Us Air Force Special Operations

Us Air Force Special Operations

The opportunity to serve with foreign units can be one of the most enjoyable aspects of  U.S. military life.

Who are the most skilled and professional foreign soldiers you have served with?

Let's start with the worst:

the Norwegians were laid back and seemed, at least on the surface, to be pretty lax. But two things got my attention about them pretty quickly. One was that they were well-trained in unarmed combat. The other was that out in their element, which was cold weather and adverse conditions, they were just plain badass.

In Germany :

When I served in the German army we trained for a week with Italy’s famous “Folgore” parachute unit. Although they were considered elite in Italy, they really sucked.

When we went with them to the shooting range my job was to count the targets they were hitting, which weren't many. With one guy it took me a while to figure out that he was missing his target by at least 3 meters- at a 150 meters shooting distance.

I also trained with French units. Most of them were really decent fellows, but their officers they were unable to motivate their soldiers and always seemed to be screaming at them. As a result the French troops we trained with didn't perform as well as they could have.

In Bosnia :

I fought for the Croats. They were all decent soldiers and what is very important, they were eager to learn. The Croatian army during the war lacked material and sometimes professionalism, but they more than compensated these flaws with outstanding bravery and high motivation. Especially their leadership was exemplary.

I served also in the field at different times with a detachment from the Canadian Engineers, and a British Army infantry unit.

I spent some time riding around with the Canadian Engineers. They are all career soldiers and get worked very hard. All these guys had multiple deployments under their belts.Canada’s forces are small and its government stingy with equipment and support. These soldiers do the job no matter what the limitations. Out in the field, they have even less need for officers than the Brits. In terms of bang-for-the-buck excellence, Canadians rate high globally, probably higher than us Yanks. We are rich and quite wasteful compared to most of the world’s armies.

The Royal Scots were career professional soldiers mostly recruited at a very young age, 15–17. British troops tend to have strong unit traditions, which give them great cohesion, and they take a very professional approach to the job.

however, one thing I noticed with the Royal Scots was a particularly wide gulf between officers and enlisted. An officer’s job is to plan and lead. When doing the job is routine, or an enlisted subordinate can be trusted to handle anything that comes up, officers are expected to stay out of the way. I never saw any of their officers outside the wire of our base. They did get out, but like our officers, mostly they did their own thing separately from the NCO-led patrol elements. This works well for the Brits. Some U.S. Army units work this way, but in others, the officers micromanage everything.

The Gurkhas:

Before I served with the Gurkhas their reputation for toughness had preceded them. These guys they often have a counter-intuitive way of going about things that seems kind of idiotic. Even if they are doing something boring like playing enemy on exercise those guys are loving every minute of it and doing a good job. Their awareness of their surroundings and response to it almost seems to have a 6th sense feel to it. Even on dull tasks you can expect them to be 100% on task.

I was one connection removed from a Gurkha who’s officer made the monumental error of trying to sneak up on one of his Gurkha sentries to see if he was paying attention. This was a literally fatal mistake.

Air Force Special Operations:

A German soldier said: I trained twice with US Army units and both times it was a pleasure. First time with a battalion of the 82nd Airborne in Italy and later I had the privilege to attend the German commando course with a US Army Special Forces unit. While the Airborne soldiers, although very good soldiers, were not really a match to our German “Fallschirmjäger” platoon, the US Army Special Forces (SF) were amazing.

They somehow weren’t that good at achieving many tasks during our training inside the barracks and were also not the fastest team on the obstacle course, but as soon as they were in the forest they showed admirable infantry skills, very good adaptation to the terrain, speed and stealth.

Dutch Korps Commandotroepen (KCT) :

These SF would make the first place on my ranking if it wasn't for a couple of Dutch LRRP’s (Long Range Reconnaissance Patrol) soldiers who also attended the same German commando course. They were good at everything and in the end had the highest score from all attendees. They were also very modest, quiet and polite, almost shy, and these are qualities one doesn't find very often with elite soldiers. Therefore I rank them first.

