US Army SOF Photos

[pardus]

I'm pretty well versed in COIN ;) , I'm just curios as to why it doesn't seem to being carried out as is "normally" is.

Not being in SF, I can't answer that.

I've heard....anecdotes here and there about the way some units conduct "COIN" and have watched first hand as one intelligence gathering unit went from local vehicles to "Hey! Hey! Look at me!!!!! I'm an American and this is my uparmored Suburban!!!!" to MRAPs. Guys and gals in the latter unit haven't quite put the dots together concerning the MRAPs.

Look at this way: you are Abdul Barak Hossein Pashtun and you hate the TB and just want some peace in your life, some food for your family, and to be left the fuck alone. Here comes an American SF A Team who lives with your village or at worst stays in your valley. You see them every day or every other day. You see them working alongside you and your family and your tribe to provide for them and to protect them. They may not dress the same as you, but they look and act like people. But then one day, they have to go home.

And the next guys to come in, rolling into your village with MRAPs, dressed in armor like men from another planet. They stay for a few hours and then their huge, lumbering vehicles chew up your tiny road or they cause ditches to cave in from their weight or they just can't help but to run over some of your crops in these....things. When they talk to you, you can't see their eyes behind their sunglasses and the best you can hope for is to see them once a week as they drive in, meet with you, and drive out. With the first guys, you never had a night letter on your doorstep, the school was open, and crops were growing. But the new unit, they aren't around to provide security or to help you and when they do show up it is for a few hours and they tear up your valley bit by bit with their "trucks."

Which is the better approach to COIN and which approach do you think many units are using (for whatever reasons) today in Afghanistan?

 

[Rabid Badger]

I'm pretty well versed in COIN ;) , I'm just curios as to why it doesn't seem to being carried out as is "normally" is.

McChrystals COIN is the Marine version of reinventing the fucking wheel 9 years after the 'experts' went in and set the US Military up for success.

Don't take that wrong Jarhead Devil Dogs, welcome to COIN (which the USSF has been conducting for decades)

http://www.marinecorpstimes.com/news/2010/05/defense_gates_coin_052510/

Gates wants the new military-wide training and proficiency standards to be “in line” with those used in McChrystal’s “Hands” program, Reid said.

“Every service member needs some understanding” of the local population, culture and language “when they’re going to be on the ground,” he said during prepared remarks at an industry conference in Arlington, Va.

The memo instructs the Pentagon’s top policy shop in coming months to develop the framework for the standards. It will then be up to the services, Joint Staff and other military components “to fill those out — as they would with anything else,” Reed said.
Eventually, Reid told the conference, the COIN standards could be expanded.
“Ideally, we will [one day] have a global approach,” he said, adding the standards might be amended to reflect “region-by-region” specifics.

McC is using Afghanistan as a learning tool / schoolground at this point, not a battlefield.

Yah, gee thanks. :uhh:

:2c:

Awesome post FF, best short version COIN expl. I've seen in a long time.:)

 

[Rabid Badger]

I see alot of pics of guys that I know, and that I am sure would not want their faces plastered all over this site. I persoanlly think we need some rules of engagement here. Posting pics of people you don't know is a little over the edge, regardless of where they are obtained.

You make a great point and the cleanup begins now.

If you don't take the time to clean up your own photos, we will do it for you or simply delete the post. :2c:

 

[Ravage]

In other words I need to put black boxes in there.

 

[pardus]

In other words I need to put black boxes in there.

Yep.

 

[Ravage]

Unfortunatly you eighter need to give me jedi powers or delete the posts because I can't edit them

 

[AWP]

I'm pretty well versed in COIN ;) , I'm just curios as to why it doesn't seem to being carried out as is "normally" is.

I know, I just felt compelled to type. :)

Why is the US doing business this way? cric hit it on the head....we've become risk adverse, we've gone from being "mission focused" to "goal oriented," I don't think we're training Joe and his company grade leadership properly in COIN, we've allowed Armor, Artillery, and guys with mech Infantry branches/ backgrounds to run a SOF war.....

 

[pardus]

lol
-----------
It's a fuck up waiting to happen...

I'm really hoping all this PC/risk adverse crap is going to blow over someday.

Is there a COIN school/course in the Military?

