North Korea: President Trump standby for message

According to reports, both the U.S. military and the nation’s intelligence apparatus are preparing for North Korea’s Kim Jong-un to launch some sort of a weapons test — likely a nuclear capable ICBM — later this week. The assumption is based on repeated threats from North Korea that the nation would be sending the United […]

Lawmakers rip apart the Navy’s new fighter budget

The F-35 Joint Strike Fighter can do a lot of things, but one thing it can’t do is double its combat range: That’s the challenge Navy aviation is facing as it shifts its sights away from ground support operations in uncontested airspace and toward near-peer level conflicts against technologically advanced opponents like China. Thanks to […]

Op-Ed: The Elf on the Shelf and what it means for the future of privacy

It might feel like we rolled into 2019 fifteen minutes ago; but here we are, already nearing the year’s close and facing down another rapidly approaching Christmas. In families like mine all over the country, people are going about their usual holiday traditions: putting up a tree, playing Christmas music and punching strangers over good […]

What’s the deal with Maverick in Top Gun 2?

In yet another sequel to a film of old, “Top Gun: Maverick” is a much anticipated return to the movie world of Pete “Maverick” Mitchell, some 33 years after the original film took place. The very premise of the movie alone forces us to suspend at least some disbelief, as the first trailer pointed out […]

Saying goodbye to SOFREP: A writer’s farewell

Years ago now, after finishing my undergrad degree, I lucked my way into a cushy corner office for a defense contractor and set about trying to fit into a normal life. I had all the things that I figured one would need to be happy: a high paying job, a pretty office with glass walls […]

Russian sub activity the highest since cold war

While the gem of Russia’s surface fleet, the aircraft carrier Admiral Kuznetzov, continues to serve as more of an embarrassment than a form of force projection, the Russian Navy’s submarine fleet has still been extremely busy beneath the waves in recent months, says Adm. James Foggo, commander of U.S. Naval Forces Europe and Africa. “This […]

Another Pentagon official resigns, making it 5 in the past week

On Monday, Ambassador Tina Kaidanow, who was a longstanding employee of the State Department before transitioning into her new role as senior adviser for international cooperation with the Defense Department, announced her resignation. Michael Vaccaro, the Pentagon’s Director for International Armaments Cooperation, will step in and fill the role until a replacement can be identified. […]

China’s second aircraft carrier enters service — Where do they stand compared to the US?

China’s People’s Liberation Army–Navy just reached a significant milestone in its efforts to develop a globally-capable “blue water” navy, as the nation’s second aircraft carrier entered service on Tuesday. China’s new carrier, dubbed the Shandong, is not only China’s first home-built vessel of its type, it also earns the nation a place in the elite […]

New behind-the-scenes footage shows Top Gun 2 is scary real

When the second “Top Gun: Maverick” trailer dropped earlier this week, it’s safe to say that most aviation nerds, like me, were dumbfounded by just how cool this three-decades-late sequel looks. But after the initial excitement wore off, some pressing concerns started to bubble to the surface. After months of hearing about how real this […]

Russian spy ship accused of operating in an ‘unsafe manner’ right off the US coast

The Vishnya-class spy ship has been traversing the international waters just off of America‘s Southeast coast for the better part of a week now, currently sailing south past the Carolinas and Georgia, toward Florida. As long as the vessel doesn’t come closer than 12 nautical miles to America‘s coastline, what it is doing is perfectly […]