SOFcast

Brad Thomas is one of those people you can’t put into a box. He’s an Army Ranger who fought in Gothic Serpent (aka Black Hawk Down), became an SMU Commando, and now makes music alongside other SOF veterans in the band Silence and Light. SOFcast hosts CCM Greg Smith and SGM Matt Parrish talked with Brad about his experience in SOF, finding his tribe, and how music connects him to fellow veterans. D...

The last 20 years of GWOT and counter-insurgency has dramatically shaped today’s force. Dr. David Kilcullen has been at the forefront of those shaping policies and strategies. Dr. Kilcullen joins the hosts of SOFcast to discuss how the lessons learned from GWOT (the good and the bad) will be applied to the future of SOF and where those lessons fit in Strategic Competition. Dr. David Kilcullen is t...

The Senior Enlisted Advisor to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, SEAC Ramón Colón-López, joins SOFcast to talk about the role of SOF in Great Power Competition, getting the record straight on diversity in the ranks, and what he’s doing to preserve the mission of special operations at the highest levels of decision-making. SEAC Ramón Colón-López is the 4th Senior Enlisted Advisor to the Ch...

Fresh out of JRTC and a training event overseas working with partner forces, members of the US Army’s 10th Special Forces talk with SOFcast about what’s gone right, wrong, and everything in between. This isn’t an “everything’s great” conversation. This is a candid, “no-holds-barred” discussion about their experience training alongside conventional forces, the growing pains of re-balancing to strat...

Members of today’s US Special Operations Forces are often regarded as heroes, but there are those that today’s elite operators look up to and regard as their own heroes. John Stryker “Tilt” Meyer is one of those men! As a member of the clandestine MAC-V SOG operating in the midst of the Vietnam War, Tilt recounts his combat experiences, some very close calls, and how close partnership with indigen...

Motivation, drive, and patriotism! We’re talking about Special Forces MSG Tim Kennedy! From lessons learned in the cage, to the ups and downs of running businesses, and living the life of an influencer; Tim Kennedy and SOFcast hosts CCM Greg Smith and SGM Matt Parrish talk about what it takes to stay motivated, driven, and always striving for the next challenge. Subscribe today and leave us a revi...

Although they barely knew each other, when Scott Light heard that fellow air commando Brian Kimber needed a kidney, he answered the call. CCM Greg Smith and SGM Matt Parrish talk with Scott and Brian about what it’s like to find out you have a disease that won’t just end your career but could end your life, and how discovering a donor match would lead to a new lease on life for both of them.

SOFcast hosts CCM Greg Smith and SGM Matt Parrish discuss the 20th Anniversary of 9/11 and have a candid conversation about the recent withdrawal of US forces from Afghanistan.

From the GridIron to the battlefield; team cohesion, resilience, and the drive for excellence are the cornerstones of the elite. The percentage of college football players that make it to the NFL is comparable to the number of servicemembers who make it to SOF. We talk with Tampa Bay Buccaneers Center Ryan Jensen and Navy Academy graduate, now NFL undrafted free agent, Cameron Kinley about what it...

While we wait for Season 2 to kick off, we’re releasing a BONUS episode! SOFcast host SGM Matt Parrish talks with his former team leader and Active Duty SF Officer “Nate” about their time working together. What does it take to lead a team of diverse experiences and personalities? What’s the right way to think of training? How do you build trust? All that and more on this BONUS episode of SOFcast!...

For SOFcast’s season finale, we take your “Shots from the Field” questions straight to the top of SOCOM’s chain of command, General Richard D. Clarke, USSOCOM’s Commanding General. CCM Smith, SGM Parrish and General Clarke discuss the evolving mission of SOF, the unique challenges of SOCOM leadership, and how the command is working towards a more robust and lethal force. Subscribe today and leave...

Love it or hate it, every great career must come to an end. The real question is, are you prepared for life after the military? Retired Navy SEAL Matt Stevens and Marine Raider Michael “Halty” Halterman share their challenges of transitioning from the world of Special Operations to the civilian sector. What translates, what doesn’t, and how you can prepare now for the inevitable. Make your transit...

What would you do if the one thing you’ve worked harder for than anything else, was suddenly taken away from you? CW4 Bradley Palm, a 160th SOAR pilot, woke up 15 days after his Chinook crashed during a daring night-time mission. He would awake to injuries that should have permanently ended his flight career. Even worse, he found out the crash had claimed the life of his co-pilot CW3 Jake Sims and...

