Category: Expert Analysis

Modern warfare, as waged by the US, seems to be mostly about timelines.  In some respects this is necessary, especially in a combined-arms environment.  When you’ve got a lot of moving parts to the operation, to include ground, air, artillery, multiple units moving in the AO at the same time, having time hacks built into […]

Whenever news breaks about stolen or hacked photos finding their way onto the internet, two responses are immediate.  One camp, intent on defending the rights of the women who have had their privacy violated, will exclaim that this latest infraction is further evidence that we live in a patriarchal society where men continue to see […]

After months of planning and deliberations, the 75th Ranger Regiment has been deployed to Syria to participate in the war against ISIS as the coalition closes in on the so-called caliphate’s capital city of Raqqa.  Yesterday, the first images emerged of Stryker armored vehicles on their way to Manbij.  This comes weeks after Rangers deployed […]

I sat near the front row of our classroom, close enough to engage in discussion, yet far enough to bow out if necessary.  I had plain jeans, a nondescript t-shirt and some forgettable, but nice-looking shoes.  It was an English class; most students were women, dressed in an assortment of pajamas, sorority and university shirts, and […]

As a former rating specialist for the US Department of Veterans Affairs, I can tell you first hand that a claim for PTSD is one of the most complicated and time-consuming claims the VA handles. As a result — an unfortunate result — many veterans wait years for decisions on these claims. This article provides […]

China has announced plans to launch the core module for their own space station next year, with additional modules intended to follow soon thereafter. Once completed, China’s space station will be smaller than the current International Space Station, but with the ISS slated for retirement in 2024, China may be the only nation with a […]

Following hot on the heels of Sniper: Reloaded (The Return of Zane) in which Gunny Beckett’s son named Brandon Beckett won mad Tom Berenger awards for racking up baddies by the boatload, Sniper: Ghost Shooter (Zane is an under-utilized national asset) sees Brandon put back into the shit against the backdrop of Central Asian pipeline politics. […]

Note: This is part of a series about Phil Campion’s experiences in SAS selection. You can read part one here. The door cracked open on the plane and within a millisecond, the whole plane was engulfed by a hot, sticky, humid heat. It was late and the orange glow of the airport’s lights obscured my view out […]

The Marine Corps Martial Arts Program is a combat system developed specifically for use by United States Marines and combines elements of various fighting platforms into a single discipline in which all Marines must undergo training. MCMAP uses a belt system similar to that of traditional martial arts disciplines, with tan standing in for white […]

Decades ago, nuclear safety drills were common practice throughout the United States.  “Duck and cover” taught an entire generation of Americans to fear the possibility of a death by nuclear weapon, and potentially with good reason, as the United States and Soviet Union raced one another to produce ever larger stockpiles of the most powerful […]

Former director of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) Office of Technical Service (OTS), Robert Wallace, who spent 40 years serving the United States in the intelligence community, has written a new book that documents hundreds of locations in the greater Washington, D.C., area with links to espionage. The book, “Spy Sites of Washington, D.C., A […]

Green Beret’s learn to get a task done regardless of steep odds and intense situations. It’s about finding a way forward and continuous progress. No, the featured image is not a Green Beret motto – but a Special Air Service one. It’s still relevant to earning the Green Beret and living a driven lifestyle. After […]