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.

China seeks to change maritime law within contested waters

China is introducing significant new measures for foreign vessels traveling through its territorial waters. While that would normally be no cause for alarm, the Chinese are seeking to apply these rules to vast stretches of the South China Sea it has independently laid claim to, in direct conflict with the wishes of its neighbors and […]

Military child care ‘freeze’ may have been false alarm

The “child care worker” freeze, as announced by officials at Fort Knox, KY and Army Garrison Wiesbaden, Germany, may have been premature in its warnings. Originally reported last week as an unintended side effect of the ‘Federal Hiring Freeze,’ military families were left in limbo over the possibility of not having access to some child […]

Russia officially stands up its own cyber warfare troops

In a speech to the Russian parliament, Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu announced the formation of a new information warfare branch of the Russian military, according to the Associated Press. The public announcement comes at a time of major, and not-so secret, military revitalization of the Russian military. Across their army, air force, and navy, the […]

Migrant crisis continues as 74 Africans found dead along Libyan coast

The bodies of at least 74 African migrants were found washed ashore along Libya’s coast, according to the Libyan Red Crescent. The incident occurred near Zawiya, a city close to Tripoli along Libya’s northern coast. A representative of the Libyan Red Crescent says that after finding the remnants of a torn rubber boat, he expects […]

Philippines strengthen relationship with Russia through intelligence, training

In a sign of continuing closeness between Russia and the Philippines, the secretary of Russia’s Security Council has offered President Duterte access to Russian intelligence and tactical training for his security forces. Rodrigo Duterte has stoked international controversy since assuming the presidency of the Philippines last summer by launching a violent police campaign focused on […]

NATO: German soldiers accused of rape by Russian propaganda effort

German soldiers forward deployed to Lithuania have become the targets of a hostile Russian information operations campaign, according to NATO officials. On Thursday, it was reported that rape allegations made against German soldiers via email made it all the way to the president of the Lithuanian parliament and to various news agencies in the country. […]

Heads of U.S. and Russian military meet for first time since 2014

Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Joseph Dunford will meet today with his Russian counterpart, General Valery Gerasimov, to discuss U.S.-Russian military relations at a time of seemingly heightened tensions. The meeting between the two military leaders will be the first face-to-face meeting of its kind since the Russian annexation of Crimea in […]

Al-Qaeda positioning to reclaim the mantle of global jihad from ISIS

The nature and threat of radical Islamic terrorism has been altered and expanded by ISIS, and Al-Qaeda has been quietly rebuilding its capabilities in preparation for ISIS’ defeat on the battlefield, according to terrorism officials. Three renowned experts on terrorism testified before the House Armed Services Committee on Tuesday, giving detailed briefs on their assessments of the […]