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.

WALL: Trump border wall prototypes rolled out in San Diego

Several prototypes of the long-promised “Trump Border Wall” are currently under construction in San Diego. Six companies have been granted contracts from Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) to design the eight separate prototypes, which must be complete by October 26th of this year. President Trump has championed the building of an all-encompassing border wall along […]

FBI: murders and attacks on police officers spike in 2016

Murders and attacks against law enforcement officers in the United States sharply increased in 2016, according to a report issued by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) on Monday. The annual Law Enforcement Officers Killed and Assaulted (LEOKA) report showed that 118 officers were killed in the line of duty last year, 66 of which […]

On this day in SOF history—October 18th: Special Forces legend Larry Thorne, veteran of Finland, Nazi Germany, and the United States, is killed in Vietnam

On this day: October 18th 1965—Before Special Forces Captain Larry Thorne was tragically killed in combat in Vietnam, he had already lived a legendary career spanning multiple continents, careers, nations, and wars. Born Lauri Allan Törni in Finland, as a young man Thorne led Finnish soldiers in their war against the Soviet Union in 1939-1940, […]

China makes moves on the Arctic with milestone icebreaking mission

A major milestone was achieved in China’s long-term Arctic strategy last week when a Chinese icebreaker successfully navigated the Northwest Passage. This passage through Arctic waters is seen as one of the first steps in establishing a Chinese presence in the resource-rich region of the Arctic. Snow Dragon, China’s lone icebreaker, became the first Chinese […]

On this day in SOF history—October 16th: 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment is born

On this day in SOF history: October 16th 1981 — 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment is officially established The legendary aviation unit responsible for flying the most high-risk missions in American Special Operations was officially established on October 16th, 1981. We take for granted the incredibly skilled pilots within the Regiment, but before the Night […]

Experts warn Congress a North Korean EMP could kill millions

Members of Congress were again warned this week about the threat of an electromagnetic pulse (EMP) attack from North Korea or other rogue entities that could have catastrophic effects on the United States, akin to an extinction-level event. The briefing was given by two members of the former EMP congressional commission, who said that a […]

On this day in SOF history—October 13th: Islamic State of Iraq forms

On this day— October 13th 2006: The Islamic State of Iraq is declared. The subject of “when” the Islamic State (ISIS) was founded has been a go-to method of scoring political points since the emergence of the group as a violent worldwide threat. President Trump and other Trump administration figures have recently said that Trump […]

U.S. counter-terror official warns of Hezbollah threat to homeland

The United States is offering millions of dollars in award money for information that could lead to the arrest of two Hezbollah leaders, a senior State Department official said yesterday. Nicholas Rasmussen, head of the National Counterterrorism Center in Washington D.C., also said Hezbollah has actors within the U.S. homeland as part of its ongoing […]

On this day in SOF history—October 12th: JFK authorizes the wear of the Green Beret

On this day: October 12th 1961 — Long before President John F. Kennedy’s vision of the “soldier statesmen” concept that came to be embodied by the American Special Forces soldier was solidified with his authorization of the distinctive Green Beret, Special Forces soldiers had sought headgear that would instantly set them apart from other soldiers. […]