U.S. Special Operations Command Europe

Military members and civilians from the U.S. and Croatia honored the late Master Sgt. Ivica Jerak, a member of U.S. Army Special Operations Command, with a small memorial service held in his native town of Debeljak, Croatia, Sept. 22, 2012.

President Ivo Josipovic of Croatia visited the Josip Jovic Air Base in Udbina, Croatia during the Jackal Stone 2012 Media Day to observe demonstrations from Special Operations units from 11 nations participating in this year’s training event.

Renovations are nearing completion in Ubina, Croatia where U.S. Navy Seabees have been hard at work completing Humanitarian projects.

Military personnel from 11 NATO-member nations took part in a tour of the Krka National Park located along the Krka River in Croatia on Sept. 15, 2012.

To commemorate the 68th anniversary of D-Day U.S. Special Operation Forces conducted a military free fall nearby one of Normandy’s most historic attractions.

To commemorate the 68th anniversary of D-Day U.S. Special Operation Forces conducted a military free fall nearby one of Normandy’s most historic attractions.

U.S. Army Special Forces Soldiers assigned to 1st Battalion, 10th Special Forces Group (Airborne) and Hungarian Special Operations Forces gathered to pay solemn tribute to Master Sgt. Danial ‘Slim’ Adams as the SF camp was dedicated and named in his honor.

One Soldier was rendered unconscious by a bomb blast, but recovered and repelled an enemy attack. One Soldier strained both his hamstrings carrying slain French officer down a mountain. One Soldier scaled up and down a mountain three times to save his fellow comrade. One Soldier was shot by enemy fire in the arm three times, yet continued to aggressively engage the enemy. And one Soldier ran through a burning building to evacuate its residents.

JS 11 comprised 1,350 participants from Bulgaria, Croatia, Hungry, Lithuania, Norway, Romania, Poland, Ukraine and the United States. The exercise is designed to improve partnership and interoperability amongst the partner nations.

In a special visit to recognize the efforts of the special operations forces community in Europe, Admiral James Stavridis, commander, U.S. European Command, traveled to Romania to see multinational troops participating in the Jackal Stone 11 exercise.

The New Year is unfolding, and I'm thinking about Afghanistan. I think there are three keys to our success in the security sector, where NATO and the International Coalition have the largest share of the work to do.

Imagine what the movie might look like though…working with a Special Forces Operational Detachment –Alpha (a bunch of Green Berets) and local Afghans running counterinsurgency missions in the heart of Taliban country. Sgt. Rodriguez-Torres, playing himself of course, is the head cook, in charge of preparing three daily feasts for at least 50 hungry warriors at a time (using anything available; turning it into a gourmet meal). On a fairly regular basis, however, he must also deal with Taliban fighters outside the perimeter, attempting to overrun the base and claim it as their own. The enemy is well equipped, with AK-47s, PKM machine guns, rocket-propelled grenades, mortars and 107mm rockets.

I believe most people think that special operations forces never interact with the media.  That is, of course, until something bad happens, forcing someone to explain the      situation in an ambiguous manner.

If you are a cable news junkie, then you’ve probably watched BBC (British Broadcasting Corporation), one the largest, if not the largest, broadcasting organizations in the world.  Yesterday, I had the opportunity to listen to Nik Gowing speak courtesy of ADM Stavridis’ 'Notable Film and Author Series’ and the EUCOM J9 Directorate.  Nik presents the BBC's flagship news program, The Hub, which reports on global news for audiences across South Asia and the Middle East.  He interviewed ADM Stavridis about operations in Marjah this past February and also recently wrote 'Skyful of Lies' and Black Swans, a study that addresses the role hand-held, multi-media technology plays in shaping public perceptions of government responses in crisis situations.

I’m finally back home after nearly two weeks on the road and it has been more than a week now since I jumped into Iron Mike Drop Zone in Normandy, France to commemorate the 66th Anniversary of D-Day.  I’ll never forget the experience –  not just because of the historic significance, but also because of those that jumped with me that day.  As you probably well know, British, Canadian and American forces jumped to secure the Allied flanks on D-Day, but personnel from Australia, Belgium, Czechoslovakia, France, Greece, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway and Poland also took part in the landings.  On D-Day 66, I hit the ground, collected my parachute, and then walked off the drop zone with British, French, Polish, Dutch, German and fellow Americans paratroopers surrounding me.  On my aircraft alone, we had Dutch, German and Polish paratroopers and I earned both the Dutch and Polish jump wings that day.    

Last year when I attended the 65th Anniversary of the D-Day invasion, I left Normandy, France feeling the proudest I’ve ever been wearing the U.S. Army uniform. So this year when I boarded the MC-130 Shadow aircraft to Normandy, I was excited to return to a place where the American Soldier is so adored and appreciated.

Last week in Kaiserslautern, Germany, the Fort Benning Jumpmaster Mobile Training Team graduated 19 new jumpmasters. I was among the graduates and my head still hurts from memorizing pre-jump training, my nerves are still frayed from PWAC (Practical Work in the Aircraft) and my fingers are still healing from JMPI (Jumpmaster Personnel Inspection). If you’ve been to the course, you know exactly what I’m talking about!

While taking photos of Norwegian Army engineers during a pause in their maneuvers as part of the Cold Response 2010 exercise, I had a chance to exchange dialogue about things that only we troops discuss when we ‘close ranks’ among ourselves – away from our officer counterparts.

yes, 55 years ago today – EUCOM’s Commander-in-Chief established Support Operations Command Europe

Happy Holidays to everyone. It’s been a busy couple weeks for us at European Command Public Affairs.

President Ivo Josipovic of Croatia and SOCEUR commander visit Udbina Airbase during Jackal Stone 12 to view the joint special operations training demonstration.

Fleet Master Chief Roy M. Maddocks Jr., joined Special Operations Command Europe troops for a High-Altitude Low-Opening demonstration at Mont Saint Michel in France to commemorate the 68th anniversary of D-Day. U.S. military special operations troops stationed in Europe, plus German, French and Russian troops took part.

Special Operations Command Europe troops talks about the High-Altitude Low-Opening demonstration at Mont Saint Michel in France to commemorate the 68th anniversary of D-Day. U.S. military special operations troops stationed in Europe, plus German, French and Russian troops took part.

It may be a challenge, but communicating in the same language, when it comes to military tactics, is the key to any NATO mission. SGT Joshua Blair takes us to SHAPE, Belgium, to meet the troops at the tip of the spear.

Soldiers of the Special Operations Command Europe pride themselves as quiet professionals, but sometimes certain actions deserve special recognition. SSG Joe Labutka has more on a valor ceremony for several heroic men and their amazing deeds.

Jackal Stone 2011, a multi-national special operations exercise continues in Romania, Bulgaria and Ukraine. While this is an opportunity for special operations forces to work together with partner nations, it’s also an opportunity to highlight the vital support making missions in theater a success. Sgt. Jenie Fisher meets a team of maintainers whose mission is the backbone of the exercise.

As Jackal Stone 2011, A multi-national special operations exercise, continues in Romania, Bulgaria and Ukraine the U.S. troops working in Romania get a visit from their leadership. Sgt Jenie Fisher catches up with the V-I-P who says the exercise helps partner nations solidify relationships and rise to meet new challenges.

CROATIA -- The scenario: a terrorist organization abducts two international diplomats as they're vacationing in Croatia. The terrorists then demand a 1 million Euro ransom to get the diplomats back unharmed. This may just be a training exercise, but as SSG James Allen shows us, soldiers have to be ready for any and every type of situation.