Alex Hollings

For the most part, orbital defense isn’t nearly as sexy an endeavor as its made out to be by the media. Protecting America’s large constellation of defense, intelligence and commercial satellites relied on for everything from navigation to communications, is largely an effort that can be undertaken from a desk here on earth — including […]

Last week, Air Force secretary Heather Wilson released a report indicating that the establishment of a new branch of the American Armed Forces tasked specifically with space defense would cost an estimated $13 billion over five years — a figure that was widely touted throughout the media as a sign that the Trump-led initiative is […]

Recently, the U.S. Navy scrapped plans for a carrier-based armed drone aircraft in favor of their new MQ-25 Stingray program. Instead of carrying ordnance aboard the unmanned vehicles, the MQ-25 will serve as a refueler that helps to extend the operational range of fighters like the Block III F/A-18 Super Hornet and the F-35C naval […]

Ever since President Trump announced his intention to establish a Space Force, much of the popular sentiment has involved images of jetpack-laden space troops engaging in zero-G warfare in the black expanse above our heads. But the reality of the threats to America’s satellite. Even world-famous astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson, who has repeatedly spoken out […]

Over the past year, the United States has begun to shift operational strategies away from ongoing counter-terror operations and toward a resurgence of near-peer level threats presented by China’s rapidly expanding military and Russia’s aggressive use of their own limited military capabilities. Over nearly two straight decades of the War on Terror, the United States […]

Russia’s annual military exercises occur within a four year rotation, with each year within that cycle devoted to a particular facet of Russian military operations. Last year, they held their massive Zapad (meaning “West”) drills in Belarus, prompting concerns from NATO allies in the Baltics. This year, their Vostok exercises (this time, meaning “East”) took […]

President Trump campaigned on a platform of “America first,” which included adding pressure on European allies to begin meeting their financial obligations to the NATO alliance. While Trump was certainly not the first president to harp on what the United States often refers to as “burden sharing” among its allies, his rhetoric appears to have […]

China’s long-serving aircraft carrier, the Liaoning, boasts a small fleet of troubled J-15s and, as of 2016, only 25 qualified pilots. Now, as the Chinese test and expedite production of two new domestically developed aircraft carriers, they face a number of significant challenges. Their goal is to become a true “blue water” Navy. But they still have much […]

The use of drones has changed the way the U.S. and its competitors conduct combat operations. Yet despite the broad capabilities touted by America’s varied drone aircraft, some combat operations remain too complex for the pilotless planes. For years, air-to-air engagements were among those operations best left to manned aircraft. But a recent announcement from […]

Media outlets the world over have been reporting on Air Force documents outlining the projected costs associated with establishing a new branch of the American armed forces tasked specifically with orbital defense (Space Force), and based on the headlines, it seems like many outlets have never seen the defense budget before. According to the Air […]

For nearly two decades, the United States Air Force has been engaged in combat operations in multiple theaters around the globe, all the while maintaining a deterrent presence in many other regions. Now, Air Force Secretary Heather Wilson is calling on lawmakers to dramatically increase the size of the force to offset the negative effects […]

Swiss officials issued a clear demand to Russia’s Foreign Ministry to cease their illegal spying efforts within their nation on Sunday, following the revelation of another case of espionage carried out by Russian operatives within the past week. For the third time this year, the Swiss foreign ministry summoned the Russian ambassador to answer for […]