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.

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.

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.    

While in port at Batumi, Georgia onboard the USS JOHN L HALL (I had a unique opportunity to meet with two Georgian Orthodox priests, Father Theodor and Father Nikos, who are both part of the growing/emerging professional chaplaincy program in Georgia.

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

The rationales are generally the same whether we’re talking about SOF or conventional forces.

“We don’t need you here anymore!” ...my friend didn’t know how to respond immediately. 

The cold days of winter are fast approaching here in Germany.  Heck…they’re already here!  Man it's cold already!  For a lot of folks, it's good news because it also means that ski season has arrived as well.  One of the great perks about living in Southern Germany is that world class slopes are only a few hours away!  And this year, with Veterans Day falling smack in the middle of the work week, many families are taking advantage of an opportunity to get a 10-day vacation while missing only two school days.  You see, here in Stuttgart, kids were off school last Friday, Nov. 6 and they are off Nov 11-13 as well.  Count it up! 

I would submit that at the Major League level, pretty much all of the players have comparable amounts of training, so absurdly large amounts of it is not the key.  But then what is?

The Jackal Stone Special Operations Training Exercise is now officially finished with the successful completion of the closing ceremony Saturday afternoon, Sept. 26.  And as with all military operations (especially special operations in my experience), flexibility remained key.  You see, we set up for the ceremony on a concrete “parade field” area on Zemunik Air Base near Zadar, Croatia (beautiful area by the way).  Of course, we had already briefed the boss, we’d conducted a rehearsal, and we had set up all of the props – chairs, podium, speakers, etc.  Those scheduled to be given awards were seated and awaiting the beginning of the ceremony.   The plan was in place.

Two weeks ago, I jumped on a flight headed for Croatia to participate in special operations forces (SOF) Exercise Jackal Stone 2009. Although the name sounds strange (you’ve got to love how the military often throws two completely unrelated words together to name training exercises), the purpose of the exercise is quite ambitious: to promote cooperation and interoperability between the 11 participating nations.  Significant is the fact that the Croatian government is hosting its first major military exercise since accession as a NATO member nation earlier this year, and that they chose to host a special operations exercise.  To me, it shows the importance that the Croatians place on special operations and the value they place on increasing international military partnerships.