Category: Expert Analysis

Christmas is behind us, and as the last of our extended family and friends depart for whatever normal was back before we dragged a tree into our house and started living off of butter cookies and eggnog, we only have one significant fitness obstacle of 2017 left ahead of us: the trailing end of the […]

When a lot of people hear about a genocide in Sudan or ethnic cleansing in Burma, they think of the violence. Human beings are capable of terrible things, and the types of things they do to each other in these situations rightfully make the headlines. Recently, Burma’s offensive toward their own Rohingya people has meant […]

Any everyday carry SERE (survival, evasion, resistance, escape) kit is a valuable piece of equipment. They can be applicable to any potentially dangerous situation. A well put together kit should try to cover a wide array of scenarios but also be as minimalist as possible; if it’s cumbersome to carry in casual situations, you probably […]

Preparing, packing and readying for a film shoot out in the boonies is actually quite similar to preparing, packing and readying for a long FTX or mission overseas. However, instead of weapons, ammunition and radios you’re carrying cameras, SD cards and microphones. The equipment is more sensitive to the elements but just like in combat, […]

“The deadliest weapon in the world is a Marine and his rifle.” General John Pershing, U.S. Army. No matter what their MOS is, every Marine is a rifleman. They are all trained to effectively engage targets out to 500 meters, perform basic battlefield maneuvers, and professionally maintain the standard issue service rifle. This is one of […]

Among those of us who carry a firearm on a day-to-day basis, it isn’t uncommon to hear us cite self-defense as the primary reason we lug our EDCs around with us. Indeed, the internet is rife with stories about legal concealed carriers stopping tragedies before they can happen, or ending them sooner than they otherwise […]

Foreign tourists can fly to Saipan, a part of the United States, visa-free, for up to 45 days because of a special exemption. It is perfectly legal to enter the U.S. late in pregnancy and deliver a baby. That baby is instantly a U.S. Citizen who, at age 21 can bring his parents into the […]

Early in the morning of Christmas Eve in 2010, I walked into the cold, empty hanger Fight Club 29 trained in and climbed up onto the pull up bars.  It can be easy to forget how cold winter mornings in the desert can be, but I still distinctly recall the stiffness in my muscles, the […]

One thing that a lot of people just getting into the tactical shooting community generally struggle with is the selection of kit or gear setup (plate carriers, chest rigs, holsters, etc.) that is right for them. If you’re like me, you’ll go through a wide array of gear before you settle on something or maybe […]

One of the first things they impart on you at Marine Corps recruit training is that, from the point you step on the yellow footprints at MCRD Parris Island or San Diego, until the day you’re buried in the ground, you’ll represent the Corps.  Your behavior, good or bad, will be perceived as the behavior […]

There are millions of old wives tales explaining how soldiers, Marines, airmen or sailors keep themselves awake. The military is the one place where you can count on sleep deprivation of all sorts, from the heavy eyelids of a 24 hour CQ or Staff Duty shift, to the directly imposed deprivation of SERE school. The […]

North Korea’s progress toward developing a nuclear arsenal capable of targeting opponents as far away as the United States has long been a subject of concern for American defense officials.  Few weapons in history can illicit such a sense of dread and foreboding, but with the potential for conflict on the Korean Peninsula reaching new highs, there […]