Mission, Purpose Drive High Special Operations Retention

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Soliders board helicopter
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Mission, Purpose Drive High Special Operations Retention

The recruiting program that enlists civilians to become Green Beret candidates “is critical to Special Forces,” the commander of U.S. Army Special Operations Command said.

Known by the MOS 18X, the Special Forces candidate program enlists young people to help build the force rather than recruiting only from within the ranks, Lt. Gen. Jonathan Braga said. Soldiers who joined the Army through the 18X program and made it through the long and arduous path to become Green Berets, he said, “make up over 50% of the force.”

Fenton: Recruiting Shortfalls Impacted Special Ops Units

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U.S. Special Operations Command recruiters provide hands-on display of equipment to Savannah community members during a Night of Honor event.
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Fenton: Recruiting Shortfalls Impacted Special Ops Units

Assessment and selection for special operations soldiers has lagged the past two years as the Army struggled to meet its recruiting numbers, said Gen. Bryan Fenton, commanding general of U.S. Special Operations Command.

Still, he expressed optimism that the Army’s effort to overcome the national military recruiting challenge bodes well for special operations.

SOCOM Boss Warns of Increasingly Dangerous World

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U.S. Army soldiers with Bravo Company, 1st Battalion, 10th Special Forces Group train an evacuation with a Boeing-Vertol CH-47 Chinook Helicopter after a successful training operation on Local Training Area during a small unit tactic training on August 29, 2023, Baumholder, Germany (U.S. Army Photo by Ruediger Hess)
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SOCOM Boss Warns of Increasingly Dangerous World

A “convergence” of adversaries is threatening global security, a development made more complex by the proliferation of battlefield technology and commercial disruptions, a senior Army officer said.

Gen. Bryan Fenton, commanding general of U.S. Special Operations Command, said he sees the security environment through three lenses, the first of which is the volatile alliance formed among the adversaries of the United States and its allies.

Army Special Operations Command Innovates for Next War

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Lt. Gen. Jonathan Braga, commander of Army Special Operations Command speaks
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Army Special Operations Command Innovates for Next War

The side that adapts and innovates first will win the next war, said Lt. Gen. Jonathan Braga, commander of Army Special Operations Command.

The key to achieving that is adopting a collective mindset, he said.

Vietnam Hero, Airborne Legend Dies at 90

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Gen. James Lindsay
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Vietnam Hero, Airborne Legend Dies at 90

Retired Gen. James Lindsay, the first commander of U.S. Special Operations Command who also led the XVIII Airborne Corps and the 82nd Airborne Division and was a life member of the Association of the U.S. Army, died Aug. 5. He was 90.

“Gen. Lindsay was truly the heart and soul of what we are all about. His leadership impacted the fabric of our nation, and our generation owes him tremendously for his presence and mentorship,” Lt. Gen. Christopher Donahue, commander of the XVIII Airborne Corps and Fort Liberty, North Carolina, said in a statement.

New Approach Needed for Future Threats

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Panel at AUSA Warfighter
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New Approach Needed for Future Threats

The Army’s special operations forces need a closer look at how to operate as they prepare for an increasingly complex world, the commander of Army Special Operations Command said.

“We must understand our critical vulnerabilities and challenge all assumptions, processes and everything that’s been developed for the counterterrorism fight,” Lt. Gen. Jonathan Braga said July 27.

AUSA Warfighter Summit Features McConville, Grinston

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AUSA Warfighter logo
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AUSA Warfighter Summit Features McConville, Grinston

A new Association of the U.S. Army event focused on the Army’s warfighters will feature presentations from the service’s top leaders and the new commanding general of Army Forces Command.

The inaugural AUSA Warfighter Summit and Exposition will take place July 27–28 at the Crown Complex near Fort Bragg, North Carolina. The two-day, in-person summit is focused on the warfighter, and its theme is “America’s Response Force: Ready Today, Ready Tomorrow.”

SOCOM Review Finds No ‘Systemic Ethics Problem’

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SOCOM Review Finds No ‘Systemic Ethics Problem’

A sweeping review of special operations troops, ordered after a series of high-profile cases of misconduct, found the force does not have a “systemic ethics problem,” the commander of U.S. Special Operations Command said.

However, almost two decades of sustained combat and not enough emphasis on leader and professional development have “impacted our culture in some troublesome ways,” Army Gen. Richard Clarke wrote in a Jan. 28 letter to the force.

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