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.

On this day in SOF history—October 6th: First MARSOC individual training course begins

On this day: October 6th First MARSOC Individual Training Course Begins — 2008 After standing up the Marine Corps’ first special operations unit in 2006, the USMC’s Marine Corps Forces Special Operations Command (MARSOC) was mired in controversy after an incident in Afghanistan where the unit was accused of killing civilians in a firefight. The […]

Austria becomes latest European country to ban burqas

A new law banning the wearing of Muslim headscarves will go into effect this Sunday in Austria. The law also bans other non-religious items, such as medical face masks and clown face paint, except under specific circumstances. The law affects the wear of these items in public, to include schools and public transportation. Austria is […]

Government report shows average American paid $7,500 towards War on Terror

Previously unreported data from the Department of Defense released this summer shows that the average American taxpayer has spent $7,500 on the wars in Afghanistan, Iraq, and Syria, since the beginning of the Global War on Terror in 2001. That means this fiscal year, your average taxpaying American citizen will spend about $289 on wars […]

FBI: Murder and violent crime on the rise in the US for second consecutive year

Violent crime increased in the United States for the second consecutive year, according to a report released this week by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). The report, titled “Crime in the United States” showed that murders have jumped significantly in recent years, up 8.6 percent since 2015 and 16.1 percent since 2012. It estimated […]

World waits as votes are tallied in Kurdish independence vote

As votes continue to be tallied from the Iraqi Kurdish referendum election held on Monday, major powers in the region and around the world brace for the almost certain reality of a “yes” vote for Kurdistan independence. The Iraqi government has firmly said they will not negotiate with the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) over talks […]