Military

Twenty years later, Operation Red Wings isn’t some sanitized tale of heroism—it’s a gut-punch reminder that war is messy, men are mortal, and sacrifice doesn’t come with a soundtrack.

Helicopters, those damnable, awe-inspiring beasts, taught me the hard limits of man and machine through a litany of mishaps, from hard landings in brown-out dust to emergency ocean bailouts and explosive chaos, revealing their true worth only when pushed to the edge.

President Trump’s blockbuster week saw him torch Iran sanctions after Khamenei’s victory lap, ink a rare earth-packed trade deal with China, and dodge a Senate bid to curb his war powers—all while reminding Washington who’s calling the shots. Welcome to Saturday, June 28, 2025. This is your SOFREP Morning Brief.

Stay on top of the news with the SOFREP Evening Brief: Top updates on defense and global affairs for Friday, June 27, 2025.

President Trump calls it a knockout blow, but early intelligence suggests Iran’s nuclear program may have only taken a standing eight count.

Bligh’s not your typical Pentagon paper-pusher—he’s the kind of guy who knows how to draft a legal brief in the morning and call for close air support by noon.

Strikes, standoffs, and space firsts—Friday’s morning brief, June 27, 2025, kicks off with high-stakes moves from Tehran to the ISS.

When the missiles came and the sky turned hostile, it wasn’t doctrine or diplomacy that held the line—it was a handful of twenty something Americans with steady hands and nerves of steel.

When a president demands loyalty to himself rather than to the Constitution, he breaks the pact that underpins American civil-military relations—and leaves the military with an impossible choice.

Beneath the corrugated shadows of the Taji Market, where farmers and fanatics shared the same dust, we moved—alert, measured, and unwilling to let the chaos define us.

West Bank violence flares, Trump defends Iran strike, and more. Welcome to Thursday, June 26, 2025. This is your SOFREP Morning Brief.

Oil drops despite Iran strike, Gaza toll climbs, and Congress moves to ban Chinese AI. Here’s tonight’s brief for June 25, 2025.