Can Top Gun 2 repeat the original’s success as a recruitment tool?

The world was a different place in 1986. Mike Tyson won his first title that year, making him the youngest man ever to do so. A brand new Ford Mustang cost less than $7,500, and Tom Cruise was the face of what may have been the most successful military recruitment campaign in U.S. history. Here […]

US and UK aim to counter a massive increase in Russian submarine activity in the Atlantic

Last week, Russia launched a first-ever salvo of four intercontinental, nuclear capable submarine launched ballistic missile in under 15 seconds from a single submarine. Many pointed to this capability demonstration as more than just a test of their newest sub platform and accompanying missiles — they saw it as a demonstration of Russia’s growing emphasis […]

Evidence seems to be mounting that Russian air and missile defenses aren’t effective

Last week, members of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard fired 20 rockets into the Israeli controlled Golan Heights. Four of the incoming rockets were intercepted and the remaining 16 resulted in zero casualties and little damage to Israeli equipment. As ineffective as the attack was strategically, it had far-reaching symbolic implications. In response, Israel launched a […]

Twitter Diplomacy: How Russia’s Foreign Ministry uses social media like a millennial

In this line of work, you grow pretty accustomed to reading between the lines in diplomatic correspondence. Aside from President Trump, most national figures and diplomats have a way of dancing around a subject through clever phrasing and word choices, ensuring that even the most damning of accusations are delivered in a manner that retains […]

The History of US Psychological Operations: Postwar Occupations (Part 5)

The most devastating war in modern human history was over, but with two of the most prominent militaries now locked in ideological and political differences. Despite this, the U.S. was once again willing to demobilize most of her military besides what was necessary to enforce occupation duties in former axis nations. For example, in 1945, […]

Russia claims its unmanned drone-tank has seen combat in Syria — but has it?

Russia has been providing Bashar al Assad’s Syrian regime with direct military support throughout the past seven years of the nation’s ongoing civil war, which has provided Russia with a testing ground to feature some of their more advanced weapons systems and platforms. Everything from Russia’s latest cruise missile, the Kalibr, to their oft-touted but […]