Middle East

Last December, footage emerged of an AH-64 Apache helicopter being engaged by surface to air missiles over Yemen, breaking apart and falling to the ground. Reportedly both pilots were killed. Regional news outlets have been calling the Apache a Saudi aircraft; but it is just as feasible that it could have belonged to the United […]

The use of soft power in foreign policy is often aided by the knowledge that should it not be effective, military (hard) power is waiting in the wings. Following this argument, it seems logical to conclude then that when boots are on the ground, soft power has come up short. The military’s mission is to […]

U.S. Marines and Sailors with the Maritime Raid Force, 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU), prepare for a reconnaissance and surveillance mission aboard the amphibious assault ship USS Bataan (LHD 5) during Composite Training Unit Exercise (COMPTUEX) in the Atlantic Ocean Oct. 14, 2019. Bataan is underway conducting a COMPTUEX with the Bataan Amphibious Ready Group […]

U.S. Marines and Sailors give a safety brief to Katherine Zimmerman, resident fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, Yemen and Africa subject matter expert, before she departs the amphibious assault ship USS Bataan (LHD 5) in the Atlantic Ocean Dec. 19, 2019. The Bataan is operating in the Atlantic Ocean in support of naval operations […]

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu publicly revealed that he is seeking parliamentary immunity relating to three ongoing corruption cases. In November 2019, Netanyahu was indicted on charges of bribery, fraud and breach of trust over allegations of offering government favors, worth the equivalent of hundreds of millions of dollars, in exchange for positive coverage from […]

In an emergency session following the death of Iranian Major General Qassem Soleimani, Iraq’s parliament voted to expel all American troops from their country. While the vote is non-binding, Prime Minister Adil Abdul-Mahdi has voiced his support for the move. Expressing his thanks for American aid in the fight against the Islamic State, Abdul-Mahdi said […]

The public hearing for the impeachment inquiry into President Donald Trump is underway, and while a lot of the nation’s attention is focused on domestic politics, it’s important to remember that the world continues to turn even when our attention wanes. As Republicans and Democrats in Washington D.C. and all around the nation fortify their […]

Perception has always played an important, and often understated, role in warfare. Before a nation can wage war on its enemies, it must first convince its populous of two things: the first is that an enemy indeed exists, and the second is that the threat presented by said enemy can only be mitigated through force. […]

President Trump announced on Wednesday that he would be lifting sanctions placed on Turkey over their military offensive against U.S.-partnered Kurdish forces in Northern Syria, following the establishment of what he called a “permanent ceasefire” between the two groups. The president went on to declare that, despite receiving harsh criticism from officials on both sides […]

Videos surfaced on Twitter in the past week that appear to show Russian mercenaries contracted to the Syrian government via the paramilitary Wagner Group assuming control of an abandoned American installation in Northern Syria. American troops left the base willingly after President Trump issued an order to withdraw from the region, providing Turkey with the […]

The Pentagon announced plans to deploy 1,500 more troops to Saudi Arabia on Friday, including two fighter squadrons, one air expeditionary wing, two Patriot missile batteries, and a Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system. This decision comes shortly after President Trump announced the withdrawal of U.S. forces from Northern Syria, a move that has […]

For every year of my adult life, September has opened on a somber note. As a journalist that works in the National Security and Defense sphere, I’ve come to embrace the sadness this month brings with it, often channeling the lump in my throat for the sake of content — writing pieces each year that […]