Category: Expert Analysis

When I deployed to the Middle East in 2014, Daesh was just starting to really get America‘s full attention. I was fascinated with getting the opportunity to meet them in battle, and wanted to know everything I could about them. But first, I wanted to know what to call them. ISIS, IS, ISIL? So I […]

We could be looking at an attack as devastating, if not more than 9/11, while bypassing all security measures.

When I deployed, it was a similar circumstance, and I brought everything I could. Including any weapon I could get my hands on. A SCAR-H, the EGLM (40mm grenade launcher that looks like the SCAR), Aimpoints, EO Techs, an M-4 with a short barrel, long barrel, and under barrel 203 attachment, and my trusty camp buddy, the Glock 19. Needless to say I came with some baggage.

It’s reasonable to assume hiring managers prefer a candidate who was referred to them by someone in the company. It’s equally reasonable to say a certain perceived tier of degree quality plays a role, as well. Regardless of the individual. It’s just the way it is. Sometimes it’s rigged. But there are people from the community trying to rig it for us too.

The point is, though, I wasn’t fully-formed and ready to jump on a team. The thing is some teams are undermanned, and you could show up and need to lead. That sounds like a challenge, but if you’re young and new – you don’t know what you don’t know.

It takes a lot of responsibility to maintain your weapon, choose appropriate clothing everyday to properly conceal your handgun, remain on the lookout for the dreaded “no gun”, or 30.06 signs, and stay vigilant for threats.

It’s not that the training was difficult for everyone else and it should be for future generations. It’s that you don’t get a stress card option in combat.

Abroad, things can go awry, and an immature theatre is the future of warfare. Whether Syria, Africa or elsewhere – medics might have to practice extended care with limited supplies in austere conditions.

I’ve been fortunate to work with every branch of the military, some for extended periods of time. I’ve been on a combat deployment to Afghanistan, and I’ve been involved in Pacific theater contingency operations.

To fuel the emotion of others to get things done requires a presence, emotional intelligence, and language skills. These can win battles.

MAGIC CARPET is a software modification to the airplane’s digital flight control system that allows naval aviators to make fewer corrections in an effort to land on the carrier. Say it isn’t so! Could a night trap really not be as scary in the future? If the new software that NAVAIR has been testing lives […]

Russia has made a significant observation: the U.S. is not guaranteed to take action in the light of a post Cold War Russia, that changes their foreign policy and political calculus.