The Commander's Thoughts

This episode is a year in the making. We talk with the Commander of Special Operations Training Detachment. We pick his brain on the state of ARSOF, training priorities, and the future of CTCs. The National Training Center and SOTD are in the middle of a transformation and modernization effort to increase lethality and improve readiness; let's see what the leadership's take on it is.

We continue our discussion with the Civil Affairs Company leadership as we talk Realistic Military Training during the rotation and their take aways from the exercise.

In this episode of Off the Radar, we sit down with leaders from B/96th Civil Affairs Company fresh off their rotation at the National Training Center (NTC). Operating within a Large-Scale Combat Operations (LSCO) scenario, the unit faced the complex realities of supporting maneuver forces while simultaneously navigating civilian populations, governance challenges, and information dynamics in a contested environment.The conversation dives into how the company adapted its traditional Civil Affairs skill sets—key leader engagements, civil reconnaissance, and population analysis—to a high-intensity fight where access was limited and the pace was relentless. Leaders reflect on friction points, including integration with supported brigades, survivability on a kinetic battlefield, and maintaining relevance.The episode highlights critical lessons learned: the importance of early integration into the planning process, the need to digitize and rapidly share civil information, and the challenge of balancing influence operations with physical security constraints. Wrapping up, the team explores how these insights are shaping future training and readiness for their unit, and how these lessons learned will influence them.

In this episode of OTR, MAJ Casey Phillips, a career SOF Logistician and past NTC Observer, Coach, and Trainer, shares his experiences from the SOF community. We explore how special operations logistics operate, balancing speed, knowledge, and flexibility. From improvised resupply in austere environments to integrating with conventional forces during large-scale operations, SOF logisticians ensure that elite units—and the broader joint force—can sustain momentum in complex missions. Whether it’s supporting a small team deep behind enemy lines or enabling large-scale operations alongside conventional units, the logistics professionals working behind the scenes prove that sometimes the most critical part of the mission is the part no one sees.

As the calendar turns and a new training year begins, Special Operations Training Detachment is sharpening the force for the challenges ahead. In the vast training environment at NTC, Fort Irwin, CA, innovation and fundamentals are not competing priorities — they are pillars of readiness.This episode dives into how the detachment is setting the tone for the year by strengthening ARSOF integration, accelerating modernization, and recommitting to the core skills that define elite performance and success.

In the episode of OTR, MAJ Matt Song (Burro Team OIC) and Keegan (Special Forces Field Team OIC) join us as we discuss some recent rotational unit rends and the current state of SOF at the National Training Center (NTC).

We continue our discussion in part two with MAJ Weston Rich as he gives his opinions on ARSOF in LSCO at NTC and his final takeaways from his time at SOTD-West.

In this episode, we chat with MAJ Weston Rich, a former Burro alumni and creator of the OTR podcast. He shares his perspective of where SOF and CTCs are and how he envisions the future. We also talk about the genesis of OTR and how it has evolved to what it is now.

This is the follow up from our initial discussion with the Goldminer Command Team. Here we continue discussing ARSOF CFI3 (Integration, Interoperability, and Interdependence) while also getting unique insight on the challenges that a CSSB and BSB face here at NTC. Goldminer 07 and 40 discuss the opportunities for future collaboration between ARSOF and Logisticians at NTC and how that relationship can be transferred to real world operations.

This is part one of a two part discussion with Goldminer 07 and 40, the lead Logistician Trainers at NTC. Both LTC Eric Shockley and CSM Krista Peterson are career logisticians with a vast amount of knowledge and experience at both NTC and Army sustainment operations.In this episode of Off the Radar, we dive into the unique role Army logisticians play in supporting Special Operations Forces (SOF) at the National Training Center (NTC) at Fort Irwin. As the battlefield becomes increasingly complex and multi-domain, the demands on sustainment professionals grow sharper and more critical.Join us as we talk with Goldminer 07 and 40, LTC Eric Shockley and CSM Christa Petersen about how logistics directly impacts mission success in high-intensity, joint-force training environments. From logistic distribution in denied terrain to expeditionary maintenance and austere medical support, this episode explores how logisticians adapt, innovate, and execute under the toughest simulated combat conditions in the Army.Whether you're a seasoned sustainment leader or a new 92-series Soldier, this conversation sheds light on the behind-the-scenes efforts that keep SOF and Conventional Forces ready, responsive, and resilient at the point of friction.