When the British secret service trolled al-Qaeda with cupcakes

One might assume that an international intelligence apparatus like Britain’s MI6 would wreak havoc when hacking into a terrorist-affiliated website. The truth is they did little more than likely annoy al-Qaeda after hacking a recruiting website. The result wasn’t exactly devastating unless you’re someone who hates cupcakes. It’s hard to imagine even the most hardcore […]

The plot thickens as two ex-Special Forces operators are caught in Venezuela coup

“They were playing Rambo,” Maduro said. “They were playing hero.” Venezuelan security forces arrested at least eight people, including two Americans, after a failed coup aimed at capturing socialist President Nicolas Maduro. This failed coup was allegedly approved by the U.S.-backed opposition leader Juan Guaido, an allegation that he has denied. Jordan Goudreau, an ex-Green […]

Robert Levinson: Former FBI agent and CIA asset dies in captivity in Iran

Robert Levinson, a former FBI special agent and undercover CIA asset, has died while in captivity in Iran, according to a statement by his family. Levinson’s story is complicated, to say the least. The former FBI special agent retired from the Bureau in 1998. He then proceeded to work as a private investigator. In 2007, […]

A Spy and a Gentleman: John Ford, Oscar-winning Hollywood director

Most people remember John Ford as an iconic Hollywood film director and winner of multiple Oscars. Ford was known especially for his westerns for which he frequently used Monument Valley in the Arizona/Utah area as a backdrop. But during World War II, Ford went to work for the Office of Strategic Services (OSS), the forerunner […]

Perhaps next time: Why was the Iranian response so feeble?

Is this it? Is this all you can conjure, Iran? That’s what everyone must have thought this morning. The Iranian response to the killing of Major General Qassem Soleimani, the commander of the secretive Quds Force and arguably one of the most powerful men in Iran and the Middle East, was feeble, to say the […]

Not quite James Bond: Another ring of Russian spies and assassins exposed in Europe

In March of last year, a 66-year-old man named Sergei Skripal was the target of an alleged Russian assassination attempt on UK soil. Skripal, a former Russian military intelligence officer turned asset for the MI6, and his daughter were both exposed to a Soviet-era nerve agent called Novichock. The nerve agent very nearly killed them […]

Want a successful proxy war? Send the SAS: Part II

This is the second part of the article regarding SAS involvement in proxy operations during the Cold War. You can read Part I here. Historically, the Mahra tribe had lived in a tri-border area that overlays Saudi Arabia, South Yemen, and Dhofar.  After the British withdrew from South Yemen in 1967, and the country went communist, […]

Extortion 17 SEALs had been sheep dipped into CIA’s Omega Teams

With the release of “The Final Mission of Extortion 17” by Ed Darack, new information is brought to light about one of the most deadly days for coalition troops in the War on Terror.  Darack’s work goes in-depth on the subject, probing the technical details of military rotary wing aviation, accidents, and shoot downs overseas. […]

Delta Force and Pablo Escobar: Never before seen pictures (Warning: Graphic Images)

In 1991, one of the world’s most prolific drug traffickers fled Colombia to Bolivia where he went into hiding.  A team of Bolivian Leopardos with American advisors from the DEA and Navy SEALs raided the ranch house at the CIA’s request.  After making entry, they found cups of coffee on the table that were still warm.  The […]

Special Operations Command urgently needs to rethink its approach to Operational Security

Much has been made about Operational Security (OPSEC) in recent years, much of it revolving around high level politicians or even congressional staffers leaking information about sensitive military operations such as the SEAL Team Six raid in Pakistan that killed Bin Laden.  While it is true that Pentagon staffers and politicians leak information to the […]