Topic: U.S. Special Operations Command

What US manhunt for LRA leaders reveals about Obama's war strategy

Obama is sending 100 Special Operations Forces to central Africa to help track down leaders of the LRA (Lord's Resistance Army), a brutal guerrilla group. Surgical strikes at enemy leaders are emerging as the preferred US strategy.

Five ways 9/11 has transformed the US military

The attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, fundamentally transformed the way the United States military wages war. With the invasion of Afghanistan and, months later, Iraq on the heels of 9/11, the wars have caused the Pentagon to rethink the way it fights, how it spends money in times of crisis, and what it values in both its highest and lowest-ranking commanders. The Monitor asked experts to weigh in on the Top 5 ways in which 9/11 has changed the US military.

New York and D.C. alert as US warns of 'credible' terrorist threat

Intensified chatter on jihadist websites led the US to move to protect against a possible terrorist attack, likely focused on New York and the nation's capital, to coincide with the 9/11 anniversary.

In Afghanistan war, Navy SEALs and special ops playing more central role

Navy SEALs and special operations forces are not being withdrawn from Afghanistan war at the same rate as other forces, meaning their duties in the region will only grow. With the Aug. 6 helicopter shoot-down, the SEALs lost 1 percent of their operational population.

Withdrawal from Afghanistan: Three options weighed by the White House

How many US troops are coming home from Afghanistan this year? On the eve of Obama's speech on his promised July start to the drawdown of American forces, here are three scenarios.

In SEAL Team Six success, lessons from 'horrible night' in Iran 30 years ago

The SEAL Team Six raid of Osama bin Laden's Pakistan compound Sunday is being seen as a historic success. But the roots of that success are in lessons learned from the failure of a mission to free the US hostages held by Iran in 1980.

Bin Laden wives found in compound, one used as human shield

Bin Laden wives: During the night attack on Osama bin Laden, one of his wives was reportedly used as a human shield to protect bin Laden from US commandos' fire.

US Air Force chief: Libya no-fly zone would be too little, too late

Many experts agree with Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Norton Schwartz, who told Congress Thursday that a no-fly zone in Libya 'would not be sufficient.' But there are other options short of putting troops on the ground, which President Obama has ruled out.

Pentagon's quiet shift on Afghanistan war: Maybe safe havens aren't crucial

For years, the Pentagon has stressed the importance to the Afghanistan war of eradicating safe havens for the Taliban and other insurgents in Pakistan. Now, it's easing off those claims.

Stan McChrystal recounts US roadblocks to Taliban manhunt

Retired Gen. Stan McChrystal relayed story of how US special forces in Afghanistan finally got their man, despite an intelligence blackout from D.C. Now a Yale professor, he spoke this week about that Taliban episode, WikiLeaks, and information-sharing with the public.

Petraeus strikes back at Karzai ahead of major NATO conference on Afghanistan

A war of words has erupted between Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai and the United States just days before a major NATO conference on security strategy.

PlayStation Move review

PlayStation Move may be four years behind the Nintendo Wii, but it's a major leap forward for the age of motion gaming. The new set of peripherals, available this weekend for the Sony PlayStation 3, doesn't revolutionize video games, but it shows Nintendo fans what they're missing out on: surprisingly precise controls paired with current-generation graphics. Click the blue arrows to check out the full review of PlayStation Move and several PS3 motion games.

Anwar al-Awlaki: ACLU wants militant cleric taken off US 'kill list'

The US government has linked Anwar al-Awlaki, a US citizen in Yemen, to the Fort Hood shootings and the Christmas Day bombing. But the ACLU filed a lawsuit Monday to stop an alleged plan to assassinate him.

The Monitor's View: Obama's other surge -- in Yemen

The Obama administration's military escalation in Yemen, where an Al Qaeda affiliate has become more dangerous, needs careful watching by Congress. Otherwise Yemen, like Afghanistan, might become an American quagmire.

Armed man arrested at US air base AWOL from military unit

The armed man who was arrested Monday at MacDill Air Force Base in Florida is currently AWOL from his military unit.

US military offers sheep in apology for Afghanistan deaths

Vice Adm. William McRaven traveled to the village of Khataba to offer personal apologies for the five Afghanistan deaths in a botched special forces raid there in February. The US military acknowledged its involvement in the killings earlier this month.

PlayStation Move bests Nintendo Wii in content, precision, Sony says

The PlayStation Move motion-control system will go on sale this fall. Sony exec Peter Dille says he expects gamers to migrate 'naturally' from the Nintendo Wii to the Move.

Internet aids terrorist recruiting, radicalization, Pentagon says

Militant and terrorist groups are using the Internet to streamline their terrorist recruiting, radicalization, and training. The man who allegedly attempted to blow up an American airliner on Christmas Day was contacted, recruited, and trained in just six weeks, officials say.

Gates ousts US commander in Afghanistan, saying 'we must do better'

The man he wants for the post, Lt. Gen. Stanley McChrystal, is deeply versed in special operations.

Vice President Biden welcomes troops home -- Full text

A surge of Special Forces for Afghanistan likely

Defense officials say it will fill urgent gaps but Special Forces officers are skeptical.

US crossing more borders in terror war?

The alleged incursions into Syria, and previously into Pakistan, could be risky.

U.S. military prepares to train Pakistani forces

US officials have requested $750 million to expand a program designed to assist foreign militaries engaged in counterterrorism.