Europe

Leaders from across the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation arrived in London to celebrate the seventieth anniversary of the alliance. Yet the gathering was noted for its tensions rather than its harmony. While Boris Johnson (the British Prime Minister and the summit’s host), reaffirmed his country’s “rock solid” commitment to NATO and reiterated the idea of […]

In trying to increase its effectiveness and interoperability, NATO has created yet another mini Special Operations Command. In late October, Hungary, Croatia, Slovakia, Slovenia, and Austria (a NATO partner) signed a memorandum of understanding for the creation of the Regional Special Operations Component Command (R-SOCC). Hungary, as the framework nation (i.e., the nation which launched […]

Missile defense is an increasingly essential part of any nation’s military infrastructure as ballistic and cruise missiles become a more prevalent facet of modern combat operations, and aggressive nations inch closer to developing and fielding fully capably nuclear weapons. Among the NATO allies, there are multiple disparate systems and platforms capable of supporting the missile […]

In telling the stories of war, we have a natural inclination to focus on the action, the drama of the front lines. Heroes, villains, and violence unlike most people have ever seen has a unique way of grabbing at the human attention span, luring us in with via own aspirations of heroism, or our own […]

The British Royal Marines Commandos are bracing for significant changes that will take them back to their Special Operations roots. The British Ministry of Defence (MoD) is considering the restructuring of the Royal Marines under the Future Commando Force concept. Improvements include upgrades to their individual weapons, personal loadout, and uniforms. More importantly, however, the […]

While the United States has no shortage of opponents on the military or diplomatic stage, few present such a looming threat as the nations of China and Russia. America‘s historical Cold War opponent may not have the same military might behind its bluster that it had during its Soviet hay-day, but Russia has demonstrated a […]

Ever since Russia’s military annexation of Crimea in 2014, the United States military has increased its presence and overall readiness throughout Eastern Europe. However, despite the presence of some 17,000 American troops on the continent, defense officials have repeatedly called for additional support, pointing out that NATO forces throughout the region are too sparse to […]

A Ukrainian Special Operations unit has become the first-ever non-NATO unit to pass the Alliance’s arduous SOF certification process. The 140th Special Operations Forces Center (140th SOFC) is now eligible to deploy and operate under the umbrella of NATO’s Response Force, the NRF. Being a SOF unit, however, means that if it were to be called, […]

The Royal Marines Commandos might soon be joining the ranks of the United Kingdom’s Special Forces (UKSF). Although an elite unit as it is, the Commandos are currently considered a step down from Britain’s SOF. They are the country’s premier light infantry amphibious unit. In recent years, they were deployed in both Iraq and Afghanistan, […]

The national security media sphere is just as prone to buzz words as any other realm of journalism, and one that has popped up with increasing frequency in the past few years is “hypersonic.” The term usually precedes a noun like “missile” or “drone” and evokes an almost childish sense of speed — hearkening back […]

U.S. Air Force Senior Airman Brandan Brown, 2nd Expeditionary Air Support Operations Squadron battalion Tactical Air Control Party, searches for the next opposing forces target to call for close air support during exercise Ample Strike 2019, near Náměšť Air Base, Czech Republic, Sept. 5, 2019. As a Joint Terminal Attack Controller, Brown is responsible for […]

German Paratrooper dives an objective in order to get the least amount of time on target while competing in Leapfest 2019 at West Kingston, RI., August 3, 2019. Leapfest is the largest, longest-standing, international static line parachute training event and competition hosted by the 56th Troop Command, Rhode Island Army National Guard to promote high-level […]