Pilot error likely killed Kobe Bryant and helicopter passengers

It was terrible to lose one of America’s living legends in a tragic and avoidable helicopter crash over Los Angeles this year. It now appears like the insurance and legal posturing has begun. Relatives of the pilot claim that the circumstances surrounding the fatal flight were “directly caused” by the passengers’ own behavior and their […]

Continuous Israeli pounding makes Iran rethink its footprint in Syria

Since the 2011 Civil War in Syria began, the Iranians have seen a huge window of opportunity to not only increase their influence throughout the region, but to get their troops and, more importantly, their missiles on the border of their most hated enemy — Israel.   The combination of Iranian and Russian intervention has […]

What’s next for the ex-Special Forces operators caught in Venezuela?

Survival, Evasion, Resistance, and Escape (SERE). This training has been pertinent for the former Army Green Berets Luke Denman and Airan Berry since their prompt capture on Monday, May 4. Despite the perceived circumstances, the politics, and the backstory, one thing is certain — these two brothers are having the worst days of their Earthly […]

Kingdom of Deceit: The tale of an imprisoned Saudi princess

The Saudi crown prince’s demise entered suddenly into plain view and in rare form in mid-April when the youngest daughter of the former Saudi king posted an emotional and very public cry for help on Twitter. The princess — known formally as Princess Basmah bint Saud bin Abdulaziz Al Saud — publicly pleaded that she […]

Who watches the watchers? Rogue officers in Latin American militaries

The country of Colombia has made vast strides in a relatively short amount of time going from an authoritarian type of rule to one of a civilian government. They nearly became a failed state due to the narcotraffickers that nearly toppled the country. But erasing decades of military autonomy is still going to take some […]

Here’s how Russia delivers advanced weapons and humanitarian aid

As SOFREP previously reported, Russia earlier this month made headlines for the arrival of a Russian Air Force Antonov-124 cargo plane at New York’s JFK Airport on 1 April. The cargo plane, registration number RA-82038, reportedly delivered much-needed medical supplies to the city following a phone conversation earlier that week between President Trump and Vladimir […]

How to establish secure comms like a Special Operations professional

Nick recently published an article on digital security. My article piggybacks off those concepts by taking a deep dive into how to establish secure communications, something all the more critical during our hyper-reliance on remote working capabilities, online services, etc. The Internet: Land of opportunity but fraught with stranger danger Today’s digital landscape increases the […]

Tech giants don’t care about your privacy and security—but you should

Each time the latest data breach news is made public, there’s generally widespread disdain toward the company responsible for not doing more to protect affected data. What people often overlook is they shouldn’t have trusted that company with their information in the first place. You know, details on social media like where you work, what […]

Is North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un dying?

Preliminary reports from various outlets suggest that North Korea dictator Kim Jong-un’s (KJU) health is possibly at risk following an alleged cardiovascular procedure earlier this month for which he is receiving treatment. The approximately 36-year-old dictator’s health has long been a point of speculation for observers outside North Korea’s notoriously closed society. His country is […]

Wagner Group: Russian mercenaries still floundering in Africa

Russia’s Wagner Group is having an increasingly difficult time in Africa. About a year ago, Moscow was crowing about beating the West and China in securing private military contracts, underbidding several western countries’ bids by touting their “Syrian Model” of success. As a result, they ended landing upwards of 20 private military contracts in Africa. […]

Leadership roller coaster: Must be at least an aircraft carrier skipper to ride

Among a thousand other issues caused by the spread of COVID-19, the Navy’s leadership has been in turmoil this past week. It’s just not every day that we see a Captain removed from a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier. The situation reminds me of the movie Crimson Tide when on a nuclear-powered submarine, the XO (Denzel Washington) […]