Report Says Female Soldiers In U.S. Army Special Operations Face Rampant Sexism And Harassment

Master Sergeant Jessica Alicea-Cavezza, Sexual Harassment Assault Response Prevention Program Manager conducts a Jumpmaster Pre-Inspection with Sgt. Allyson Westfall, parachute rigger, both from the U.S. Army John F. Kennedy Special Warfare Center and School, prior to an airborne operation over Luzon Drop Zone at Camp Mackall, North Carolina March 25, 2019. (U.S. Army photo by K. Kassens)  

New York Daily News: Female special ops soldiers face rampant sexism, other challenges: Army study 

Women have been able to serve in the U.S. Army’s Special Operations units for eight years, but they’re still subject to outright sexism, discrimination and other obstacles, according to a new study. 

The Army’s report showed that while women have made significant gains during in the military, deep biases have not been removed and can impede that progress.  

Read more .... 

WNU Editor: The report is here .... BREAKING BARRIERS: Women in Army Special Operations. 

Report Says Female Soldiers In U.S. Army Special Operations Face Rampant Sexism And Harassment  

Female soldiers in Army special operations face rampant sexism and harassment, report says -- AP 

Study reveals persistent sexism toward women serving in US Army Special Operations Forces -- CNN  

'Looking for a Husband, Boyfriend, Attention': Study Reveals Sexism Faced by Women in Army Special Operations -- Military.com  

Female US Army commandos face harassment – report -- RT

A US Air Force Osprey Aircraft Has Been Stuck At A Remote Nature Preserve In Northern Norway For Almost A Month

A US Osprey aircraft at a nature preserve in Stongodden, Norway. Norwegian Armed Forces  

Insider: A US Air Force special operations aircraft has been stuck in a remote Norwegian nature preserve for almost a month following an 'emergency landing,' officials say 

* A US military aircraft was forced to land at a remote nature preserve in northern Norway last month. 

* The Osprey made a "controlled emergency landing," a Norwegian military official told Insider. 

* Norway and the US are trying to rescue the aircraft by using a boat equipped with a crane. 

A US Air Force Osprey aircraft has been stuck at a remote nature preserve in northern Norway for almost a month, a Norwegian military official said on Thursday. 

The military tiltrotor aircraft, which has the ability to fly like a prop plane or hover like a helicopter, made a "controlled emergency landing" on August 12 at the Stongodden nature preserve on the island of Senja and has been stuck ever since, Lt. Col. Eivind Byre, a spokesperson for the Norwegian Air Force, told Insider. 

Norway's military is working with the US Air Force and local environmental protection officials to craft a plan to rescue the aircraft, Byre said.  

Read more ....  

Update #1: Air Force special ops Osprey stuck in Norway wilderness after mishap (Air Force Times)  

Update #2: Inside Norway’s complex plan to save a stranded Air Force Osprey (Task & Purpose)  

WNU Editor: There is a plan to salvage this aircraft .... Norway Will Try to Recover an USAF CV-22 Osprey That’s Been Stuck on a Nature Reserve (Autoevolution).

US Special-Operations Leaders Are Shifting To Confront Near-Peer Adversaries Like China And Russia

A US soldier assigned to Special Operations Command Africa observes wind conditions during a parachute jump near Stuttgart, Germany, September 21, 2016. US Army/VIS Jason Johnston  

Business Insider: US special-operations leaders are figuring out what skills to bring with them into 'the 5th modern era' of special ops 

* US special operators are shifting focus to great-power competition after 20 years of counterterrorism. 

* Special-ops leaders told lawmakers in April that in a new era they will focus on an old skill: supporting conventional forces. 

During a Senate hearing at the end of April, US special-operations leaders provided insight into how the US special-operations community is gearing up for future challenges. 

Near-peer adversaries — mainly China, but also Russia — are the primary threats to US national security, and the US military, including US Special Operations Command, is adjusting accordingly. 

When asked how the shift from counterterrorism and counterinsurgency operations to great-power competition is affecting their planning and investment decisions, the commanders emphasized a shift to supporting operations.  

Read more ....  

WNU Editor: More confirmation that the Pentagon is focused on Russia and China.

U.S. Special Operations Command Hires Their First Diversity And Inclusion Chief

USSOCOM welcomes our new Chief of Diversity & Inclusion, Mr. Richard Torres-Estrada. We look forward to his contribution in enhancing the capabilities and effectiveness of #SOF through diversity of talent, helping us recruit the best of the best. #QuietProfessionals pic.twitter.com/Z6aJnz91mx

— USSOCOM (@USSOCOM) March 25, 2021

American Military News: US Special Forces announce 1st-ever diversity and inclusion officer 

On Friday, the U.S. Special Operations Command (SOCOM) announced its first-ever chief diversity and inclusion officer, Richard Torres-Estrada, and the announcement prompted a backlash from social media users questioning the hiring decision. 

In an Instagram post, SOCOM said, “On Monday, March 1, 2021, USSOCOM welcomed its first-ever Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer, Mr. Richard Torres-Estrada. Mr. Torres-Estrada has nearly two decades worth of experience working diversity and inclusion programs and activities in federal agencies. 

Mr. Torres-Estrada’s arrival corresponds with the publication of the USSOCOM D&I Strategic Plan, which will guide the enterprise-wide effort to institutionalize and sustain D&I. We look forward to Mr. Torres-Estrada’s contribution in enhancing the capabilities and effectiveness of #SOF through diversity of talent, helping us recruit the best of the best.” 

Read more .... 

Update: Special Operations Command Hires Diversity and Inclusion Chief Who Posted Anti-Trump Memes (Breitbart) 

WNU editor: Reaction to this appointment has been immediate. Especially with past social media posts by Richard Torres-Estrada now being circulated on social media (see below).

Looks like the new diversity officer loves celebrating diversity with those who agree with him.

Here is what he thinks of the rest of us-

Mr. Torres-Estrada was not placed in US Special Operations command by mistake. https://t.co/YJ26av1ftz pic.twitter.com/dgwlmP00oQ

— Joe Kent for WA-3 (@joekent16jan19) March 26, 2021

Update #2: This even caught Tucker Carlson's attention (see video below).

 

The Last Special Forces Fighting The Forever War In Afghanistan

A U.S. Special Forces Soldier, attached to Special Operations Task Force-Afghanistan, waits for nightfall prior to starting a nighttime operation in the Alingar district, Laghman province, Afghanistan, Sept. 5, 2016. Credit: U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Connor Mendez/Reviewed

The Diplomat: Eagle Down: The Last Special Forces Fighting the Forever War 

An interview with Jessica Donati. 

In 2015, the United States’s longest war was supposed to be ending. The administration of President Barack Obama had celebrated the shift of the U.S. mission in Afghanistan from combat to training, charting a course out of the war. But combat didn’t end for U.S. Special Forces still in the country, working to back up their Afghan counterparts but with fewer resources. 

In “Eagle Down,” Jessica Donati takes us to Afghanistan in 2015, following the last U.S. Special Forces fighting “the forever war.” Donati, who covers foreign affairs and national security for The Wall Street Journal, headed the paper’s Kabul bureau in 2015 and her book covers the period from 2015 to 2020. “Eagle Down” weaves a narrative from two threads: the personal experiences of soldiers in Afghanistan trying to do the mission and come home alive, and the efforts of policymakers in Washington to extract the United States from a domestically unpopular conflict without generating too much noise. 

Read more .... 

WNU Editor: A sobering interview with Jessica Donati on the Afghan war and the role of US Special Forces.