Travis Allen

About the author

is a former US Army Infantry Officer. While a Platoon Leader in Afghanistan, he was part of a joint Special Forces/Infantry team conducting Village Stability Operations in Kandahar Province. Travis graduated from the US Military Academy at West Point in 2010.

U.S. may give ‘defensive’ weapons to Ukraine

The United States is considering providing the Ukrainian military with more advanced weaponry intended for defensive use against the Russians and Russian-backed separatists. The announcement was made by U.S. special envoy to Ukraine Kurt Volker, who said in a TV interview that the weapons would be to maintain the status quo, and that if Russia […]

More Ukrainian soldiers killed as fighting continues in the Donbass

Fighting in eastern Ukraine has flared up again, which the U.S. special envoy to Ukraine described as a “hot war” after a recent uptick in violence led to 11 people being killed over the course of the last week. “This is not a frozen conflict, this is a hot war and it is an immediate […]

Iran and Iraq sign defense cooperation agreement

Iraq and Iran signed a memorandum of understanding expanding military cooperation between the countries on Sunday in Tehran, in a sign of strengthening ties between the historic rivals. The agreement covers a wide range of topics within the greater realm of national security, specifically in areas to fight terrorism and extremism, border security, training, logistics, […]

Trump ends program to arm Syrian rebels. Was it ever effective?

The Trump administration has pulled the plug on a CIA covert action program to arm Syrian rebels in their fight against the Assad regime in Syria. The program, started under the Obama administration, was quickly leaked to the media after its inception, and had continued for four years. The intent was to provide Syrian rebel […]

CIA Director Pompeo speaks on Russian efforts to undermine U.S.

Speaking on a variety of national security topics on Thursday, CIA Director Mike Pompeo reiterated his views of Russia as an adversary across a wide spectrum, saying that the Russians will do whatever they can to “stick it to America,” the Associated Press reports. Pompeo said that Russia continues to pursue a strategy solely in […]

Putin removed from upcoming movies over hacking fears

The realities of hacking, cyber-warfare, and intimidation in 2017 are manifesting themselves in the movie industry, as film studios are reluctant to include even passing references to Vladimir Putin in upcoming movies. Two upcoming films, one a fictional story based off a novel about a Russian double agent in a romantic relationship with a CIA […]

China-India conflict picking up steam—in the media

A simmering conflict between India and China in a remote border region in the mountains is showing no signs of abating, as more soldiers and military hardware are reportedly moving towards what is being openly discussed as a possible war by the media in both countries. The conflict, a border dispute in a rugged area […]

Report: Cameroon military torturing hundreds of Boko Haram suspects

There is widespread torture and abuse at the hands of security forces in Cameroon against suspected members of Boko Haram, with some torture cases so severe they have been fatal, Amnesty International said in a report released on Thursday. We have repeatedly and unequivocally condemned the atrocities and war crimes committed by Boko Haram in […]

Human rights group releases report on North Korean mass killings, graves

A human rights group in Seoul released a report on Wednesday titled “Mapping Crimes Against Humanity in North Korea“, whose objective is to map locations used for killings and mass graves by the North Korean government. The group, called the Transitional Justice Working Group (TJWG), used satellite imagery and interviewed hundreds of North Korean defectors […]

Saudi woman released after arrest for being filmed in mini skirt

A woman in Saudi Arabia who was detained by police after a video of herself walking in a skirt went viral, has been released. The woman, whose name has not been released, became known as “Khulood the Model” and a hashtag demanding her arrest and trial quickly followed suit. https://twitter.com/50BM_/status/886614068768976897 The video shows the woman […]

North Korean defector’s abrupt return to DPRK fuels abduction theory

A popular television personality in South Korea who gained fame after fleeing from North Korea three years ago, is feared to have been kidnapped and returned back to the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK), the BBC reports. After appearing in a propaganda video with another former defector who ‘returned’ to North Korea, many now […]

Turkey adds to growing list of lethal drone strikes

Last week Turkey used its own Anka unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) for the first time in combat, using the drone to reportedly attack and kill members of the terrorist organization known as the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK). The drone used Roketsan MAM-L laser-guided mini ammunition, a Turkish weapon system, to kill five PKK fighters in […]