NATO activates new regional SOF command

In trying to increase its effectiveness and interoperability, NATO has created yet another mini Special Operations Command. In late October, Hungary, Croatia, Slovakia, Slovenia, and Austria (a NATO partner) signed a memorandum of understanding for the creation of the Regional Special Operations Component Command (R-SOCC). Hungary, as the framework nation (i.e., the nation which launched […]

NATO just proved it might have the best missile defenses in the world

Missile defense is an increasingly essential part of any nation’s military infrastructure as ballistic and cruise missiles become a more prevalent facet of modern combat operations, and aggressive nations inch closer to developing and fielding fully capably nuclear weapons. Among the NATO allies, there are multiple disparate systems and platforms capable of supporting the missile […]

Russia’s about to receive its first batch of their most advanced tanks ever

Moscow has reported that Russian Ground Forces (RGF) expect to receive the first dozen advanced T-14 Armata tanks as soon as next month or as late as early 2020. Unlike many of Russia’s new weapons systems that tend to offer more bark than bite, defense experts around the world are fairly certain that the T-14 […]

Why can’t we get back to the moon? It’s politics, not rocket science

In 1969, America won the Space Race by landing on the moon. In the half-century since, technology has made just about everything easier except getting back up there. In this two part series, we explore some of the reasons why a modern moon mission is a long shot in its own right. In part one, […]

Why can’t we get back to the moon? Apollo as a ‘one-off’ enterprise

On July 20, 1969, Neil Armstrong and Edwin “Buzz” Aldrin fulfilled the dreams of generations as they stepped out of the thin protective shell of their lunar lander and onto the alien surface of our moon. For the first time in history, mankind occupied not one, but two separate and distinct celestial bodies, making their […]

Was Roswell a Soviet hoax? Fact may be stranger than fiction

In July of 1947, something fell from the sky and crash landed in Mack Brazel’s ranch, just northwest of Roswell, New Mexico. According to the official story, it was an experimental weather balloon. If you listen to the long list of conspiracy theories surrounding the event, it was a spaceship from another world, crewed by […]

The defense implications of a Trump impeachment

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 […]

Russia expanding its influence in Africa

During the course of 2019, Russia renewed its effort to exert its presence beyond Eurasia and Syria — its most recent target is Africa. In October, the president of the Central African Republic (CAR) Faustin-Archange Touadéra revealed that he was open to the prospect of a Russian military base in the country. In an interview […]

Russia’s military might is more about marketing than capability

For years now, Vladimir Putin’s oft-touted modernization initiative throughout the Russian military has been a casualty of economic war with the West. As the Russian economy struggles under the weight of international sanctions, the nation’s most prominent military initiatives have suffered from slashed budgets and reduced orders—but you’d likely never know it if you’ve been […]