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.

Pentagon seeks significant budget boost

Senior defense officials spoke before the House Armed Services Committee this morning, arguing that current levels of funding will not be enough to sustain the armed forces and meet modernization needs. Army Vice Chief of Staff General Daniel Allyn, Vice Chief of Naval Operations Admiral William Moran, Air Force Vice Chief of Staff General Stephen […]

China uses Coast Guard vessels to send message to Japan, U.S.

The Chinese Coast Guard sailed three ships within Japan’s territorial waters yesterday, likely another intentional provocation fitting a pattern of recent Chinese actions in the South China Sea. The territorial waters in question are part of the Senkaku Islands, a handful of uninhabited islands that lay roughly due east of Mainland China. Japan has claimed […]

No longer active duty? You can still become a Green Beret

Few members of the active duty Army are aware of what is one of the best kept secrets in the military. Even if you have missed your primary opportunity to attend Special Forces Assessment and Selection (SFAS) in your regular career, you can still become a member of Army Special Forces through the National Guard. […]

‘Countering Violent Extremism Grant Program’ possibly rebranded

An exclusive report from Reuters says that President Trump is seeking to rename and possibly entirely refocus the efforts of a recent Department of Homeland Security (DHS) program called the ‘Countering Violent Extremism Grant Program’ towards radical Islamic extremism. The program, established by memorandum on July 6, 2016, is a grant-based initiative to provide funds […]

Paris knife attack highlights persistent terror tactic of edged weapons

Earlier this morning, a knife wielding man attacked French security personnel guarding the entrance to the Louvre. He was reportedly subdued only after non-lethal means failed to stop the threat, and shots were fired. The attacker, whose identity and motivation remains unclear, was seriously injured. French soldiers have been deployed to major tourist destinations and […]

Assigning blame: Irresponsible reporting attempts to politicize Yemen raid

Fresh off the heels of the SEAL Team Six raid in Yemen, media outlets are already drawing biased and irresponsible conclusions in what is most likely an attempt to politicize the operation. Citing ‘unnamed military officials’, multiple news organizations have sought to link the death of a SEAL Operator, as well as multiple civilians, to […]

Questions remain over adoption of ‘up-gunned’ Strykers

The Army remains on course to fielding the 2nd Cavalry Regiment in Germany with new, up-gunned Stryker Infantry Carrier Vehicles by next year. Dubbed the ‘Infantry Carrier Vehicle – Dragoon’, or ICV-D, this new variant would place a 30mm cannon onto a standard Stryker vehicle. This would add a tremendous amount of firepower to the typical […]

Veterans: The Mainstream Media is not your friend

In his first formal meeting as Commander in Chief with members of the intelligence community at the headquarters of the Central Intelligence Agency, President Trump made clear his relationship with the so-called ‘Fourth Branch of Government’. “I have a running war with the media.” Trump said. While there’s no denying the President’s penchant for dramatics, […]

How to become a US Army Infantry Officer

While there is a considerable amount of information available on how to become a member of America’s special operations forces, what often remains a mystery to those outside the military is how all those commissioned officers wound up leading these elite warriors, or at least absorbing the blame when things go wrong. While there are […]