SEALS to offer swiming lessons

The Hampton Roads Pilot has an article about a new US Navy SEAL program to teach prospective trainees how to swim.

CF anti-NBC special ops unit

The Legion magazine has a somewhat sensational article about the Canadian Joint Incident Response Unit. This is the special forces unit that responds to nuclear, biological and chemical incidents on behalf of the Canadian Forces.

As I say the article is a bit sensationalistic but it does contain some interesting bits of information.

For example, one of the unit's member says that she is the first woman in Canada's special forces and that she has only been a member for two years.

Master Corporal M. is one of the decontamination specialists. Her boss introduces her as the first female operator in Canadian Special Operations Forces Command, but for this two-year veteran of the unit, labels of any kind aren’t really to her taste.

Special Ops Submarines launch robots

Danger Room has an article about the various robots - flying, floating and diving- that are launched by US Navy special operations submarines.

US Special Forces to get high tech uniforms

Danger Room has an article about US Special Forces adopting some of the technology developed in the cancelled Land Warrior.

The remnants of the Land Warrior project were offloaded on the “Manchu” soldiers of the 4/9 infantry battalion in Iraq, who stripped down the package and sharpened its features. It worked so well, an entire Army brigade was equipped with the ensembles, and just shipped off to Afghanistan. Then the Pentagon approved a request by a special forces commander at Ft. Bragg, N.C. to get the improved Land Warrior, called the Ground Soldier Ensemble, tested and ready to outfit a brigade in Iraq by 2010.

SAS have parachuted in Iraq

The Telegraph reports that the SAS have used parachutes on operations in Iraq.

On at least a dozen occasions SAS soldiers using BT80 parachutes jumped from the back of a Hercules aircraft at around 15,000ft. After steering for several miles, they landed silently close to insurgent strongholds on an area the size of a football pitch.

The troops of up 12 men then quietly made their way on foot either to begin an operation or set up a covert observation post where they would mount electronic devices linked to voice and facial recognition software to spy on insurgents.

SAS banned from RAF Puma helicopters

The Times reports that the RAF have "banned" the SAS from riding on its Puma helicopters, apparently because the SAS commanders encourage the pilots to fly dangerously.

They flew so close to the ground — even when the situation did not require it — that there would have been no time to make corrections had a fault occurred.

According to the inquiry, nobody in the RAF has felt confident enough to oppose the demands of the SAS men for high-risk manoeuvres.

Obit: SBS commander

The Telegraph has the obituary of Colonel Richard Pickup who commanded the British Special Boat Service in Afghanistan.

The British government's response to 9/11 was to launch Operation Veritas, an attempt to deny al-Qaeda its Afghan base. Two months later Pickup was in the leading aircraft which landed unannounced at the former Soviet airbase in Bagram, which was being strongly contested by thousands of government fighters and the anti-Taliban Northern Alliance, led by Uzbek warlords.

Although vastly outnumbered, Pickup and his 100 men held on for a day and a night. This infuriated both contending armies, who were insulted by a fourth British invasion in two centuries; it also exasperated the American army's large Delta Force, which had planned to arrive first.

How hard was the shot?

Slate has an article about the difficult of the sniper shots made by US Navy SEALS when they shot 3 pirates holding a merchant ship captain in a lifeboat.

The short answer is: not very hard if you are a SEAL.

Followup: The Hampton-Roads Pilot has a related article about SEAL sniper training. It points out that today's SEALs are very experienced.

Special Ops Boats

Popular Mechanics has an article about the Special Warfare Combatant-craft Crewmen, or SWCCs and their boats. There are some pictures as well as diagrams of the heavily armed river craft.

Special ops Osprey ready for action

Danger Room reports that after 30 years of development the Osprey tilt rotor aircraft is ready for use in special operations.

SEAL extraction video

This Youtube video shows some US Navy SEALS being extracted by helicopter. The amazing thing is that the helicopter basically lands in the water and the SEALS drive their small boat right up into the back.

Austalia awards first Victoria Cross

The Herald Sun reports that Australian SAS trooper Mark Donaldson has been awarded the Victoria Cross for Australia for actions in Afghanistan. He is the first person to receive the award since it was split off from the British Victoria Cross in 1975.

US Small Boat Sailors

The Virginian Pilot has an article about the US Navy's Special Warfare Combatant Craft units, or SWCCs. These are the small boat sailors who deliver SEALS to their targets.

The article has an interesting picture of a small craft being hooked to the underneath of a helicopter.