Australian Special Operations Forces

I'm joined by Colonel Ian Langford, DSC (Two Bar), who has served the Australian Army and Special Operations Command, with distinction, for over two decades. He has served in the Solomon Islands, East Timor, Bougainville, Israel, Iraq, Lebanon, Syria, and Afghanistan where he was recognized with the Distinguished Service Cross for distinguished command and leadership in action as Officer Commanding Alpha Commando Company Group in the Special Operations Task Group, Operation SLIPPER. He is a Distinguished Graduate of the United States Marine Corps Command and Staff College and the School of Advanced Warfighting. He is currently a Visiting Fellow at Charles Sturt University.

In episode 76 we’re taking a look at Australia’s special operations forces. We discuss how SOF are utilized, structured, and how they compliment and differ from similar forces in the United States. We also discuss the current state of the world, where it might be headed, and how that could impact the way special operations forces are utilized.

This episode also opens up with what will likely become a reoccurring short segment with New York Times bestselling author and former State Department counterterrorism agent Fred Burton. Fred worked many massive counterterrorism cases throughout his career and I’ll be rolling out short reflections on those in several upcoming episodes.

This episode includes another short recollection from Fred Burton. Fred is the former deputy chief of counterterrorism at the Diplomatic Security Service and the author of the best-selling memoir GHOST: Confessions of a Counterterrorism Agent. His other works include Chasing Shadows: A Special Agent's Lifelong Hunt to Bring a Cold War Assassin to Justice and Under Fire: The Untold Story of the Attack in Benghazi.