Iraq

According to Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), a number of jihadis involved in the killing of four Americans in Syria in January have been captured. On January 16, a suicide bomber detonated in an urban restaurant in the Syrian city of Manbij, where the Americans were attending a meeting with local dignitaries. The blast killed Chief […]

The war crimes case of Special Operations Chief Edward Gallagher just got more complicated as the Navy is expanding its investigation to SEAL Team 6 operators. According to warrant documents and emails leaked to the Navy Times, the Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS) is trying to determine if Chief Gallagher colluded with SEALs from the […]

The Canadian Army has decided to reactivate the Assault Pioneers in an attempt to increase the lethality of its infantry units. Known for their specialized training, different grooming standards (they are allowed to wear well-groomed beards), and their axes, Assault Pioneers are a mix of an infantryman and a combat engineer. Aside from the normal […]

The on-going court-martial of U.S. Navy SEAL Special Warfare Operator Chief Edward “Eddie” Gallagher for killing an unarmed, wounded prisoner has taken a turn into uncharted waters. Gallagher, a very decorated SEAL with multiple deployments under his belt, is charged with stabbing to death a wounded prisoner from the Islamic State and then filming a […]

A Ranger serving with the secretive Ranger Reconnaissance Company (RRC) died in a free-fall parachute accident on March 15th. Sgt. 1st Class Ethan Carpenter was assigned to the 75th Ranger Regiment’s Special Troops Battalion (STB). “Sgt. Carpenter was an exemplary soldier and Ranger leader, and a dedicated husband and father. He did the toughest jobs […]

A Ranger serving with the secretive Ranger Reconnaissance Company (RRC) died in a free-fall parachute accident on March 15th. Sgt. 1st Class Ethan Carpenter was assigned to the 75th Ranger Regiment’s Special Troops Battalion (STB). “Sgt. Carpenter was an exemplary soldier and Ranger leader, and a dedicated husband and father. He did the toughest jobs well […]

In a small corner of the humongous 2020 U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) budget, among numerous procurement and upgrade projects, there’s notification that the DOD decided to halt the acquisition of the CH-47F Block II—the newest model of the venerable Chinook heavy-lift helicopter. The decision indicates the end of an era for the Chinook, as […]

In a small corner of the humongous 2020 U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) budget, among numerous procurement and upgrade projects, there’s notification that the DOD decided to halt the acquisition of the CH-47F Block II—the newest model of the venerable Chinook heavy-lift helicopter. The decision indicates the end of an era for the Chinook, as […]

The British Ministry of Defense plans to establish a specialist Gurkha unit to further enhance the combat effectiveness of the Gurkha Brigade. The 3rd Battalion Royal Gurkha Rifles will be a specialized infantry battalion with approximately 300 personnel. The new outfit will be responsible for conducting Foreign Internal Defense missions around the world. And there […]

“The Kurds have no friend but the mountains,” as the old saying goes. Yet there are few mountains in Northern Syria, where the Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG) and Women’s Protection Units (YPJ) formed a coalition with Arab militias called the Syrian Democratic Forces to fight the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS). The […]

Starting from January 2020, military personnel are set to receive a 3.1% pay raise, according to President Donald Trump’s fiscal year 2020 defense budget. If the proposal goes through Congress, it would mark the largest increase in pay in a decade. The last largest increase was 3.4% in 2009. Depending on rank and years of […]

The United States Air Force just took delivery of their first upgraded “Ghostrider” AC-130 gunships, a valuable tool for Special Operations troops in the ground support role for many years. The 4th Special Operations Squadron, 1st Special Operations Wing, at Hurlburt Field, Florida, received its first of a reported 37 of the AC-130J Ghostrider Block […]