Category: Expert Analysis

In 2017, NEWSREP published an open letter titled “Careerism, Cronyism, and Malfeasance in SWCS: The End of SF Capability,” which had been sent out anonymously to nearly everyone on Special Operations Command’s internal email list. The letter outlined, in detail, with specific examples, how Special Forces training has been watered down for political reasons. The […]

The F-35 has been in the headlines repeatedly in recent years. Whenever a news outlet needs an example of gratuitous military spending, you can bet a picture of Lockheed’s banner jet will find its way into the article. If someone’s in the mood to post a bit of patriotic motivation, the F-35’S incredibly advanced technological […]

Early in the new year, the aviation industry lost one of its brightest and most eccentric stars. Herb Kelleher, the ostentatious and larger-than-life former CEO of Southwest Airlines, died at the age of 87. Kelleher was perhaps more than any other man responsible for democratizing air travel and bringing a Texas-sized personality of fun and […]

As a journalist in the United States, some questions become unavoidable. Whether you’re doing an interview on the radio or making an appearance on a podcast, there often comes a time when you’re expected to answer for your industry as a whole regarding the dreary state of the media. While the wording of the questions […]

When Lockheed Martin’s F-22 Raptor first took to the skies in 1997, it represented such a fundamental shift in military aviation that it was clear the U.S. was dealing with an entirely new generation of fighter. Slower than its air superiority predecessors, but boasting the sort of advanced technology that no nation on the planet […]

When Stalin sardonically responded to a request by Winston Churchill to consider the views of the Vatican on the future of Eastern Europe with the quip, “How many divisions does the Pope of Rome have?” he probably did not imagine that it would be entire legions of free-thinking people, espousing the liberal ideas the Church […]

Despite a turbulent stock market and the continued prospect of a full-on trade war, the labor market remains remarkably strong. The job numbers for the final month of 2018 are indicative of this. The economy added 312,000 jobs in December of 2018, within striking distance of doubling the paltry 176,000 projected by economists surveyed by […]

This article is the second in a series of articles discussing the difficulties faced by service members transitioning out of the military. The first, titled “Abandoning the tribe: The psychology behind why veterans struggle to transition to civilian life,” covered some of the psychological theories at play as a military member becomes indoctrinated into their […]

Editor’s note: This piece was written by NEWSREP Editor-in-Chief and Special Operations veteran, Jack Murphy. Murphy served as a Sniper and Team Leader in 3rd Ranger Battalion and as a Senior Weapons Sergeant on a Military Free Fall team in 5th Special Forces Group. While going through some old photographs the other day I came […]

I had seen the cliff coming for six months before I eventually fell off it, and I thought I had prepared myself well for the fall. I was wrong. Having spent the preceding 14 years in the army, the last five with special operations, I was looking forward to a slower-paced and simpler life with […]

The Army is looking to replace their fleets of the aging UH-60 Blackhawk vertical lift helicopters and wants their replacements, with an eye toward possible conflict with Russian or Chinese forces to be bigger, faster and much more maneuverable. The Army is calling this new development the Future Long-Range Assault Aircraft (FLRRA) and it is […]

“Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, ‘Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?’ And I said, ‘Here am I. Send me!’” Isaiah 6:8 As a matter of fact, January is the month of such awareness. While it’s a distinct honor to have an entire month dedicated to awareness of the scourge that […]