By Alex Quade (Tampa, Florida) – The next four-star general to run U.S. Special Operations Command (SOCOM), if confirmed by the Senate, will be Lt.Gen. Joseph Votel, who currently runs the über secret Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC). The Tier-1 elements Votel currently commands include elite units such as Delta Force and SEAL Team 6 – which have been in the news recently for missions such as the POW Bowe Bergdahl rescue, and the capture of one of the suspected ringleaders of the Benghazi attack. Votel will take over command of SOCOM from Adm. William McRaven, who also ran JSOC before SOCOM, and was in charge of the capture-or-kill Osama bin Laden mission. [Read more…]
WMDs and terrorists among top concerns for new special ops pick
July 3, 2014 by
Lt. Gen. Joseph Votel
TAMPA, Fla. — Keeping weapons of mass destruction out of the hands of terrorists has become a key technological area of focus for special operations, according to the Army general recently nominated to head U.S. Special Operations Command. [Read more…]
Alex and Special Forces Combat Outpost Pirelli
June 24, 2014 by
Editor’s note: In light of President Barack Obama’s announcement to send Special Forces 12-man Green Beret teams to Iraq to assist with the current crisis, war reporter Alex Quade was there with these same types of Operational Detachment, or “A-Teams”, in Iraq, in the same area that is now controlled by ISIS. Her exclusive reporting, “Special Forces Combat Outpost Pirelli” is worth a re-look at how A-Teams work, the challenges they’re up against, and returning to the very same locations.
War reporter, Alex Quade, embedded long-term with Operational Detachment Alpha Teams of the Army’s 10th Special Forces Group in Diyala province, Iraq in 2007 and 2008. One of those Green Beret “A- Teams” was ODA-072. [Read more…]
As America leaves Afghanistan, Special Ops generals reveal what’s next
June 21, 2014 by
By Alex Quade
TAMPA, Fla. — Admiral William McRaven doesn’t know what the future holds for Special Operations forces in Afghanistan, but he knows it’s going to be challenging. [Read more…]
Alex Quade: Six tips for female war reporters
June 17, 2014 by
Alex Quade, a member of the Society of Professional Journalists since 2012, is a war reporter and documentary filmmaker who has covered U.S. Special Operations Forces on combat missions since 2007. Extreme storytelling and silent risk-taking lie at the heart of what Quade does. She is the recipient of two national Edward R. Murrow Awards, as well as the Congressional Medal Of Honor Society’s Excellence in Journalism Award for her “honest & courageous” war reportage. Quade has produced videos and online reports for The New York Times, written a front page story for The Washington Times and has two documentaries in film festivals. [Read more…]
How a Special Ops legend made me a better reporter
June 17, 2014 by
Medal of Honor recipient made impression
Col. Robert L. Howard
As young journalists bootstrapping our way up the news ranks, our mentors are usually editors or executive producers. If you’re a journalist, what you’re about to read may come as a bit of a shock. My mentor was not in the news business. Far from it, though he made some news in his day. [Read more…]
Alex Quade: Behind the stories
June 17, 2014 by
Alex Quade shares personal stories and challenges behind her Edward R. Murrow Award-winning work covering Special Forces in combat. Extreme storytelling and silent risk-taking are at the heart of what Alex does. [Read more…]
Alex Quade provides advice on being a war reporter
June 16, 2014 by
In this video, Alex Quade gives tips and serious advice for journalists who want to cover wars from the front lines. [Read more…]
Alex Quade’s ‘Chinook Down’ to screen in Los Angeles
March 15, 2014 by
Alex’s award-winning documentary “Chinook Down” will screen at the Los Angeles Women’s International Film Festival on Sunday March 16. [Read more…]
Portrait of an Army Family
February 14, 2014 by
The Pruett family.
“Some give some, and some give more. Some have no clue to what they’re really fighting for,” Kristin Pruett sang at her home piano in Boise, Idaho, recently. She tape-recorded her holiday tribute to the family of veterans she’d married into, and put it online with photos. [Read more…]
