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.

Battle of Mosul: SOFREP interview with LTC John Hawbaker of the 82nd Airborne

Less than an hour south of the most intense urban combat seen in all of the Global War on Terror is a squadron of American paratroopers, quietly working alongside the Iraqi Federal Police and offering advice, guidance, and when necessary, American firepower. LTC John Hawbaker, commander for 1st Squadron, 73rd Cavalry Regiment, part of 2nd […]

Mexico second only to Syria as deadliest country in 2016

Despite ongoing international crises in war zones like Syria, Iraq, and Afghanistan, Mexico quietly climbed to the top of the world’s deadliest countries for 2016. In its annual report on armed conflict, the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) showed that 23,000 people were killed in Mexico in 2016, the highest number of any country in the […]

Mexican activist known for investigating cartels killed in her home

Miriam Rodríguez Martínez, an activist on behalf of the thousands of Mexican citizens who go missing every year in Mexico, was murdered in her home by gunmen this week. Martinez had been known for personally investigating the circumstances of her daughter’s death. Karen Alejandra was kidnapped and murdered by criminals from the Zetas cartel in […]

Senate Intelligence Committee hearing overshadowed by Comey, Russia

Senior members of the American Intelligence Community testified before the Senate Intelligence Committee Thursday, speaking on the record about the current national security threats to the United States. The fallout of President Trump’s firing of F.B.I. director James Comey earlier this week made itself physically apparent, as Acting Director Andrew McCabe stood in his place […]

U.S. military spokesman: every weapon given to Kurds will be accounted for

Defending against potential criticism of a recent Department of Defense decision to openly provide weapons to Kurdish fighters in Syria, Operation Inherent Resolve spokesman Colonel John Dorrian tweeted yesterday that every weapon will be completely accounted for and pointed at the Islamic State. Every single one of these weapons that will be provided to our […]

As major Russian military exercise looms, Baltic states look to U.S. and NATO for additional military presence

The United States will be closely monitoring an upcoming major Russian military exercise this summer, says Secretary of Defense James Mattis. This includes the possibility of repositioning key military hardware to the area as a countermeasure to the Russians—if requested by NATO allies. The Russian exercise, called “Zapad,” occurs every four years and will reportedly include up […]

Cocaine use in U.S. skyrockets as Colombian supply rises

The long-awaited peace between the Colombian government and FARC rebels has led to an unprecedented boom in the cocaine industry, the Washington Post reports. Incentives from the government to switch to legal crops have fallen short of achieving their intended effect, as farmers in Columbia’s rural areas are actually planting more coca crop in order […]

Syria claims 5,000 militant Chinese jihadists fighting in the Syrian Civil War

The Syrian ambassador to China claimed on Monday that 5,000 ethnic Uighurs, members of a Muslim minority in western China, are fighting with jihadists in the Syrian Civil War. The Chinese government has previously warned of the growing Muslim insurgency within its own borders, blaming the Uighurs for a number of terrorist attacks inside China. […]

UN: over 1 million refugee children from ongoing war in South Sudan

The ongoing war in South Sudan has generated over 1 million child refugees, part of a humanitarian catastrophe where “the future of a generation is truly on the brink,” according to UNICEF. About 62 percent of the refugees fleeing the conflict are children, and 75,000 are completely unaccompanied by any parents or families, making them […]

Syrian Kurds will look to connect territory to Mediterranean after fall of Raqqa

Kurdish fighters in Northern Syria have revealed plans to extend their gains across northern Syria by establishing a trade route to the Mediterranean Sea, in a move that would almost certainly be opposed from the outset by Turkey, the Guardian reports. U.S. support for the Kurds fighting in Syria against the Islamic State and Assad […]

U.S. Army approves $5,000 bonus for NCOs to stand up new train advise brigade

The United States Army is offering mid-level Non-Commissioned Officers $5,000 bonuses as an incentive to grow a new training and advising brigade the Army sees as critical to 21st century operations, the Associated Press reports. Long a staple of Army Special Forces and other special operations forces, advising and training foreign militias, paramilitaries, and professional […]