Equipment Us Air Force Special Operations Command :

The MRZR :

These ultralight vehicles were designed for expeditionary forces and provide foot soldiers ability to move much faster. The MRZRs are totally different vehicles comparing with HMMWVs. These all-terrain vehicles are deployed in the forward areas. The MRZRs lack armor, but rely of their speed and high off-road mobility in order to avoid contact with enemy. They can operate on off-road routes, that are not accessible to enemy vehicles. The MRZRs can be seen as fast off-road mules.

Oshkosh S-ATV :

The Oshkosh Special Purpose All-Terrain Vehicle or S-ATV was developed to meet a US Special Operations Command's requirement for a ground mobility vehicle. It is also aimed at possible export customers. The S-ATV was revealed in 2012. This lightweight vehicle was developed for reconnaissance and other specialized missions, such as counter-insurgency operations and long-range surveillance. This special forces vehicle can be fitted with add-on armor kit, which provides some degree of protection against small arms fire, artillery shell splinters, landmines and improvised explosive devices. Production vehicles were planned to be available with various levels of integrated protection. This military vehicle has integrated mounts for various weapons, such as 12.7 mm heavy machine gun or 40 mm automatic grenade launcher.

M107 :

Nearly identical to the preceding Barrett M82A1, the M107 is the standard anti-material rifle of the US Armed Forces. It is also referred to as the Long-Range Sniper Rifle (LRSR), although it is not as accurate as most rifles developed expressly for precision fire against personnel. The full US Army designation for this weapon is "Long Range Sniper Rifle, Caliber .50, M107", and it is also sometimes referred-to as the M107 Special Application Sniper Rifle (or SASR).

Tactical Body Armor

Maximizing protection while minimizing interference, this tactical body armor incorporates integrated magazine and accessory pouches enabling Special Operators to carry out the mission safely and effectively.

Ballistic Helmet

The ballistic helmet features a dual communication system, night-vision goggles and infrared strobe lighting to mark friendly positions.

Tactical Assault Kit

To track friendly forces during a battle as well as for target nomination, Special Operators rely on the Tactical Assault Kit, which is a digital mapping system that includes global positioning.

Parachute System

This parachute system provides superior glide performance and includes a wrist altimeter to time the release of the chute. The system also comes equipped with an oxygen mask and oxygen bottle for HALO (High Attitude Low Opening) jumps.

Low-Profile Belt

This utility belt is used for extra storage of necessary mission-essential equipment, including a magazine dump pouch, knife, muititool, personal medical kit, pistol holster and extra ammunition.

M4 Carbine Rifle

The assault rifle of choice for Special Operators, the W4 carbine comes equipped with holographic hybrid 3x magnifier, infrared laser-aiming system, an infrared flashlight and a modified collapsible stock.

Glock 19 Sidearm

Because of its compact size and versatility, the 9mm is the ideal sidearm for Special Operators as a backup defense system.

Toughbook Computer

To .jay connected while conducting missions in remote parts of the world, Special Operators pack a variety of gear, including a Toughbook computer for high-performance communication. 

GPS

When operating in remote regions of the globe, operators rely on military-grade, ruggedized GPS.

High-Intensity Ir Laser

To let aircraft know of their location and to designate enemy positions during nighttime missions, Special Operators will use an advanced high-intensity infrared laser.

Pocket Laser Range Finder

The pocket laser range finder with a built-in compass comes in handy for targeting during the daytime and measuring the dimensions of landing zones.

Dive Gear

Air Force Special Operators are highly trained divers that employ everything from wireless transceivers, to transmit and receive underwater communications, to an Integrated Diving Vest and a compass with a bottom timer and depth gauge.

Technical Rescue Kit

To free people trapped in a variety of armored vehicles or downed aircraft, Special Operators carry a number of tools such as a concrete saw, a Sawzatt and a combi toot, which combines lift and cutting ability.

Multiband Radio

Equipped with GPS, this multiband programmable radio is used for inter-team communication and communication with aircraft as well as satellite communication.

Tactical Medical Kit

When responding to emergencies, Special Operators must act as a one-person ER. Operators are equipped with a range of supplies, including IV catheters and fluid warmer to combat hypothermia, a bag valve mask to force ventilation and seals bandages to cover wounds.