DefenceTalkThe United States is seeking greater special forces and naval cooperation with the Gulf states to counter Iran’s “destabilizing activities” in the region, a senior American official said. Defence Secretary Ashton Carter, who arrived in the Saudi capital on Tuesday, will meet his Gulf counterparts on Wednesday. The following day he is expected to join […]https://www.defencetalk.com/washington-seeks-gulf-special-force-naval-cooperation-67288/

DefenceTalkFor the Soldiers of 1st Battalion, 1st Special Forces Group, readiness means staying as sharp as the Yarborough knives the Green Berets earn after graduating the Special Forces Qualification Course — a tradition since August 2002. The knife isn’t just any knife, but a combat field knife that serves as a link to the brotherhood […]https://www.defencetalk.com/us-special-forces-get-ready-67041/

DefenceTalkUS special forces and experts are setting up an airbase in northeast Syria as part of the battle against the Islamic State group, Syrian military and security sources said Saturday. They told AFP work was underway to expand an airfield in Rmeilan, in Hasakeh province, from where aircraft used to take off to spray pesticides […]https://www.defencetalk.com/us-forces-setting-up-airbase-in-northeast-syria-66536/

DefenceTalkJerusalem: Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu admitted for the first time Tuesday that Israeli forces have been operating in Syria, where the Iran-backed regime is battling rebels including the jihadist Islamic State. “We occasionally carry out operations in Syria to prevent that country from becoming a front against us,” Netanyahu told reporters during a visit to […]https://www.defencetalk.com/israel-pm-admits-forces-operating-in-war-hit-syria-65956/

DefenceTalkWashington: The United States will increasingly rely on special operations troops to battle Islamic State jihadists in Iraq and Syria, US Defense Secretary Ashton Carter said Tuesday, while calling on international powers to beef up their own efforts. Speaking to lawmakers in the House Armed Services Committee, the Pentagon chief said he was deploying a […]https://www.defencetalk.com/us-special-forces-to-fight-isis-in-iraq-syria-65953/

DefenceTalkFLEET ACTIVITIES YOKOSUKA, Japan: The Ohio-class guided-missile submarine USS Ohio (SSGN 726) arrived alongside the USS Emory S. Land (AS-39) in Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia for a port visit as part of its Indo-Asia-Pacific deployment Nov. 14. With a crew of approximately 165, Ohio will conduct a multitude of missions and showcase the latest capabilities of […]https://www.defencetalk.com/indo-asia-pacific-exercise-reveals-us-navy-special-forces-submarine-65867/

DefenceTalkOften working out of sight, Allied special operations forces play a key role in any military operation. That is why they have been training alongside their land, sea and air counterparts in Trident Juncture 2015, NATO’s largest military exercise in more than a decade. The rigorous and diverse training, taking place in Italy, Spain and […]https://www.defencetalk.com/special-ops-forces-undergo-rigorous-training-at-natos-trident-juncture-15-65796/

DefenceTalkA small contingent of US special forces will be sent as part of an “advise and assist” mission to the Syrian rebels fighting against Islamic State militants, Reuters reported citing unnamed US officials. President Barack Obama is expected to make a full announcement Friday. Unnamed US officials told Reuters that 20-30 special forces operatives will […]https://www.defencetalk.com/us-special-forces-to-deploy-to-syria-65716/

DefenceTalkThe CIA and US special operations forces are carrying out a secret campaign using armed drones to target and kill Islamic State leaders in Syria, the Washington Post reported Tuesday. The clandestine program is separate from America’s wider military operations against IS fighters, the newspaper reported, citing unnamed US officials. Among those so far killed […]https://www.defencetalk.com/cia-us-special-ops-launch-drone-campaign-in-syria-65243/

DefenceTalkThe US Navy plans to open its famed SEAL fighting units to women, provided they can pass the notoriously difficult training course, Defense News reported Tuesday (Aug 18). The move comes as the military announced that two American women will on Friday become the first female soldiers to graduate from the elite Ranger School combat […]https://www.defencetalk.com/us-military-to-let-women-try-out-for-navy-seals-report-65039/