Fortunes changing: The evolution and progress of Ukrainian special operations forces

Only a few years ago, the Ukrainian military was hard-pressed to counter the Russians and their Donetsk separatist lackeys that were encroaching on eastern Ukraine. With Crimea lost by a combination of hybrid warfare, special operations, and Western diplomatic and political ineptitude, the future of Ukraine looked dire. Since 2014, however, the Ukrainian armed forces […]

Meet Zaslon, Russia’s ultra-secretive unit

The Russian Ambassador to Turkey, Andrei Karlov, was assassinated on December 19th, 2016 by Mevlüt Mert Altıntaş in Ankara. Scenes of the assassination are still fresh in most people’s memory as it was televised how Mevlüt shot the ambassador in the back and started circling the body, screaming in Arabic and Turkish. The next day, […]

Russian ‘order of battle’ report suggests an elaborate strategy, not just brute force

The Russian Federation’s aggressive stance in Eastern Europe is forcing America and NATO allies to reevaluate their defensive postures. The Russian military may not be comparable to its former Soviet glory, but recent strides made in modernization and clever economy of force stratagems have resulted in a leaner, more cunning Red Bear. Russian ambition has […]

UK government loses crucial BREXIT vote, military ready to deploy

Earlier this week, British Prime Minister Theresa May brought her proposed BREXIT plan to Parliament for approval. It got thrashed, amounting to the largest defeat in British Parliamentary history (432 votes to 202). The remarkable thing for those not accustomed to British politics is that both the Labour opposition and numerous members of parliament (MPs) […]

Even outside of war zones, US Special Forces soldiers are regularly saving lives

Among other tasks, Special Forces soldiers are experts at winning people’s hearts and minds. This skillset is particularly useful in a counterinsurgency context. It also comes in handy in other circumstances. For the past few years, the Green Berets of 1st Battalion, 10th Special Forces Group—which is forward-based in Germany—have been saving the lives of civilians. Last […]

The incredible mystery of a missing Hercules C-130 is finally solved

RAF Lakenheath, Great Britain, May 1969. Pretending to be an officer, United States Air Force (USAF) Sergeant Paul Meyer calls his squadron operations center and requests a C-130E transporter to be outfitted for immediate departure. Although he is drunk, he aims to fly the plane back to Virginia to meet his wife. He steals an […]

The incredible mystery of a missing Hercules C-130 is finally solved

RAF Lakenheath, Great Britain, May 1969. Pretending to be an officer, United States Air Force (USAF) Sergeant Paul Meyer calls his squadron operations center and requests a C-130E transporter to be outfitted for immediate departure. Although he is drunk, he aims to fly the plane back to Virginia to meet his wife. He steals an […]

Watch: Helicopter pilot puts rotor within inches of a mountain to rescue skier in the Alps

Last week, a French mountain police helicopter pilot showed some incredible skills (and guts) while conducting rescue operations in the Alps. According to a Facebook post written by Nicolas Derely, who recorded the footage with his phone, this death-defying feat of helicopter-acrobatics was prompted by a rescue of skier Bruno Tauziet. Tauziet dislocated his knee […]

US and Polish commandos train with an eye toward Russia

American commandos from the Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC) have just finished a months-long training deployment in Poland, where they conducted realistic training scenarios with their Polish brethren. The airmen were part of the 321st Special Tactics Squadron (STS), which is based in Royal Air Force Mildenhall, in the United Kingdom. The squadron is […]

Spain sends fighters to France to square off against Dassault’s new stealth drone

Two Eurofighter Typhoons from Spain’s 11th Wing, along with their accompanying pilots and maintenance personnel, arrived in France late last week to conduct evaluation flights against the stealthy Dassault nEUROn drone (technically speaking, an unmanned combat aerial vehicle or UCAV). The intent of the exercises is simple: assess how effectively the Typhoon’s suite of onboard […]