Reflexive Fire

From New York Times best selling author and Army Special Operations veteran Jack Murphy comes the next installment in the Deckard mercenary fiction series.

The high Arctic is a region untouched by war.

Until now.

A mysterious weapon is stolen from a Russian facility by an equally elusive foe. With America under attack, the only chance to recover the weapon falls to Deckard and Samruk International in what quickly becomes a deadly game of cat and mouse in the Arctic Circle.

Their enemy is technically savvy, sophisticated, and cunning, staying a step ahead of Samruk at every turn as they race across the tundras of Russia, Alaska, Canada, and beyond.

With the numbers ticking down, Deckard makes a desperate final push across the frozen waste while the enemy triggers their final attack: a blow that could knock Western civilization back a hundred years and give birth to a new empire.

Available today in paperback and ebook editions!

The 4th novel in the Deckard series, Gray Matter Splatter, is now available for pre-order on Amazon.com with a release date of August 24th.  I’m super stoked to be able to get this one out to the readers and am looking forward to hearing your thoughts on it.

From New York Times best selling author and Army Special Operations veteran Jack Murphy comes the next installment in the Deckard mercenary fiction series.

The high Arctic is a region untouched by war.

Until now.

A mysterious weapon is stolen from a Russian facility by an equally elusive foe. With America under attack, the only chance to recover the weapon falls to Deckard and Samruk International in what quickly becomes a deadly game of cat and mouse in the Arctic Circle.

Their enemy is technically savvy, sophisticated, and cunning, staying a step ahead of Samruk at every turn as they race across the tundras of Russia, Alaska, Canada, and beyond.

With the numbers ticking down, Deckard makes a desperate final push across the frozen waste while the enemy triggers their final attack: a blow that could knock Western civilization back a hundred years and give birth to a new empire.

Pre-order Gray Matter Splatter today on Amazon!

Some special operations missions happen with little fanfare at the time, but as rumors circulate within the community, they begin to take on a life of their own. One such instance was the Panama prison riot of 1994, to which members of 2nd Ranger Battalion were sent to respond, armed with axe handles to help subdue Cuban refugees who had revolted. Another operation that has entered into special operations lore also involved a prison riot and Cuban refugees, this time within the United States, in response to which members of Delta Force were deployed.

The role of Delta Force has never been publicly disclosed, with a vague reference in the New York Times in 1987 being the only statement on the topic: “The Pentagon sent a team of military experts in hostage rescue to Atlanta to advise the F.B.I.”

On November 21st, 1987, nearly 1,000 Cuban refugee inmates revolted against guards at a federal detention center in Oakland, Louisiana, taking 28 hostages in the process. Two days later, another group of 1,500 Cuban refugees rioted at a federal penitentiary in Atlanta, Georgia, taking 76 hostages. Both revolts were triggered by a State Department announcement stating that 2,545 refugees from the 1979-80 Mariel boat lift were to be returned to Cuba. During the riots, many of the refugees—felons and criminally insane deported by Castro to discredit then-President Jimmy Carter—opened up other cell blocks, which intermixed the prison population. A full-blown hostage crisis was underway.

Read the rest here.

120713-N-GG400-022 MAMALA BAY UNDERWATER DEMOLITION RANGE, Hawaii (July 13, 2012) Navy Diver 2nd Class Josh Underwood, left, assigned to Mobile Diving and Salvage Unit (NMDSU) 1, and Leading Seaman Sam Peters, assigned to the Australian Clearance Diving Team, set an explosive charge during the underwater demolition training portion of RIMPAC 2012. Twenty-two nations, more than 40 ships and submarines, more than 200 aircraft and 25,000 personnel are participating in the RIMPAC exercise from June 29 to Aug. 3, in and around the Hawaiian Islands. The world’s largest international maritime exercise, RIMPAC provides a unique training opportunity that helps participants foster and sustain the cooperative relationships that are critical to ensuring the safety of sea lanes and security on the world’s oceans. RIMPAC 2012 is the 23rd exercise in the series that began in 1971. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Jumar T. Balacy/Released)

A mysterious group called the Niger Delta Avengers has launched a series of strikes directed against underwater oil pipelines, putting a significant dent in Nigeria’s output of oil and appearing to tip the government into a economic recession.  The attacks, directed against Royal Dutch Shell, Chevron, and an Italian company called Eni SpA, are conducted by teams that descend underwater using diving equipment before employing explosive charges on the pipelines.  Demonstrating a level of sophistication beyond previous Nigerian militants, be they MEND or Boko Haram, the identity of these underwater demolition teams remains a mystery.

Douw Steyn is the author of Iron Fist from the Sea a book about the history of his former unit, South Africa’s 4 Recce which specialized in maritime special operations including attack diving.  Steyn told SOFREP, “The divers that do this operation are highly skilled and trained in the military or by instructors that left the military and know how to train individuals to became attack divers.”  Attack diving, a specialized skill employed by 4 Recce could be compared to the underwater demolition operations that Navy SEALs are trained for.

Underwater demolitions are complicated in nature due difficulties in working in a sub-surface environment, and require long hours of training and rehearsals, as well as mission planning, and reconnaissance.  “The target information is the most important information to have,” Steyn said “because with that information, you do your planning on what type of explosives, how many explosives and the depth of the charges. It also give you the specific place to put the bombs/mines, and of the weaknesses of the target the other point that will be planned in detail is the time delay on the mines, this is determined by the surroundings and means of transport the attackers are using [such as] small craft, submarines, and inflatables.”

Read the rest.

While American Special Operations units are often written about and are part of the public discourse in the United States, the particular challenges faced by our allied SOF units in Europe tend to get overlooked if not disregarded.  From Lithuania to the United Kingdom, our European SOF partners have made a significant contribution to the War on Terror, some of them nearly stretched to the breaking point.  The purpose of this article is to discuss the specific challenges that some of these units face, and when possible, propose a few solutions.

Based on interviews with a half dozen European Special Operations veterans, each from a different country, it is SOFREP’s goal to educate and inform the pubic about military Special Operations and perhaps give some credit to our often neglected friends on the other side of the Atlantic as the war against terrorism evolves, changes forms, and perhaps reorients itself to once again face down not just terrorist organizations but also nation states such as Russia.

Read the rest.

Private Brandon Queen was advised to carry a knife with him at all times by his team leader, knowing that their squad leader favored young, pre-pubescent-looking soldiers. “Once the sun goes down, who knows where Santoro is and where Queen is. Something could happen in the corner of the FOB,” his team leader told SOFREP.

At Forward Operating Base (FOB) Kushamond in Paktika Province, Afghanistan, a rogue soldier stalked the men of 1^st Platoon, Charlie Company, 1^st Battalion, 506^th Infantry Regiment, a part of the 101^st Airborne Division.

Staff Sergeant Johnny Santoro was a predator, Queen was told, and he had to take precautions. “Everybody knew he was gay and everyone was scared of him. Basically, he used intimidation and rank [to get what he wanted],” Queen said. After dealing with months of groping, stalking, and harassment, Santoro attempted to forcibly pull down Queen’s pants to perform oral sex on him. Queen removed himself from the situation, and multiple members of the platoon heard Queen running away at a high rate of speed in the dead of night.

Today I started a Facebook group called Samruk International, named after Deckard’s Private Military Company in my series of novels.  I figure this is a practical and effective way to communicate with readers.  I will of course continue to post updates on this blog as well.  If you want to hear about the status of the latest book, “Gray Matter Splatter” just sign up for the group!