Tag: Alex Hollings

Throughout nearly two decades of anti-terrorism and counter-insurgency warfare, the United States has continued to rely on long standing and reliable weapons platforms like the M777 Howitzer and the M1109AG Paladin Howitzer. These artillery platforms are capable of delivering a massive punch from a long distance — but as the U.S. Army is beginning to […]

The legend of King Arthur opens with the young man being guided by Merlin to draw the sword from the stone: a feat said only to be possible for Britain’s rightful king. The legend has permeated throughout the centuries, depicted through spoken word, on film, and even in Disney cartoons — and maybe that’s why […]

Russia recently announced that they would be halting production on their latest and most technologically advanced main battle tank, the T-14 Armata, in favor of lower cost programs like updating their existing fleet of T-72 tanks. The problem with the T-14, like the nation’s stealthy fifth-generation fighter, the Su-57, isn’t that the platform doesn’t seem […]

It’s been no secret that President Trump’s directive to establish a new branch of the American armed forces tasked specifically with space defense has had its critics within the Defense Department. While there seems to be no debate regarding the need for orbital defense, the conflict has primarily been focused on how to go about […]

Russia’s method of investing in its defense infrastructure is quite different from America’s. The Kremlin knows it can’t build or sustain a military that could directly compete with the U.S., or even China. Thus, develops audacious “doomsday” 100-megaton nuclear weapons and high-profile projects like their fifth-generation fighter that won’t be produced in any substantial numbers. […]

Last month, Russia launched a large-scale series of training exercises known as Vostok (Eat). Like last year’s Zapad (West) drills, these exercises approximate a large-scale conflict on one side of Russia’s expansive territorial claims. These drills are usually quite the spectacle, with Russian officials making a habit of lying about how large (or small) the […]

On Thursday, the Justice Department announced the indictment of seven Russian intelligence officials, as accusations and allegations regarding Russia’s intelligence community continue to mount. All seven defendants are members of Russia’s GRU, KGB’s successor and rough equivalent to the CIA. The charges include hacking, wire fraud, identity theft, and money laundering carried out in an […]

Here in the United States, we have a short memory and even shorter foresight when it comes to international politics. We can’t seem to find it in ourselves to view the world through anything other than our own partisan lenses, qualifying our nation’s behavior, as well as the responses it garners, from the rest of […]

On Sunday, a Chinese Type 052C destroyer confronted the U.S. Navy destroyer USS Decatur in the international waters of the South China Sea. The Chinese-flagged warship attempted to assert China’s sovereignty over the waterway by crossing the Decatur’s bow in a maneuver U.S. Navy officials characterized as “unsafe and unprofessional,” forcing the Decatur to take […]

If you’ve found yourself feeling as though there’s no way to escape domestic politics in this era of heightened partisan bickering, you may have Russia to thank. Recent studies into online behavior tied to Kremlin-linked accounts in recent years have repeatedly shown how Russian operatives engage with Americans regarding far more than presidential candidates. Although […]

Service members joining the United States military today are generally issued a rifle that would look familiar to anyone that’s worn an American uniform since 1963. The M16 has seen several versions. But young troopers today essentially carry the same rifles as their grandfathers in Vietnam. The general operating principles haven’t changed all that much since […]

Tensions between the U.S. and China continue to escalate. On Sunday, an American warship conducting a Freedom of Navigation Operation (FONOP) in the South China Sea was confronted by a Chinese destroyer. The Chinese vessel, aiming to enforce China’s claims of sovereignty over the geopolitically crucial waterway, closed to within just 45 feet of the […]