What can you learn from someone who led a team of Afghan commandos up a mountainside under enemy fire to save wounded comrades? How about someone who helped rescue hostages from a burning building under hostile fire? US Army Sergeants Majors Matt Williams and Pat Payne both earned the Medal of Honor for their heroic deeds respectively, but not only did they earn the Nation’s highest medal, they bo...

How does a warrior find the balance between fight and faith? Chad Robichaux is a Recon Marine, MMA champion, and family man who found himself trapped in a dark place in his life. Chad takes you through his personal journey of almost losing everything including his family, coming to terms with his PTSD, and discovering the balance between being a warrior and a man of faith. All that and more on thi...

Join Iowa Senator Joni Ernst with Senior Enlisted Leader CMSgt Greg Smith and Green Beret SGM Matt Parrish as they discuss a range of topics like motivation for service, leadership, and navigating the challenges of being a female commander in combat. Senator Ernst is the Senate’s first female combat veteran, on the Senate Armed Services Committee, and is a strong advocate for the military. She dis...

Advancing international partnerships is a key component to success across our many global requirements throughout the #SOF enterprise. In this episode of #SOFcast, our USSOCOM J3 International liaison from New Zealand, LTC Bryan Dill-Russell, joins us to share his experiences and perspectives in both conventional and special operations forces along with his time here at USSOCOM. Lateral to #SOF Tr...

When you are not at war are you at war with yourself? Are you a quiet professional or a silent professional? Join Green Beret MSG Geoff Dardia and Chelsey Poisson, an emergency room nurse and Army veteran, with Green Beret SGM Matt Parrish, as they discuss the pace of operations and its effect on health and families. Also, they discuss the environment the military operates in and conditions like r...

What is the best way to lead? Do you learn from a bad leader? Join retired LCDR Jocko Willink, a former SEAL, New York Times best-selling author and entrepreneur, with Senior Enlisted Leader CMSgt Greg Smith and Green Beret SGM Matt Parrish as they discuss leadership perspectives. A veteran of SEAL Teams ONE, TWO and THREE, his operational experience includes participation in the seizure of the Ru...

Developing our people is our most important responsibility as a leader or instructor. Are we doing enough to develop those who will be leaders 20 years from now? Join Dr. Preston Cline, who has been a consultant on all the SOF Assessment and Selection courses, with Senior Enlisted Leader CMSgt Greg Smith and Green Beret SGM Matt Parrish as they discuss whether we teach our people to navigate uncer...

What happens to the operator when he becomes badly injured while deep in the jungle of a foreign country? Join retired Air Force Colonel John Alvarez with Senior Enlisted Leader CMSgt Greg Smith and Green Beret SGM Matt Parrish as they discuss the formation of “Special Forces with wings,” counter-narcotics missions in the 1990s, and John’s experience surviving a catastrophic helicopter crash in a...

Do we need to fail forward as part of innovation? Is AFSOC the air arm of SOCOM or the SOF arm of the Air Force? Join SOFWERX director and retired MC-130 pilot Air Force Col. Leslie Babich with Senior Enlisted Leader CMSgt Greg Smith and Green Beret SGM Matt Parrish as they discuss SOFWERX’s mission of being a bridge for bringing industry-leading innovation to the warfighter. Leslie explains the t...

Do you keep your best performers closest to you or do send them the farthest away? The COVID environment has forced us into a remote, advise and assist paradigm, but is it effective? Join CMSgt Jared “Peaches” Pietras as he explains how good leaders must have a “heart to give back.” The career combat controller discusses training as always evolving and the importance of putting out current, factua...

What does it feel like when you are in a room and no one looks like you? Is the leader-follower relationship in an organization the singular most significant relationship to developing the organization’s culture? Join Green Beret COL Michael McLendon as he discusses the importance of mentorship both as a mentee and a mentor. McLendon emphasizes a diverse force will motivate the best and brightest...

Do tactical actions have strategic implications? Indeed, they do. Join SOF legend Rick Lamb talking about his experiences preparing for the Iranian hostage rescue mission, participation in the firefight in the Korean demilitarized zone, the Panamanian invasion, being wounded in Somalia during the Blackhawk down rescue and finally being a warrior diplomat in Haiti. The former Army Command Sergeant...