The following is the Sept. 18, 2020 Congressional Research Service report, FY2020 National Defense Authorization Act: Selected Military Personnel Issues. Read More
Category Archives: Special Operations Forces
Report on Armed Conflict in Syria and U.S. Response
The following is the July 27, 2020, Congressional Research Service report, Armed Conflict in Syria: Overview and U.S. Response. Read More
SEALs Resume Training Under Extreme COVID-19 Isolation Measures
SEAL candidates participate in “surf immersion” during Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL (BUD/S) training at Naval Special Warfare (NSW) Center in Coronado, Calif., May 4, 2020. NSW Center restarted paused portions of its SEAL and Special Warfare Combatant-craft Crewman (SWCC) selection-and-assessment training following careful planning that included implementing COVID-19 mitigation efforts based on CDC recommendations and Department of Defense medical guidance. The health, safety and well-being of students remains NSW Center’s top priority. US Navy photo.
Naval Special Warfare Center is resuming its training of SEAL and special warfare combatant-craft crewmen (SWCC) candidates this week after taking a pause in March to ensure it could keep the coronavirus away from young recruits already putting their bodies through punishingly tough physical training courses. Read More
UPDATED: Naval Special Warfare Reports Four Coronavirus Cases
Special Warfare Combatant-craft Crewmen from Special Boat Team 12, stationed at Naval Base Coronado, Calif., with the help of aviators from 4th Battalion, 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment, stationed at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Wash., conducted a Maritime External Air Transportation System training evolution in Moses Lake, Wash., May 21, 2014.. US Army Photo
This post has been updated with an additional Sunday statement from Naval Special Warfare Command.
Four special operations sailors has tested positive for the COVID-19 virus, Naval Special Warfare Command announced. Read More
PACFLEET Commander: RIMPAC 2020 Will Be More Complex, Feature More Countries
Adm. John C. Aquilino, commander, U.S. Pacific Fleet on Jan. 20, 2020. U.S..S. Navy Photo
KUALA LUMPUR — This year’s Rim of the Pacific 2020 international naval exercise be more complex and challenging than in years past, U.S. Pacific Fleet Commander Adm. John Aquilino told reporters on Friday. Read More
Navy, Coast Guard Officials Investigating Alaska Small Boat Collision
A pair of Navy and Coast Guard patrol boats collided in Women’s Bay, Kodiak, Alaska. Pictured above is a 2018 Coast Gaurd water survival training exercise in Women’s Bay. Coast Guard photo.
This post was updated with additional information from the U.S. Coast Guard.
Navy and U.S. Coast Guard officials are investigating the cause of a collision between a pair of similarly sized patrol boats from each service off Kodiak Island, Alaska on Wednesday.
Acting SECNAV Modly Cancels Trident Review Boards for 3 SEALs
Acting Secretary of the Navy Thomas Modly is canceling review boards for three SEAL officers that could have stripped them of their special operations status, according to a late Wednesday statement provided to USNI News. Read More
Navy Formally Cancels Gallagher Trident Review Board; Decision On 3 Other SEAL Boards Still Pending
Acting on orders from Secretary of Defense Mark Esper and President Trump, the Navy has formally canceled the SEAL-led review board that would have evaluated if Chief Edward Gallagher would remain a SEAL, Navy officials confirmed to USNI News on Tuesday. Read More
UPDATED: SECNAV Denies Resignation Threat Over Gallagher Trident Review Board
Secretary of the Navy Richard V. Spencer addresses the crew of USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN-78) via the ship’s 1MC during a visit to the ship at sea on Oct. 27, 2019. US Navy Photo
This post has been updated with additional comments from the Navy and SECNAV Spencer.
Navy Secretary Richard V. Spencer denied he threatened to resign his office over President Trump’s intervention into a Naval Special Warfare Command review board that could strip SEAL Chief Edward Gallagher of his Naval Special Warfare rating. Read More
UPDATED: President Trump Tweets to Stop Gallagher Trident Review Board
This post has been updated with a statement from Navy spokesman Rear Adm. Charlie Brown.
President Trump told the Navy not to continue with a review board that could have stripped SEAL Chief Eddie Gallagher of his Naval Special Warfare designation ahead of his planned retirement via a Thursday morning tweet. Read More
