Book Review: ARISEN Operators 1, Fall of the Third Temple
Yaël Sion does not survive the apocalypse by hoping harder; she survives it the way a cutting tool survives steel, by biting down and refusing to let go.
Galen Fries
Morning Brief: Rochester Police Ambush, UN Peacekeepers Killed, US Seizes Second Venezuelan Oil Tanker
From an ambush that wounded three Rochester police officers, to the killing of UN peacekeepers overseas, to US forces seizing sanctioned oil tankers off Venezuela, a series of escalating incidents highlights growing risks for security forces operating in unstable and increasingly contested environments.
Evening Brief: US Strikes ISIS in Syria, Russia Hits Odesa, Bellevue OIS
After a deadly ambush near Palmyra, US forces hit more than 70 ISIS targets across central Syria in a heavy retaliation strike meant to keep ISIS cells from regrouping. Russia is pounding Odesa while massing forces near Pokrovsk, and back home a Bellevue officer-involved shooting is under review by King County’s independent investigators as both the officer and suspect recover.
The Art of the Suck: Why Resilience Skills Still Belong in the Ruck
Even as the Army steps away from formal MRT requirements, the resilience skills it taught are still mission-useful and should be shared through strong mentorship to help soldiers stay alive and pass their PT tests.
As I Walk Through the Valley of Death, I Shall Freak No Evil: Pin-Up 2.0
War has always had a myth side, and today’s “tactical glam” pin-up imagery sells that fantasy with real kit and lethal swagger, drawing civilians in while vets instinctively spot the gaps between the poster and the patrol.
America First vs. Neoconservatism: Two Ways to Swing the Big Stick
Breaking down how neoconservatism and America First both demand a dominant U.S. military, but one aims to shape the world while the other uses power to secure direct benefits for Americans.
Morning Brief: AI Power Grid Shift and Norway Military Aid: F-16 Weapons for Ukraine and Arctic Security on Jan Mayen
Federal regulators are moving to let massive AI data centers connect closer to power plants, a fast-track grid shift that could bring reliability. Norway is also stocking the shelves with consequences, funding F-16 munitions and air-defense weapons for Ukraine while tightening security rules on Jan Mayen as the Arctic heats up.
A Family Heirloom: Dad’s Heckler and Koch Model 940
This HK 940 is not a rifle I own so much as a piece of my dad I can shoulder again, steel and walnut carrying the smell of Hoppe’s and the weight of a family story that outlasts any price tag.
SOFREP Cartoon: U.S. Southern Command’s Pirate Upgrade
SOUTHCOM’s Pirate Upgrade. The mission is sus, but the fit is fire!
Elftmann Tactical Triggers: The “Elf on a Shelf” Stocking Stuffer That Seriously Upgrades a Rifle
If you’re still scrambling for a gift, stop wasting time and buy an Elftmann drop-in trigger, because even though it’s a small part, it’s a big American-made upgrade that makes an AR run faster and cleaner without turning it into a fragile race gun, and they’ll stand behind that gift for life.
Morning Brief: Deadly Shooting at Brown, Gabbard’s Afghanistan Vetting Warning, Bangladesh Peacekeepers Killed in Abyei, and Gaza Power Struggles After Ceasefire
From Kabul evac fallout to a deadly ambush in Abyei and the mess of armed factions in Gaza, these stories all point to the same truth: rushed decisions and fragile ceasefires always get paid for by people standing post. Whether it’s Guard troops at home, peacekeepers abroad, or IDF units hunting bomb-makers, the work is still dirty, dangerous, and done without applause.
Evening Brief: Washington Flood Response, Army National Guard 388th Birthday, Ukraine Power Grid Attack, and UK Military Intelligence Overhaul
Floods in Washington, a brutal drone-and-missile strike in Ukraine, and a new UK intel superstructure all point to the same truth: when things go sideways, it’s the quiet professionals on watch, on shift, and on the ground who keep people alive. And on the Army National Guard’s 388th birthday, the message is simple: everyone loves the Guard the moment the mission gets real, because these citizen-soldiers show up, do the unsexy work, and hold the line.
