Shawn Snow
Early Bird Editor
Shawn Snow is the senior reporter for Marine Corps Times and a Marine Corps veteran.
All Stories By Shawn
Special operators will be countering violent extremists for the ‘long haul’
The commander of SOCOM said battling violent extremists groups will remain the number one priority for American commandos.
Afghan forces still at the mercy of US air support despite huge investment into Afghan air force
B-52s were postured to respond to Taliban assaults of several urban centers that occurred in late August to early September.
US launches airstrikes on al-Shabab in response to attack on US commando outpost in Somalia
The U.S. military uses the Baledogle airstrip base to launch drones that attack al-Shabab targets and to train Somali troops.
UN says night vision devices are being supplied to the Taliban in increasing numbers
“Equipment is normally rail mounted onto rifles and becomes most effective in combination with the Taliban’s use of Dragunov 7.62 x 54 mm sniper rifles, which allow effective targeting at up to or even above 800 meters."-UN report
A bipartisan report calls for the US to halt its withdrawal from Syria
Absent U.S. assistance in the region, America risks handing the reins of the country’s future to a resurgent ISIS, al-Qaida offshoots and the maligned interests of Iran, Russia and other actors in the region.
The DoD authorized eligible service members to wear medal for the NATO mission in Iraq
The NATO mission in Iraq is a noncombat advisory mission designed to support Iraqi security forces and military education institutions in the country as part of the broader effort to defeat ISIS militants.
Unsafe intercepts involving NATO aircraft have decreased, and often are the result of a ‘hot-dogging’ pilot, top general says
“In many of the cases where they’re unsafe, when you take a look at the experience level of the operators that were involved, it typically turns into a young man or woman that was probably just hot-dogging it a little bit more than they should." - U.S. Air Force Gen. Tod Wolters, NATO’s Supreme Allied Commander Europe and commander of U.S. European Command
Rocket attack hits near US Embassy in Baghdad’s Green Zone
Two rockets were fired into the capital’s fortified Green Zone Monday evening, landing around one kilometer (a half-mile) from the U.S. Embassy amid soaring tensions between the U.S. and Iran.
US destroyer made ‘historic’ visit to Beirut as regional tensions mount
The port visit by the Arleigh Burke-class destroyer Ramage to Beirut was the first in 36 years.
27 reports of extremist activity by US service members over the past 5 years, DoD says
Out of those 27 reports, the DoD said all but two had been formally investigated and that 18 service members were disciplined or separated from the military.
