Pentagon seeks to repatriate bodies of WWII soldiers from China

Ahead of Defense Secretary Mark Esper’s visit to Asia, the Department of Defense is hoping to renew efforts to bring back the remains of American soldiers that died or went missing in action in China. According to Randall Schriver, Assistant Secretary of Defence for Indo-Pacific Security Affairs, Esper is set to meet his Chinese counterpart, […]

Russia’s military might is more about marketing than capability

For years now, Vladimir Putin’s oft-touted modernization initiative throughout the Russian military has been a casualty of economic war with the West. As the Russian economy struggles under the weight of international sanctions, the nation’s most prominent military initiatives have suffered from slashed budgets and reduced orders—but you’d likely never know it if you’ve been […]

Tear gas and rubber bullets: On the ground covering the Hong Kong protests

Over 100 days of protests have left Hong Kong with a trashed subway system, buildings destroyed by graffiti, torn up sidewalks, fires set ablaze in busy districts, and a suffering economy. Though on the streets of the region, there remains a sense of reason and purpose among the protesters. A mentality of “If I go […]

US airbase in Niger is now fully operational

The U.S. airbase in Agadez, Niger, which cost $110 million, has already begun carrying out missions in the region. Its primary tasks will be reconnaissance and surveillance flights, though it could potentially be used for carrying out strikes by unmanned aerial vehicles. Completed earlier this year, Air Base 201 (as it is officially called) was […]

US occupies Syrian oil fields as a foreign policy maneuver

Despite President Donald Trump’s pledge to end “forever wars” by withdrawing troops from Syria, the U.S. has in fact taken over oil fields in the country. By doing this, Washington is further entrenching itself in the eight-year-long war as well as setting itself up for long term confrontation with regional actors. Ostensibly, the U.S. presence […]

Future US-Iraqi relations uncertain as Baghdad is gripped by protests

In recent weeks, and as discontent has been rising throughout the country, tens of thousands of Iraqis have taken to the streets of Baghdad to demonstrate. During the past two years, since Iraq’s declaration of victory against the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, institutional problems have resulted in large scale protests. Like in Lebanon, […]

The long reach of America: The details behind the Delta Force Raid

As the smoke is still settling down over the charred ruins of Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi’s compound details about the operation are already emerging. SOFREP has learned that the assault force was comprised of approximately 70 operators from Delta Force’s A Squadron and Rangers from the 75th Ranger Regiment. The air package included eight helicopters, a […]

Why I’d rather be shot than sprayed with OC Pepper Spray… regardless of the logic

During my tenure on the Anti-Terrorism Force Protection Team for Southern California, I had the opportunity to participate in a number of interesting and exciting training revolutions.  I got to learn knife techniques alongside the L.A. SWAT team, vehicle searches with military police units, and to gain proficiency with a number of weapon systems not […]

F-14 Tomcat Tales: In the Break at NAS Key West

From Reggie: Some tales you just shouldn’t tell your mother about, especially if you are a pilot and there’s a chance you’ll have to face the same demons the next day. If you have a child in flight school, best to just ignore this article and move on so you will continue to sleep well […]