Tag: Alex Hollings

With a rapidly developing military drone industry growing in prominence the world over, and heavyweight defense contractors like Northrop Grumman devoting a large portion of their overall R&D programs to unmanned aerial vehicles, it’s easy to see that the future of military aviation will be largely unmanned. The benefits of such a transition are extensive, […]

As SOFREP has discussed in the past, Russia’s limited defense budget has forced them to adopt a unique strategy when it comes to new weapons development. Instead of looking to compete with the military might of the United States directly in every category, they have opted to invest heavily into specific programs that seem as […]

When it comes to fighter jets, the modern world is currently amid a transition. The combat-proven fighters we’ve grown to know and love over the years are reaching the ends of their operational lifespans, and while update programs are underway for many of them, technological strides made in the years since these platforms first took […]

Since the military annexation of Crimea by Russian forces in 2014, NATO has adopted a far more aggressive posture throughout much of Eastern Europe. Aware that the satellite commands established throughout the region would be insufficient to halt a full-fledged Russian invasion, these NATO elements are instead tasked with early detection and, if need be, […]

Cybersecurity has been at the forefront of the defense discussion for years now, but it seems that the basic premise still eludes many working within the nation’s defense apparatus. A recent report made by the Dutch newspaper De Correspondent shows that the use of the activity tracker smartphone application “Polar” by members of the U.S. […]

China’s Navy has undergone a period of rapid expansion in recent years. With more than twenty new vessels launched in the past 18 months, the People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) seems intent on first dominating the South China Sea and eventually, making the transition toward a globally capable blue water navy. Nowhere is that push […]

With Russia so frequently dominating the headlines of the American media, one could be forgiven for believing we’re amid a full scale resurgence of the Cold War. While there are certainly parallels between today’s geopolitical climate and the heyday of American/Soviet staring contests, this new Cold War, if you’re so inclined to call it that, […]

Recently released details pertaining to an in-flight incident aboard special operations intelligence aircraft last month shows that an exploded can of the energy drink Red Bull resulted in extensive damage to the cockpit systems of the plane, prompting the crew to divert back to base. An MC-12W Liberty intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance aircraft assigned to […]

There was once a time when writing about video games meant addressing a specifically young demographic. Older folks, marketing analysis told us, simply didn’t waste their time in front of the gaming systems they felt were rotting the brains of America’s youth — and as such, approaching the topic from a serious and analytical perspective […]

Elisabetta Trenta assumed office as Italy’s Minister of Defense on June 1 of this year, and has already set about making changed to the nation’s military posture in keeping with her party’s populist tone. First, she announced a reduction in Italian troop counts in Afghanistan (dropping from 900 to 700) and on Friday, she announced […]

Back in 1995, six years before the terror attacks of September 11, 2001 would catapult terrorism to the forefront of the global conversation, another terror group attempted an attack that had the potential to dwarf even the immense loss of human life seen on 9/11. On March 20, 1995, five members of the Japan-based doomsday […]

For the security conscious, walking into a crowded bar usually isn’t your idea of a good time. Crowds are exceptionally good at concealing threats, and those who have built careers (either legitimate or otherwise) by being a threat know that. These days, I’m a pretty big fella. At six feet tall and around 245 pounds, […]