Finding needles in haystacks: The future of military intelligence?

Finding needles in haystacks: The future of military intelligence?

In the national security decision-making process and military operations, more often than not, intelligence drives action. Actionable intelligence, that is, timely and accurate information about a target of interest, is the most precious commodity. There are numerous ways to gather actionable intelligence: Human Intelligence (HUMINT) is highly valued but very difficult to acquire as it […]

Under-equipped and undertrained, will Burkina Faso be the next to fall in the war against Islamist terrorists?

Under-equipped and undertrained, will Burkina Faso be the next to fall in the war against Islamist terrorists?

Burkina Faso, a once-peaceful country in sub-Saharan Africa, shares a border with Mali—and that’s a problem. Mali has experienced incredible violence and political instability over the years, which continues to pose a significant threat to the entire region. The two countries share a long and relatively unmonitored border, allowing jihadis to conduct cross-border operations whenever they see […]

Second Navy SEAL charged with war crimes, goes to court

Second Navy SEAL charged with war crimes, goes to court

The second Navy SEAL implicated in war crimes allegations in Iraq has gone to court. Lieutenant Jacob “Jake” Portier, who commanded Alpha Platoon, SEAL Team 7 in a 2017 deployment in Iraq—the same unit to which Special Operations Chief Edward Gallagher belonged—has been accused of dereliction of duty because he didn’t properly supervise Chief Gallagher […]

Analysis: Latest Islamic State propaganda video shows recovered weapons of Niger ambush?

Analysis: Latest Islamic State propaganda video shows recovered weapons of Niger ambush?

A video recently released by the Islamic State in the Greater Sahara (ISGS), the group responsible for the ambush on October 4th, shows U.S.-made weapons. The video is titled Punishments of Traitors and features brutal executions, accompanied by nasheeds (Islamic ballads). In the video, Abdelhakim al-Sahrawi, the Emir of Gourma for ISGS, can be seen […]

Propaganda leaflets that talk and listen: The future of psychological operations?

Propaganda leaflets that talk and listen: The future of psychological operations?

Always striving to increase its effectiveness, the U.S. Special Operations Command (SOCOM) is aiming to produce leaflets that can talk and listen. Part of a drive for more effective psychological operations (PSYOP), the project is in the early stages of development. SOCOM has managed to create a prototype that is capable of the above. But […]

A SF Soldier Dead, Two Marines, One Sailor Under Investigation

A SF Soldier Dead, Two Marines, One Sailor Under Investigation

The news keeps getting worse and worse out of the U.S. Special Operations Command (SOCOM), as yet another Special Operations soldier, retired Green Beret and contractor Rick Rodriguez was killed in Iraq, not in combat. But by the hands of our own troops. Two senior NCOs (Gunnery Sergeants) from the Marines and a Navy Corpsman […]

Lawmaker intervenes in SEAL’s war crimes case

Lawmaker intervenes in SEAL’s war crimes case

In the latest development to Special Operations Chief Edward Gallagher’s court-martial over alleged war crimes, U.S. Representative Duncan Hunter, a Republican from California, has intervened and asked President Donald Trump to dismiss the case. “I am significantly concerned that this is another example of the over-aggressiveness of the Navy JAG Corps showing its bias against […]

Indiana Jones and Monuments Men: Meet the British Army’s newest special unit

Indiana Jones and Monuments Men: Meet the British Army’s newest special unit

Archaeologists, art dealers, art crime investigators, and linguists. These are some of the professions to which the British Army is looking in order to fill the ranks of its newest special unit: the Cultural Property Protection Unit (CPPU). Creation of this new unit comes as a result of the British government’s decision in 2017 to […]

Two British SAS Operators Wounded in ISIS Rocket Attack

Two British SAS Operators Wounded in ISIS Rocket Attack

The fighting in Syria with the U.S. led coalition has claimed more Allied casualties. The British press has reported that two British Special Operations troops were seriously wounded in a missile attack by Islamic State fighters in eastern Syria. The two British troops who are reported to be members of the British 22nd Special Air […]