US issues summer travel alert for Europe warning of ‘greater targets for terrorists’

US issues summer travel alert for Europe warning of ‘greater targets for terrorists’

The US State Department has issued a travel alert for Europe, cautioning Americans that the influx of summer tourists and a series of high-profile events “will present greater targets for terrorists planning attacks in public locations”. “[W]e are alerting US citizens to the risk of potential terrorist attacks throughout Europe, targeting major events, tourist sites, restaurants, commercial centers […]

T.S.A. Trains Dogs to Stay One Sniff Ahead of Bomb Makers

T.S.A. Trains Dogs to Stay One Sniff Ahead of Bomb Makers

Just after dawn on a recent May morning, Ajax, a 2-year-old black Labrador retriever, eagerly worked his way through a sparsely furnished room sniffing for explosives. On his third try, he picked up a scent behind a piece of furniture near the front of the room. “Good dog, good dog,” said Andrew Baxter, his trainer, […]

To Protect Soldiers From Bombs, Military Scientists Build a Better Dummy

To Protect Soldiers From Bombs, Military Scientists Build a Better Dummy

As sometimes happens in rural America, someone has shot up a road sign. Given the gape of the hole and the fact that the road traverses Aberdeen Proving Ground, there’s a good chance it wasn’t made by a bullet. A proving ground is a spread of high-security acreage set aside for testing weapons and the […]

Bomb Detection: By Laser – MIT and Princeton Build a Terahertz Spectroscopy System

Bomb Detection: By Laser – MIT and Princeton Build a Terahertz Spectroscopy System

Researchers at MIT and Princeton have built a new laser-powered terahertz spectroscopy system capable of detecting chemicals used in explosives. Terahertz spectroscopy is the measurement of electromagnetic radiation between the frequencies of microwaves and infrared. Scientists have long realized the radiation’s potential for bomb detection, but traditional terahertz spectroscopy systems are bulky and use lots […]

Scientists Probe Traumatic Brain Injury at Explosive Technology Research Lab

Scientists Probe Traumatic Brain Injury at Explosive Technology Research Lab

Obscured beyond installation gates, an understated brown building here houses a state-of-the-art lab where a team of scientific researchers investigates “invisible war wounds” — long- and short-term effects of blast-induced mild traumatic brain injury, which has become increasingly prevalent in recent military conflicts. Thuvan Piehler, a research chemist with the Army Research Laboratory’s Explosive Technology […]

Derogatory discharge papers blight lives of military who report sexual assault

Derogatory discharge papers blight lives of military who report sexual assault

Amy Quinn loved serving in the US navy but after she reported a series of sexual assaults, she was forced out of the military at 22 with claims she had a personality disorder. The mental health ruling by her superiors, which her current psychiatrist says is unfounded, ruined her hope of a second career in the […]

For Self Defense: Drop the AR and pick up an AK

For Self Defense: Drop the AR and pick up an AK

The AR-15 and its ancestor, the select-fire-capable M-16, have served the United States Armed Forces and their allies for nearly 50 years. Many of us know the history behind its selection and implementation, complete with all its growing pains. Today’s M-4 Carbine is similar to the original M16A1, but advancements in machining, design, materials, and powder make today’s […]