Tag: Alex Hollings

In any prolonged survival situation involving a vehicle, the most important things to look for aren’t speed or even ground clearance — the first things you should consider are reliability and ease of repair and maintenance. After all, even the most badass of vehicles tend to lose their appeal when you can’t change a flat […]

In today’s media climate, even the most ardent follower of the news could be forgiven for falling behind on the complex issues of the day. Between work, family, friends, and the other obligations that make up everyday life, it’s a miracle anyone has time to devote some thought and concern to the plight of civilians […]

As the United States Navy works to address looming concerns about the capability gap created by Chinese and Russian hypersonic capable anti-ship missiles, the solution to their problem may actually come from the U.S. Air Force. Advanced anti-ship missiles capable of traveling at speeds in excess of Mach 5 (the “hypersonic” barrier) are too fast […]

In the weeks leading up to and following a joint air campaign against Syrian chemical weapons facilities carried out by the  U.S., U.K., and France, Russia has repeatedly attempted to gain control of the narrative through misleading statements and outright fabrications about the reasons for the strike and its outcomes. These brazen claims may seem […]

According to U.S. Defense officials, a Russian fighter jet conducted an “unprofessional” intercept of an unarmed U.S. Navy surveillance aircraft over the Baltic Sea on Tuesday. The U.S. Navy P-8 surveillance plane was flying in international airspace over the increasingly contested Baltic Sea when it was approached at high speeds by a Russian Su-27. The […]

As a young Marine, I was taught an important lesson about how to address concerns I had about an objective from a senior corporal that was too salty to mince words. “Presenting a problem without a solution isn’t helping, it’s bitching.” He was right — it’s easy to look for issues in a plan and […]

Veterans love their dogs. Whether you’re a former military handler, a person that relies on your dog for emotional support, an adventurer in need of a wingman, or just the sort of person that likes company while you binge Netflix series — a dog offers a kind of companionship that feels familiar for military personnel: […]

In recent years, both China and Russia have begun deploying ballistic missiles that were developed with one specific target in mind: America’s massive super carriers. As the most potent means of American force projection, Nimitz and Ford class super carriers provide the U.S. with a platform to launch air strikes from aircraft like the Super […]

Once among the crown jewels of the U.S. Government, NASA secured its place in history in the 1950s and 60s, coming from behind to beat Russia to the moon and expanding the philosophical and scientific horizons for all of humanity to come. However, in recent decades, the civilian space agency has suffered from a combination […]

Thanks to a laundry list of surgeries, my Marine Corps career came to a rather unusual end. With my future uncertain, and my contract expired, I found myself on medical hold, standing by to find out what a panel of doctors and leaders decided from what they could glean from a small brown folder that […]

Last November, a strange form began to take shape in skies above Okanogan County, Washington. A U.S. Navy EA-18G Growler screaming through the sky above the small community first left two circular contrails before setting out on an elongated shape connecting the two … and just like that, an internet sensation was born. In what […]

Between foreign military influences, civil war, and the presence of Islamic extremism, Syria has become a quagmire of conflict in recent years. Now, with a litany of domestic and international military assets in play, Syria appears to have become a test bed of sorts for new military technologies — particularly for the Russian military, who […]