A glimpse into the Covert Ops of the Vietnam War

On August 2, 1964, four North Vietnamese patrol boats attacked the destroyer USS Maddox (DD731). This did not turn out well for the North Vietnamese. Between American guns and air support, one NV patrol boat was left dead in the water with the remaining badly shot-up. The Maddox took a few machine-gun hits. In spite […]

We almost got him: High-ranking Iranian operative survives another drone strike

The same night that a U.S. drone killed Major General Qassem Soleimani, an almost simultaneous targeted strike took place in Yemen. Its target was Abdul Reza Shahlai, a senior Quds Force operative. The drone missile missed, resulting in the escape of Shahlai, who continues to remain at large. Abdul Reza Shahlai is a senior Quds […]

What is the threat level to US Embassies and diplomatic personnel abroad?

Considering the current status of events in the Middle East I believe that the threat level to U.S. Embassies to be moderate to low. Embassies are fairly hard targets these days, considering the steps which have been taken to increase their security since the last major attack on a U.S. Diplomatic establishment. The last such […]

Breaking: US strike kills top Iranian general

In the early morning hours of Friday, a historic U.S. drone strike killed Iran’s top covert operations general. Major General Qasem Soleimani, the head of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps-Quds Force, was killed by an MQ-9 Reaper as he was leaving Baghdad International Airport. The Quds Force is a rough equivalent of a combined CIA […]

Delta Force and SEAL Team 6 operators on the loose?

How far would the CIA and the military’s elite Special Operations units go to avoid political oversight for their covert activities? To the end of the world, it seems. Congress is suspecting that the CIA and the Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC) haven’t been transparent when it comes to briefing lawmakers about their covert operations. […]

Book Review: “A Woman of No Importance” excellent bio of Virginia Hall

As anyone who has read about the OSS (Office of Strategic Services) and SOE (Special Operations Executive) of World War II knows, Virginia Hall is one of the true rock stars of the clandestine services for both Britain and the United States.  In the outstanding book, “A Woman of No Importance,” Sonia Purnell tells a […]

Underwear, an informant, and $25 million: The hunt for the leader of ISIS

On Saturday night, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi chose suicide over death or capture at the hands of the Delta operators of A Squadron. The operation, however, had begun months before the Delta shooters came in knocking at the leader of ISIS’ door. The story behind the tracking of the leader of the Islamic State (ISIS) is […]

What exactly is Delta Force? Here’s everything you need to know

Last Saturday, 70 operators hailing from Delta Force’s A Squadron and the 75th Ranger Regiment stormed a compound in the Idlib Province of Northeast Syria, successfully neutralizing one of history’s most despotic leaders, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. The story made headlines around the world, but among those who aren’t as well versed in the makeup of […]

Back-to-back operation kills another ISIS big shot (Graphic content)

In an almost simultaneous operation with the raid against the leader of the Islamic State (ISIS), American forces also targeted and killed the terrorist group’s spokesperson. According to reports, a Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) drone struck the convoy that was carrying ISIS’ spokesperson US on the early morning hours of Sunday, resulting in his death. […]

Cold War comedy: Read the CIA’s classified list of official jokes about the Soviet Union

The CIA webpage is an oft under-appreciated gem in the U.S. government’s suite of dry, formal websites.  There’s no formal decree that mandates government sites have to be boring, but something about the need to exude inoffensive professionalism throughout every corner of these sprawling domains has sanitized everything .GOV into the digital version of the […]

Breaking: Delta Force raid kills leader of ISIS

A Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC) operation in Syria has resulted in the death of Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the leader of the Islamic State and one of the most wanted men in the world. The operation took place on Saturday in the Syrian province of Idlib. Sources with intimate knowledge of the operation confirmed to […]