Category: Expert Analysis

Newsflash: the United States Air Force is hemorrhaging talent. Okay, it’s not really news anymore, but the simple fact is this: pilots are abandoning ship at an alarming rate because they are drowning in political correctness and are under near-constant attack by an ignorant public. Near-constant attack, you say? For why? In this day and […]

As exciting as ‘anti-piracy operations’ may sound, or as adventurous as the film “Captain Phillips” may make it seem, the reality of the maritime-security industry is a bit more monotonous. Since the real Maersk Alabama incident, virtually every ship approaching the Internationally Recommended Transit Corridor carries armed guards, and the Somali ‘Jack Sparrows’ have become […]

As an airline pilot, I take pride in my job and doing it to the best of my ability. When we fail at doing our job, there are consequences. Sometimes it might only mean a bruised ego, or worse, a bent airplane. In exceedingly rare instances, it means people die. Pilots make mistakes, and accidents […]

Right out of the gate, let’s get one thing straight: Iran is our enemy.

Here at SOFREP, we collectively strive to be, and consider ourselves, a largely apolitical organization in that we do not often come down on one or the other side of the usually contentious left-right debate in America. True, we will occasionally weigh in on politically sensitive matters—see here, and here, and here—but, generally, we like […]

As I stood ogling its elegant form, an ancient museum docent strolled up behind me and with hushed tones broke my reverie. “Son, that airplane killed more Americans than Messerschmitts did.”

On March 18, 2015, tensions between Russia and the South Caucasian country of Georgia were ratcheted upward with the signing of an integration treaty between the Georgian breakaway territory of South Ossetia and Russia. As examined in detail through numerous previous articles here at SOFREP and at Foreign Intrigue, South Ossetia represents strategic terrain in […]

The importance of the mental well-being of the pilot seems to have been lost on the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the airlines.

Following the fall of Sana’a to the Houthis, President Hadi relocated to Aden, the southern port city of Yemen and the center of the Southern Mobility Movement. Deciding that, since part of the agreement with the Houthis that led to Hadi’s abdication as president (followed by his entire cabinet) had been violated, the entire agreement […]

The main goal of terrorism is to spread fear and anxiety amongst the civilian population. Terrorists want to break down the population’s daily security; replacing it with a climate of terror that changes our lifestyle. Unlike what happened in Paris, where the target of the jihadists were journalists who had insulted Allah, in Tunisia, the victims were regular […]

I speculated yesterday on the possible causes for the horrific tragedy of the Germanwings crash.  As a throwaway concept, I included the possibility that the plane could have been brought down deliberately, like the EgyptAir 990 crash in 1999.  In light of new information released today, it now seems clear that this is, in fact, […]

It is organic to the culture of aviation to discuss a mishap. It is part of the natural process of grieving and shock. This is our work place. The most sensible reason to discuss these tragedies is to try to glean something from them that can prevent further catastrophes. To gain insight and learn; to […]