Secret Diplomacy and Future Wars: The unknown drama behind the Global Positioning System

Secret Diplomacy and Future Wars: The unknown drama behind the Global Positioning System

The GPS (Global Positioning System), which had its first launch in 1978, has entered daily speech as a term. Yet few have heard of Galileo, the EU’s state-of-the-art next-generation Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS), and even fewer are aware of its transatlantic significance. Galileo, named after the Italian astronomer of the 16th CE, is expected […]

The Marine Corps just launched two non-spec ops train and advise units

The Marine Corps just launched two non-spec ops train and advise units

In an attempt to stay relevant in the Foreign Internal Defense (FID) arena, the Marine Corps activated two new units to represent it. On June 7, Marine Corps Advisor Companies (MCAC) Alpha and Bravo were established in a ceremony that took place at Joint Base Anacostia-Bolling, Washington D.C. The two new outfits, which belong to […]

Acting Defense Secretary Shanahan cleared of favoring former employer Boeing

Acting Defense Secretary Shanahan cleared of favoring former employer Boeing

Acting Defense Secretary Pat Shanahan is the longest-serving acting Pentagon head in American history, though he may have just cleared the final hurdle necessary to pursue an official appointment. An Inspector General (IG) investigation into the possibility Shanahan demonstrated favoritism toward his former employer while conducting official Pentagon duties has now cleared the former Boeing […]

US Keeping “All Options” Open in Venezuela, Blasts Chinese, Russian Influence

US Keeping “All Options” Open in Venezuela, Blasts Chinese, Russian Influence

The prospects for the removal of Venezuelan embattled President Nicolás Maduro peacefully are growing bleaker by the day. The United States has been putting plans in place for the Pentagon to undermine the growing influence of Chinese, Russian and Cuban militaries with the Maduro regime, short of an invasion. The Joint Staff and the Southern […]

This company has developed technology in which the Pentagon is investing nearly half a billion dollars

This company has developed technology in which the Pentagon is investing nearly half a billion dollars

Textron Systems is a leading company in the aerospace, defense, homeland security, and infrastructure protection industries. It specializes in the design, development, and manufacture of unmanned systems (aerial, land, and water); armored vehicles; geospatial information management and analysis systems; marine craft; electronic warfare and cyber warfare systems; and intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance systems. Despite this […]

Niger ambush review: Senior leadership accountability debacle or just burying the facts?

Niger ambush review: Senior leadership accountability debacle or just burying the facts?

During a U.S. House Armed Services Committee hearing last Tuesday, Acting Secretary of Defense Patrick Shanahan told lawmakers the long-awaited Niger ambush report will go through yet another review. The report concerns the botched Niger operation that took place in October 2017 and cost the lives of four Americans. Justifying his decision, Shanahan said his […]

Acting defense secretary under investigation for alleged Boeing bias

Acting defense secretary under investigation for alleged Boeing bias

Patrick Shanahan, a former Boeing executive with no other government experience, is now the nation’s longest-serving acting secretary of defense in history, having taken on the role after James Mattis resigned in December. Some believed that Shanahan’s “acting” prefix would soon give way to a formal appointment to the job, but that effort has been […]

Acting defense secretary under investigation for alleged Boeing bias

Acting defense secretary under investigation for alleged Boeing bias

Patrick Shanahan, a former Boeing executive with no other government experience, is now the nation’s longest-serving acting secretary of defense in history, having taken on the role after James Mattis resigned in December. Some believed that Shanahan’s “acting” prefix would soon give way to a formal appointment to the job, but that effort has been delayed […]

End of an era: Pentagon to stop purchasing CH-47F Chinooks

End of an era: Pentagon to stop purchasing CH-47F Chinooks

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 […]

End of an era: Pentagon to stop purchasing CH-47F Chinooks

End of an era: Pentagon to stop purchasing CH-47F Chinooks

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 […]

Combat ready: Marine Corps restructures its Marine Expeditionary Units

Combat ready: Marine Corps restructures its Marine Expeditionary Units

Like the Army, the United States Marine Corps (USMC) is modernizing to meet emerging threats. These efforts are most evident in the Marine Expeditionary Units (MEUs). Marine Expeditionary Units (MEUs) are small and flexible combined-arms units that can act as a theater quick-reaction force. They’re designed around a reinforced battalion, also known as the Battalion […]