Category: Expert Analysis

A Russian wind is blowing over Europe creating a chill no one has felt since the rise of the Soviet Union. While the wind isn’t as strong, it is more biting. We, as Americans, must hope for the best for our president. He should be granted the benefit of the doubt while accountable for his actions […]

As if a trooper’s life isn’t hard enough when he or she comes home, they are now up against something new. Law firms in the U.K., desperate for work, have been going after soldiers for things that have happened on the battlefield. As lowdown and despicable as that seems, there have been cases where these so-called lawyers have lied […]

Turkish Airlines Flight 304 from Istanbul began its slow descent to Erbil, the main airport for the Kurdish Regional Government in northern Iraq. Looking down below, I could see the strange contrast of the region’s snowcapped hills and the evergreen valleys. It was not the only thing about the area that was incongruous: While it […]

Serving in the military is often compared to being in college. It’s a logical comparison: Most enlisted service members join the military at the same age their friends are heading off to school, and both experiences shape the lives people lead thereafter. Both directions instill lessons and values, and each houses a unique culture that […]

With the rhetorical indications coming first out of the Donald J. Trump presidential campaign, and now out of the Trump White House, one could be forgiven for thinking that the U.S. military might be pulling back its forces from the Russian “sphere of influence” in order to facilitate an improvement of ties between the two […]

As a career intelligence officer I understand that the world around us in often seen in shifting shades of gray partially obscured by a fog of uncertainty and ambiguity. I also know that sometimes that fog lifts, and all is revealed in the crystal clear light of day. Such was the moment, late last month, […]

The American defense budget is under constant scrutiny, and for good reason. With hundreds of billions of dollars being funneled into our armed forces every year, it goes without saying that there are areas that could use a bit of fat-trimming, but continued combat operations in multiple theaters around the globe have begun to wear […]

I’ve owned a 1911 for some time, and although I’ve had other pistols before it, I’ve found that there aren’t very many guns I’m more accurate with than my trusty old black and brown .45. To be honest, I’ve never put much stock into the Glock vs 1911 debate.  They’re both reliable, accurate, and easy […]

Somewhere in the vicinity of Baghdad, 4 Navy HH-60Hs lift out of a FOB, their cabins packed full of SOF assaulters. As the birds lift, the engines whine, struggling to perform in the hot summer air. The targeted individuals are all members of an al-Qaeda in Iraq (AQI) cell, and tonight we know where they are. […]

President Trump recently remarked that he would look into the Ukraine crisis. More specifically he said he would look into the separatist movement in Ukraine. But, POTUS Trump has stated he will not lift Russian sanctions. The future state of Trumpian foreign policy toward Ukraine is a complete unknown. But it’s shaping up to be something […]

Following the high-profile raid in Yemen last week by SEAL Team Six to capture/kill a number of Al Qaeda high value targets, the question is now being asked as to whether the raid was a success or a spectacular failure.  The real answer is probably somewhere in between. The loss of Chief Petty Officer William […]

For many veterans, venturing out in a crowded public place can mean a good deal of stress and anxiety.  Whether it’s your local Applebees on Trivia Night or the recent Presidential Inauguration, years of training keeps some of us in a steady state of unease, constantly looking around for where a threat could be coming […]