Luke Ryan

The constitution of the United States was a revolutionary document (both literally and figuratively), and aspects of it are well known throughout the world. Different lines are debated and argued over within the United States, and it is the subject of much study and controversy. Constitutions from other countries vary from place to place — […]

May 11, 1812 — British Prime Minister Spencer Perceval strode into the House of Commons through the lobby. It was a Monday evening and the prime minister sought to settle affairs with the Orders in Council. It was around a month before the United States would declare war on the United Kingdom in the War […]

Some of my deployments to Afghanistan have been balls-to-the-wall busy with little to no time for training, video games, hobbies or even working out. Other instances have been filled with long breaks where we were stood down or unable to go on missions for whatever reason. During these times, training is extremely important. It feels […]

There is a moment in Ernest Hemingway’s “For Whom the Bell Tolls,” just on the precipice of the culminating battle — the protagonist, Robert Jordan, is to use a group of locals during the Spanish Civil War to blow up a bridge. Robert Jordan has fallen in love with one of the local women during […]

Note: These are the author’s interpretation of quotes said in a context completely separate from today. General Patton was not speaking of 2018, and he certainly wasn’t concerned with what the popular culture might look like nowadays. “If everyone is thinking alike, then somebody isn’t thinking.” Thinking in terms of groups is nothing new — […]

You’ve seen it before time and time again — the YouTube videos of foreign Special Operations members drawing their weapons in non-traditional ways lightning fast, engaging two targets with rapid headshots from the hip, transitioning to a knife, stabbing another target in the chest. Well, you’ve probably seen some version of this — you know […]

Mobile, AL — The United States Navy christened the USS Cincinnati (LCS 20) on Saturday at 10 a.m. — the boat is the latest addition Independence-variant littoral combat ship (LCS) to join the fleet. Penny Pritzker, former Secretary of Commerce under President Obama, broke open a bottle of champagne across the ship’s bow, as is tradition […]

May 8, 1945 — The Germans have formally surrendered unconditionally to the Allied powers after one of the Europe’s most brutal wars. They have signed documents on their surrender in Prague, Berlin, East Germany and others areas of conflict. The continent has been devastated, and the survivors flood the streets all throughout Russia, the U.K., […]

16 women have been sentenced to Iranian prison by the Iranian judiciary system, the “Islamic Revolutionary Court.” According to an Iranian news outlet, they were charged with traveling to Syria and receiving “terrorist training” before returning to Iran. They will reportedly have to serve their sentence in prison, as well as pay Iran any money […]

The Department of Defense recently added the United States Cyber Command to its list of combatant commands. This is a direct response to the growing number of threats found in the cyber realm, from both state actors as well as independent ones. The program was initially meant to be defensive in nature, but it will […]

May 5, 1961 — Former WWII combat veteran and Naval pilot Alan Shepard was strapped tight into his seat as he blasted upward out of the earth’s atmosphere. The Mercury-Redstone 3 rocket barreled through the sky, subjecting Shepard to 6.3g forces as he entered space and the engines shut off. The “tower,” or the main body of […]

Rohingya refugees just over the Myanmar/Burma border are preparing for the oncoming monsoon season, which generally hits in the summer and can last into the fall. The rains that precede the monsoons have already been hitting the refugee camps, which house just under 700,000 people. According to The International Rescue Committee, the population of the […]