SOFcast

Do we do enough to understand differing perspectives? Join Master Gunnery Sgt. Jay Root, a former Force Recon Marine who helped stand up Marine Forces Special Operations Command, explore leadership topics and competing perspectives. The MARSOC plank holder discusses the challenges navigating friction points, the importance of interoperability with International Special Operations Forces, and the b...

Do you remember where you were and what you were doing in the weeks following 9/11?  In October of 2001, Will Markham, one of the first Americans deployed into combat for the Global War on Terrorism, touched down in Afghanistan attached to a small Special Forces team. Listen to his first-hand account of how a joint team of adaptive special operators battled the Taliban.   CMSgt (Ret) Will Markham...

Special Operations Forces Truth #5: Most special operations require non-SOF support How does a female Naval flight officer describe her time working with Naval Special Warfare units? “I felt like as soon as I went into Naval Special Warfare ‘Do you perform? Do you put in the effort? Do you care?’ and if you have the tenacity and grit to make it happen people will respect that and so I knew I had t...

Would you give up a day of skydiving to be a guest on our podcast? Major Frank Anello, Marine Forces Special Operations Raider did just that for this episode. “I was 100% sure either the bad guys were going to come back up the mountain and we were going to have a bad firefight or we were going to die of exposure. I was very sure we were in a bad place.” Challenges aren’t just downrange. They can b...

Shots from the field: Three special operations forces leaders take questions from SOF members from different units. Some of the topics we dive into include toxic leadership, how to navigate the grey, alcohol use within the SOF community and more in this episode of SOFcast. Join Command Chief Greg Smith, Sergeant Major Matt Parrish, and Sergeant Major Nate Griffin as they talk about how senior enli...

“Members of the special operations forces community only complain when we have things really good. It’s when things really suck... that you are miserable and getting shot at all the time that you don’t hear a complaint.” - Green Beret Nick Lavery. Green Beret Nick Lavery, while deployed to Afghanistan sustained multiple injuries and continued to return to the fight until he lost his leg. He didn’t...

Special Operations Forces Truth #1: Humans are more important than hardware. Guest Vice Admiral Timothy Szymanski shares how he made the difficult decision to go to the Naval Academy, almost was removed during an academic board, faced a conduct board his junior year for misbehavior, and then changed career goals from being a Navy pilot to answering the call to become a SEAL. Vice Admiral Szymanski...

Join U.S. Special Operations Command’s Command Chief Greg Smith and Preservation of the Force and Family Sergeant Major Matt Parrish as they kick-off our official podcast from the headquarters of all special operations forces in the U.S. military. In-depth stories of their military careers and how they answered the call to join the SOF community are powerful and inspiring. Command Chief Smith tell...