Category: Security

In the worst terrorist attack in New Zealand’s history, a right-wing gunman killed 41 people and wounded scores more in an attack against the Al Noor Mosque. A separate attack on the Linwood Mosque left seven people dead, bringing the total victim count to 48. The New Zealand police are still determining if the two […]

In an unanticipated development, Germany has proposed that the European Union (EU) adopt a shared EU aircraft carrier. Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer, the successor of Angela Merkel in the leadership of the governing Christian Democratic Union and the next chancellor of Germany, said that, concerning European defense, “The next step could be to start on the symbolic […]

The gunman livestreamed himself driving towards the mosque. The camera pans to his collection of firearms laying on the passenger seat.  They are covered in writing.  Upon closer inspection they have the names of people like Bajo Pivljanin, a Serb who fought against the Ottoman empire in 1600’s, and Sebastiano Vernier appears written on his […]

Military life is difficult for both the service member and his or her family. Schools, deployments, and relentless pressure often have a profound impact on the physical, mental, and emotional well-being of military families. Families of Special Operations Forces (SOF) often experience all this at a heightened magnitude given the secrecy of their loved one’s […]

An Ebola treatment center in North Kivu, in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), was attacked over the weekend by an armed militia, leaving one Congolese police officer dead. According to a report from the Associated Press (AP), an untold number of staff members working at the center were also wounded in the attack. […]

After nearly two straight decades of counter-insurgency and anti-terrorism warfare, the United States has found itself at a disadvantage compared to the smaller and less technologically advanced militaries of China and Russia in some circumstances. With these nation-level competitors enjoying the lead in hypersonic missile technology, long-range artillery technology, and even the development of new […]

With a resurgent Russia and China threatening U.S. and Western interests around the world, the military must adapt accordingly to address the threat. Part of this process is the reformation of the U.S. Army to a more modern and efficient fighting force. For close to two decades, the Army has operated based on the concept […]

In a testimony delivered to the House Armed Services Committee, General Thomas Waldhauser (USMC), the commander of U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM), offered some valuable insight into American initiatives and, more importantly, state and non-state threats. General Waldhauser stated that, contrary to popular belief, “the threats we are working against aren’t necessarily a threat to the […]

A presidential security detail has to prepare strategies to defend one of the most powerful government officials in the world against technologically-advanced and well-planned threats. This includes elite-level military attacks, domestic or foreign terrorists, or a mentally-deranged individual with no real overarching political motivations beyond just killing the president. However, as a recent video shows, […]

After a lengthy investigation, the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) concluded its review on America’s Special Operations Forces (SOF) ethics and professionalism. The results are rather ambivalent. The Pentagon didn’t find any systemic or structural reasons for the numerous high-profile incidents that negatively rocked the spec ops community over the past few months. Nonetheless, the […]

Following the example of the American Special Operations Forces (SOF), the Canadian Special Operations Forces Command (CANSOFCOM) is considering a recruiting plan that will allow civilians off the street to try out for SOF selection. With the increased importance of SOF becoming evident with each passing conflict, the Canadian military is trying to swell its […]

In 2010, Chelsea Manning, then US Army Specialist Bradley Manning, approached Wikileaks and was responsible for the largest leak of classified information in American history.  She claims to be ideologically motivated and felt that the American public needed to know what was in the leaked documents, a disclosure often compared to the Pentagon Papers.  President […]