Category: Featured

I can’t believe that it was just over a year ago that I was on frontline against Islamic State in both Syria and northern Iraq making a documentary (Fighting IS: Big Phil’s War) that was shown on Sky Atlantic. I’ll be telling a few more stories from that trip but this week. For now I […]

The Syrian regime continues to secure more real estate, including Aleppo, as they propagate the perception of their victory. Despite his recent promises to establish “safe zones” for civilians caught in the fighting, President-elect Trump may have limited options at hand for Syria. Syria is a quagmire; everyone knows it. But that instability and chaos has […]

This shit is chess. It ain’t checkers. – Alonzo Harris, Training Day Bottom Line Up Front: This is a rebuttal to “Fixing Intel: A Blueprint for Making Intelligence Relevant in Afghanistan”(Flynn 2010), and includes my own assertions regarding military intelligence. This post is a series of observations based on my own experience within the community […]

Training: 100 Push-ups 50 Pull-ups 5-mile run + 5-mile ruck Run first and try to make it in record time, stride it out and make it an exhausting run. Then, throw a ruck on your back and, at the minimum, walk at a 15:00m/mile pace but, strive for a 13:30 – 13:45 walking speed. If you […]

An article recently published by the Intercept is attacking Rep. Ryan Zinke’s character, thereby questioning his ability to serve as the Secretary of the Interior for President-elect Trump.  The article titled, “Trump’s Pick for Interior Secretary was caught in ‘Pattern of Fraud’ at SEAL Team 6” uses unnamed sources to accuse Rep. Zinke of intentionally and repeatedly flying back […]

Today REST. Finish your Christmas shopping and drink lots of water. By now the cumulative effect of the rucking should be stacking. Rest, today, get rest and prepare for a longer endurance ruck movement tomorrow.

No one is more skeptical of so-called “reality” television than I am. On those very rare occasions when I actually watch cable TV (who does these days other than our parents?), I quickly flip past any and all reality television shows. They aren’t reality, but are rather cheaply made faux dramas that only exist so that the big […]

Washington, D.C. – Congress has asked the Secretary of Defense to submit a written report next year detailing enabling support each service provided to special operations forces. The report is required within 180 days of when the Fiscal Year 2017 National Defense Authorization Act becomes law. Congress passed the $619 billion measure Dec. 8, and […]

Christmas is right around the corner. But the holidays are not an excuse to get lazy and not exercise. I just returned from a Ruck Run on the national mall. If you were driving by the Smithsonian between midnight and 1 am you would’ve me miserably dragging along. Truthfully, I love running late at night. […]

If you were to ask a sampling of American security and intelligence officials for their pick as the gravest threat to face the United States from global jihadists, you might be surprised by the answer you would hear. If you listen to official Washington, or the establishment media, for your answer, you might hear: a […]

The following is a Red Team case study of a hypothetical terrorist attack on Kansas City, Missouri. It is an attempt to highlight what an ISIS-inspired attack might look like on a mid-size American city, located not in the Northeast Corridor, nor on the West Coast, but in the middle of the United States. The […]

Vehicular attacks have been on the rise in the past few years. It’s less rare and emerging as a possible common tactic for newly radicalized terrorists. On the evening of 14 July 2016, a 19-ton cargo truck was deliberately driven into crowds celebrating Bastille Day on the Promenade des Anglais in Nice, France, resulting in […]