Joseph LaFave

About the author

Joseph LaFave writes about finance, maritime issues, healthcare, the National Guard, and conflicts around the world. Before becoming a journalist, he worked as an EMT in Florida and as an ESH engineer for Lockheed Martin supporting several DoD and NASA satellites. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree from Florida State University and a Master of Science in Management from Southern New Hampshire University.

The Navy’s newest Zumwalt-class destroyer carries the name of fallen Navy SEAL

The U.S. Navy‘s newest Zumwalt-class destroyer was recently commissioned in a ceremony last week at Naval Air Station North Island, California. Although any time a new Navy vessel is commissioned is a special event, this latest ceremony was particularly meaningful to the Navy‘s special warfare community as the ship is named after Medal of Honor-winning […]

Switzerland to decide on new fighter aircraft, competition begins

The Swiss Air Force announced on Friday it has accepted five bids for a new fighter aircraft as part of Switzerland’s air power modernization effort named Air2030. European firms Airbus, Dassault, and Saab all placed bids, as did U.S. firms Boeing and Lockheed Martin. The Swiss Air Force currently operates both the Boeing McDonnell Douglas […]

Russian private military contractors are in Venezuela guarding Maduro

As the chaos in Venezuela continues, with two men claiming to be the rightful president, Russian private military contractors (PMCs) are allegedly already on the ground working for socialist Nicolas Maduro. Their mission is speculated to be executive protection for Maduro, according to a report from Reuters. Numerous governments, including the United States and Canada, […]

A China-US space race could mean more cyberattacks targeting the US defense industry

China’s space program has been making news lately after the country managed to land a probe on the dark side of the moon—a first for humanity. The lander, named “Chang’e 4,” contains a self-contained biosphere and plant seeds, which sprouted earlier this month. This is the first time in history humankind has grown any biological […]

Move over, Maduro: Venezuela’s opposition leader declares himself new president

The end of Nicolas Maduro’s socialist regime of terror may soon be coming to an end in Venezuela. Early on Wednesday, January 23, reports began surfacing about thousands of protesters hitting the streets of Caracas, many shouting anti-Maduro slogans such as “Get out, Maduro,” according to Reuters. Venezuelan police units used tear gas to drive […]

The ban on transgender service members gets a green light from the Supreme Court

Nearly a year and a half after President Trump first announced his plan to ban transgender people from serving in the military, the U.S. Supreme Court has given the go-ahead for the administration to carry out its plan. According to a report from Time, the ruling—decided Tuesday, January 22—has “cleared the way” for the implementation […]

If Trump gets his wall, these companies might be building it

A local construction company in Galveston, Texas is preparing to start construction on a portion of the border wall at the beginning of next month. According to a press release from the Department of Defense (D0D), SLS Company (SLSCO) won a DoD contract valued at $166,835,700 in December for the design and construction of the […]

Venezuelan authorities claim to have suppressed attempted military coup near the capital

Several Venezuelan National Guard soldiers have been arrested, accused by authorities near Caracas of attempting to mutiny against Nicolas Maduro, the current president of the country. According to one report from Agence France Presse (AFP), the rebelling soldiers posted a video message to social media in an attempt to spur support for their cause. Shortly […]

Ebola outbreak in Congo will continue killing for at least 6 more months according to World Health Organization official

The world’s second largest Ebola virus outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) may continue killing for another six months. The forecast was made by the World Health Organization’s (WHO) deputy director-general for emergency preparedness and response, Dr. Peter Salama, during a recent interview with the University of Minnesota’s Center for Infectious Disease […]

Trump and Pelosi continue squabbling over State of the Union and border wall

As the longest government shutdown in history continues to trudge on, President Trump and Congressional Democrats are trading blows back and forth, hoping to convince the other side to budge. Last week, Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi asked the president to either postpone his scheduled State of the Union address or submit the address […]

A historic first: Drone delivers vaccines

The United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF) has a powerful new weapon in the fight against the spread of viruses: drones. NPR reported that a UNICEF-charted drone delivered doses of both hepatitis and tuberculosis vaccines to a one-month-old female patient named Joy who lives in the island country of Vanuatu, located in the Pacific […]