaluation reports and because officers know when to update their Officer Record Briefs. Listed below are a few tips for screening records prior...

FY 2009 officer board schedule.(Officer)(Statistical table)(Brief article)
January 1, 2009... The table to the right is the schedule of Army boards for command, promotions and schools for the remainder of fiscal year 2009. In light of the high operational tempo, all officers should work proactively with the Army Human Resources...

PSYOP manual will describe company-level TTPs.(DOCTRINE AND TRAINING UPDATES)(Psychological Operations, Tactics, Techniques and Procedures)(Brief article)
January 1, 2009... The JFK Special Warfare Center and School's Directorate of Training and Doctrine is developing a manual that will describe revised tactics, techniques and procedures for tactical Psychological Operations forces at the company level. FM...

SWCS reviews SF WO tasks.(DOCTRINE AND TRAINING UPDATES)(Special Warfare Center and Schools, special forces warrant officers )(Brief article)
January 1, 2009... In January 2009, the SWCS Directorate of Training and Doctrine hosted a task review board related to the professional military education of Special Forces warrant officers. The board was designed to select critical skills, knowledge and...

SF WOAC to include nonresident phase.(DOCTRINE AND TRAINING UPDATES)(Warrant Officer Advanced Course)(Brief article)
January 1, 2009... The Training Development Division of the SWCS Directorate of Training and Doctrine and the Advanced Computer Learning Company are collaborating to create six lessons using interactive multimedia instruction, or IMI, for the SF Warrant Officer...

Joint FID doctrine in development.(DOCTRINE AND TRAINING UPDATES)(Foreign Internal Defense)
January 1, 2009... In June 2008, a new manual joined the doctrine library of Army special-operations forces, or ARSOF. FM 3-05.137, ARSOF Foreign Internal Defense, assumed the role of providing umbrella doctrine to all ARSOF units performing FID operations. While...

SWCS to conduct PSYOP job-analysis survey.(DOCTRINE AND TRAINING UPDATES)
January 1, 2009... The Psychological Operations Division of the SWCS Directorate of Training and Doctrine will soon begin conducting a job-analysis survey of all active and reserve-component PSYOP Soldiers. The purpose of the survey will be to collect information...

New SOTACC more challenging course.(DOCTRINE AND TRAINING UPDATES)(Special Operations Terminal Attack Controller Course)(Brief article)
January 1, 2009... In October, the Special Operations Terminal Attack Controller Course, or SOTACC, evolved into a more challenging program designed to improve the coordination of close air support, or CAS, in the ground-combat maneuver plan. Special-operations...

Doctrinal products update.(DOCTRINE AND TRAINING UPDATES)(Table)(Brief article)
January 1, 2009... Doctrinal Products Update Joint and Army Doctrine Division FM 3-05.130 ARSOF Unconventional Warfare September 2008 FM 3-05.140 ARSOF Logistics February 2009 Civil Affairs Doctrine...

The Last Fighting General: The Biography of Robert Tryon Frederick.(Book review)
January 1, 2009... A biography of Robert T. Frederick is long overdue. Frederick organized and commanded the First Special Service Force in World War II, among other accomplishments. Frederick, a hard-driving, inspirational leader, commanded from the front. His...