Category: Expert Analysis

With a winter apocalypse upon us here in the lower Midwest, where the temperature has plummeted precipitously to the teens and the snow is piled high enough to bury an overly tall mushroom (a “snowfusion” of over three whole inches!), one’s mind begins to wander toward how to survive such an onslaught of nature. Worse […]

Much has been written about the counterinsurgency (COIN) strategies and tactics being used in Afghanistan and Iraq—or rather not. Back in 2007-2008, during my army days in Kandahar, I remember  commanders endlessly bragging about how “we totally nail that COIN thing,” always gargling out quotes from the likes of COIN scholar David Galula. He was a […]

In the minds of many, the United States’ military operations the world over exist within a globe-spanning web of telecommunications and aerial firepower. In every military movie on the market, you’ll find bearded operators communicating with one another via two-way radios, uniformed infantrymen calling in air support, and CIA operatives using satellite phones to relay […]

As the investigation into the man responsible for killing five innocent people in the Fort Lauderdale airport Friday continues, a more complete picture of Esteban Santiago is starting to take shape, and to be honest, it’s beginning to sound like a familiar story – but not the one that’s getting the brunt of the media […]

Hacking has become a buzzword in our society and it’s been misplaced on the leaked DNC emails that were almost given away, not stolen. The reality of this hack was it was simple, so simple your twelve-year-old daughter or son probably would have caught it. However, a DNC staffer fell for it. This is something […]

My last trip abroad took me to Turkey, and although it’s not the most dangerous place I’ve ever been, there is a threat there and it is severe. To prepare for my journey there, I took several steps, from packing my hand luggage to utilize in an emergency, to carrying out counter surveillance while at the airport. […]

This article previously published on SOFREP 08.15.2016 “Shots fired, active shooter! Everyone run for safety, run!” The officers called out last night as I deplaned Lufthansa flight 0404 from Frankfurt, Germany. I was waiting for my luggage, having just cleared customs and thought to myself, “WTF did I just step into?” I took cover behind a concrete pillar […]

This article previously published on SOFREP 08.18.2016 As our own Brandon Webb deplaned Sunday night and set foot on American soil following a presumably enjoyable Euro-trip, all hell broke loose. Word spread that there was an active shooter, and for all passengers to take cover. According to multiple reports, including Webb’s own account, and a […]

When I was eight years old, my older brother drowned while swimming at our local YMCA.  The lifeguard on duty didn’t know CPR, and he was clinically dead for minutes before paramedics were able to get his heart beating again.  He was airlifted to Boston Children’s Hospital and spent the following weeks in a coma, […]

One thing has become painstakingly clear – we don’t know when and where a “hack” or infiltration may occur. The skill set has long been around and many of its practitioners are more sophisticated than before. As an individual, you’re vulnerable to identity theft and hacking. We’ve all had friends who post that their Instagram […]

A little preface: To say I dislike Edward Snowden and Glen Greenwald is putting my feelings mildly. I think about the years leading up to this point and it draws out an ire that borders on fury. I was politely asked to write an article covering a facet of this, and I felt that I could […]

The word “hacking” can have a number of meanings depending on who you ask and how deeply entrenched in the culture they are. For most of us, it’s a generic catch-all term we use to describe the nefarious use of a computer to gain access to someone else’s data – whether it’s for financial, personal, […]