I know, I just felt compelled to type. :)

Why is the US doing business this way? cric hit it on the head....we've become risk adverse, we've gone from being "mission focused" to "goal oriented," I don't think we're training Joe and his company grade leadership properly in COIN, we've allowed Armor, Artillery, and guys with mech Infantry branches/ backgrounds to run a SOF war.....

 

[surgicalcric]

...Is there a COIN school/course in the Military?

Yes in a round about way...

During Robin Sage SFQC students are taught UW, how to conduct an insurgency. Counter Insurgency warfare is the other side of that coin (no pun intended.) The difference lies in who we are supporting, the established govt or the insurgents...

Got busy last night with a project and couldnt get back to the computer but I will get my response to your previously question up sometime today...

Crip

 

[car]

There's also a COIN course (at least there was when I was there) being taught at Taji, IZ. It was recommended that all Brigade commanders and their staffs go through - but running thru a shake 'n' bake course while your Bde/Bn is training up in Kuwait didn't make a lot sense to me.

However, it was a pretty good block of instruction - COIN 101, if you will. It at least got conventional Warfighters to look at the enemy thru a different set of eyes. :2c:

 

[Ravage]

A member of Combined Joint Special Operations Task Force- Afghanistan goes over actions on the objective plan with the member of th Afghan National Army commandos while being on call as a quick reaction force on Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan, May 11.

Members of the Afghan National Army Commandos rehearse actions exiting an aircraft on Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan in preparation for a hit on a time sensitive target just outside of Bagram Airfield, May 11.

A CH-47 Chinook helicopter coming into a helicopter landing zone near an objective building outside of Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan, May 12.

Members of Combined Joint Special Operations Task Force- Afghanistan gather personal information from the village elder so that a key leader engagement can be made in order to discuss the problems and issues in his community outside of Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan, May 13.

Members of Combined Joint Special Operations Task Force-Afghanistan and members of Afghan National Army commandos prepare to board an UH-60 Blackhawk in order to conduct a mission outside of Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan, May 12.

 

[TheSiatonist]

 

[Ravage]

A member of the U.S. Special Operations Team "7th Group" prepares to fire his rifle from the sitting position during a marksmanship event June 17 as part of Fuerzas Comando 2010.

A members of the United States Special Operations team "7th Group" sets his sights downrange and prepare to fire June 17 outside the Dominican Army's 1st Infantry Brigade in Santo Domingo. The U.S. team is one of many Special Operations team competing in the Fuerzas Comando 2010 competition. Along with the rifle and pistol event, Soldiers participated on a sniper marksmanship event and critical shooting skills.

Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic- Members of the United States Special Operations team "7th Group" set their sights downrange and prepare to fire their weapons during a rifle qualification event June17 outside the Dominican Army's 1st Infantry Brigade in Santo Domingo. The U.S. team is one of many Special Operations groups from 18 nations across the western hemisphere that is competing in the Fuerzas Comando 2010 competition. Along with the rifle and pistol qualification, teams participating in the competition were also evaluated on sniper marksmanship and critical shooting skills using a 9 mm pistol.

A bullet shell flies as a member of the United States Special Operations team "7th Group" fires his weapon June 19 outside the Dominican Army's 1st Infantry Brigade in Santo Domingo. The U.S. team is one of many Special Operations team competing in the Fuerzas Comando 2010 competition. Along with the rifle and pistol event, Soldiers participated on a sniper marksmanship event and critical shooting skills.

 

[jakobisrex]

That is a ginormous grip.

 

[pardus]

That is a ginormous grip.

WTF are you talking about?

 

[TheSiatonist]

WTF are you talking about?

He's talking about the Grippod. I sorta agree it is huge, but it has a reason.

 

[Ravage]

Members of the combined assault force conduct operations near the Marawara District in Eastern Afghanistan.

 

[Rock42]

I went to the COIN academy here in afghan. It was MCC's baby.. it was a joke, 1/2 was in dari and had to listen to a terp.
Great view of the palaces near by was the only saving grace.

lol
-----------
It's a fuck up waiting to happen...

I'm really hoping all this PC/risk adverse crap is going to blow over someday.

Is there a COIN school/course in the Military?

 

[pardus]

I went to the COIN academy here in afghan. It was MCC's baby.. it was a joke, 1/2 was in dari and had to listen to a terp.
Great view of the palaces near by was the only saving grace.

Cool, thanks.

Seems like there needs to be a proper school/etc... for COIN

 

[JJ sloan]

Thanks to everyone who made an effort to clean up these photos. You guys are awesome. Homos!