Special Operations News – March 4, 2024
March 4, 2024 SOF News Update 0
MWD 10th SFG(A)
Curated news, analysis, and commentary about special operations, national security, and conflicts around the world.
SOF News
Ospreys in the Air? The Navy, Air Force, Air Force Special Operations Command have Ospreys. AFSOC has about 50 CV-22Bs. A series of crashes had grounded the Ospreys for about three months – the latest crash resulting in the deaths of eight AFSOC crew members. “Pentagon to Lift Ban on V-22 Osprey Flights, 3 Months After Fatal Crash in Japan”, Real Clear Defense, March 2, 2024.
1st SFG(A) in Taiwan. Military advisors and trainers from the 1st Special Forces Group (Airborne) are reported to have begun a continuous presence in Taiwan to conduct training missions with various Taiwan special operations forces. The U.S. advisors, most likely a rotational presence, are interacting with the 101st Amphibious Reconnaissance Battalion and Airborne Special Service Company. At one time, the U.S. had 1st Special Forces Group personnel permanently assigned to Taiwan from 1959 to 1973. “US Green Berets reportedly permanently based in Taiwan for 1st time”, Taiwan News, March 2, 2024.
https://sof.news/update/20240304/
@rangerrebew Well,yes and no.
I was in the first on that time,and the first was based on Okinawa. The 1st DID have A-Teams assigned to Taiwan that rotated back and forth between Okie and Taiwan,but IIRC,they were considered to be TDY Teams and were still on 1st Groups payroll and under their command.
We also supplied TDY teams to the Philippines and to South Korea on a pretty regular basis,to keep them trained and updated on what was going with China.
A VERY funny true story is that one of the TDY teams to South Korea was so successful at teaching border control that they killed several NK infiltration teams,and their SK counterparts threw a big going away party for them when their tour ended.
I personally saw the photos they brought back of the dead NK infiltrators that were killed while using rubber rafts to try to infiltrate into SK,and IIRC,they were even wearing SK uniforms.
Everybody got a bit "lubed up" after the formal dinner,and a Korean "civilian" sat down next to the SF Team Sgt after the dinner and asked him a bunch of questions about what he would do if he were in charged of Korean border security.
Well,the SF Master Sgt was drunk enough he told him in great detail while pulling no punches.
It turned out that the "civilian" he had been talking to was the VP of South Korea,and he had agreed (did I mention he might have been a little drunk?) to become the new defense minister of South Korea that night.
Which came as a surprise to him and many other people the next morning.
I don't really know what happened,but since it was illegal for him to serve another government,I SUSPECT his advise was written down and became a "South Korean Military Document" and he was allowed to go back to Okie once it was done.
Duty with the 1st SFG on Okie HAD to have been the best kept damn secret in the US Army back in the 50's and 60's. Seems like nobody that ever got stationed there ever wanted to leave for anything but a vacation back home.
