It is not very often (if ever) you see special operation forces invade a US city but last May if you were in Tampa, Florida you might have seen it happening as part of the International Special Operations Forces Week.
This is one video you must see!
Operations began quietly enough, with a team impersonating opposition forces raiding the Starship yacht at 1:30 pm. Tampa’s citizens were likely none-the-wiser, that is until the show went into full swing with dozens of operators assaulting the ship via helicopter and speedboat — firing hundreds of blanks from their weapons all the while. The city’s Mayor Bob Buckhorn played the role of a captured hostage.
“You can never really appreciate what they do every night when they’re deployed, doing the work we’re incapable of doing for ourselves,” said Buckhorn to Tampa Bay’s local fox affiliate, “and they’re the best in the world.” – The Daily Caller
The International Special Operations Forces Week in 2016 involved delegates from 96 nations. It is estimated there were over 11,000 attendees to the event last year. The U.S. military’s Special Operations Command (SOCOM) is headquartered in the Tampa Bay area. Pictures may have been from other years of the event.
A military helicopter flies over the channel near the Tampa Convention Center. Members of several military branches participated in the International Special Operations Forces training exercise. Photo by Chris Urso Tampa Bay Times.
Featured image of spectators watching a demonstration by special operations troops on an Army MH-60 Blackhawk near the Tampa Convention Center during the Special Operations Forces (SOF) Industry Conference. Photo by The Tampa Bay Times, Daniel Wallace, AP