Will Rodriguez

It’s been a little over a year since Fallujah and Ramadi fell to ISIS and almost seven months since US troops returned to Iraq. Back in September I wrote a series describing how we got where we’re at and how things would continue to deteriorate as we send more troops to push the problem past […]

13 years ago, madmen killed thousands of innocents. It changed our way of life in many ways and was the spark that ignited an ongoing struggle with Islamic radicals. It deserves some meditation. I learned about 9-11 sitting in a hospital waiting room for a physical therapy session (the result of an old parachute jump […]

As the world dissects the downing of Malaysia Airlines Flight 17, we need to prepare for what’s next. What’s the potential regional and international impact over the downing of Flight 17? Utilizing an approach taught me while in uniform, I’ll outline what I believe are the “most dangerous” and “most likely” courses of action. Most […]

The Ukrainian interior ministry claims the Malaysia Airlines plane carrying 295 people was shot down today (17 July) by a Buk surface-to-air missile (SAM). The Ukrainian government is blaming the shoot down on separatist rebels equipped with advanced weapons by Russia. Rebels deny the claim. Body parts are reported spread over a large area, suggesting […]

According to the Washington Times, US SOF (Special Operations Forces) allegedly had the location of SGT Bowe Bergdahl, and even knew how many guards were present several times over the years but supposedly SOF commanders felt their troops were too valuable to “lose” for a deserter. This is according to high level intelligence officials. It is […]

The reason Bowe Bergdahl’s recovery has become such a controversy is because of a climate of distrust the Obama administration has cultivated in light of a multitude of previous scandals, the clear effort to portray the Bergdahl story as a success when it is clearly not, and the US Military’s desperation to avoid embarrassment. The […]

For those who have been following the events in Ukraine, the reasons for Russia’s intervention are pretty clear, but they also point to what is likely to occur in the future. Russia has always seen Ukraine as part of Russia. Henry Kissinger wrote an op-ed for the Washington Post: “Russian history began in what was […]

A scandal is brewing at the Air Force Academy. Racked by some huge sexual assault and drug incidents, the Air Force Academy allowed the Office of Special Investigations (OSI), an Air Force undercover law enforcement unit (similar to but not the equivalent of the Army’s CID or Navy’s NCIS) to develop informants among the cadets. Four have […]

Since the fall of The Wall, the Russian military has seen better days.  It went from a force of four million men and $400+ billion budget, to 1.5 million active and a $90 billion budget today, but Russia has consciously invested in raising the quality of its forces over the last decade. This year has […]

Today there was an addition to the illustrious roll of Medal of Honor awardees. It took way too long to put him on there. Before I delve into the politics of CPT Swenson’s Medal of Honor, I want to honor his incredible acts. CPT Swenson  was on an embedded training team advising Afghan Border Police […]

If you read my previous post on The Case for Intervention in Syria, you have the commonly-ignored information necessary to understand the Syrian situation. What follows are the three reasons that it’s in our national interest to intervene in Syria, and the way forward in that country Deter Chemical Warfare Use Deterring chem use is […]

With the current front page news of Assad’s use of Sarin and a potential US military response, there’s been an Everest mountain’s worth of discussion over why we shouldn’t do anything.  Conspicuously absent is an honest questioning of the reasons to not intervene, well-explained reasons to intervene and analysis of the results of inaction. SOFREP is […]