Russia

On the map legend, the rebels and al-Nusra are the same identifying color. It’s that hard to distinguish their operations and operating space.

Their chief desire is to eliminate Assad, not ISIL. In fact, on the list of terrorist organizations the rebels are worried about, I bet Hezbollah ranks higher than ISIL.

With the U.S. incapable of openly supporting anti-regime forces in Syria, and Europe facing a multitude of crises, the way is open for Putin in Syria.

US President Obama says an agreement with Russia on ending the violence in Syria is being hampered by “gaps of trust” between the two governments. Asked by CNN’s Michelle Kosinski about his meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin, the President described it as “candid” and “blunt” focusing mainly on Syria and Ukraine. Mr. Obama called […]

“The truth is hard to hear but Congress must listen: Without an engine, a rocket is a giant, multi-ton, multi-million dollar paperweight, and that paperweight will not lift critical ISR assets off the ground.”

Foreign spies met with campaign contacts and staff, used human source networks for policy insights, exploited technology to get otherwise sensitive data, engaged in perception management to influence policy.

On Wednesday, the US Army announced the creation of the Rapid Capabilities Office to “expedite critical technologies to the field in an effort to counter urgent and emerging threats.” Essentially that means the Army now has an office with the authority to fast track technologies through the hulking, bloated, wasteful defense acquisition system that tried and failed three […]

We do not retain or look for outliers, and if they’re there – they don’t have a place in the military. That sense of being just another cog in the wheel leads many to get out.

They’re taking calculated risks and creating a global narrative. They’re shaping sentiment – and, in turn, exploiting it. It’s both impressive and worrisome for the West.

Col. Gulmurod Khalimov, a former Tajik special operations officer, police commander, and military sniper, received American counterterrorism training before joining ranks of jihadi group in May • State Department says Khalimov is a “key” ISIS leader.

One of the funnier things I heard in Iraq while advising their counter-terror services and special operations forces – was when their commander lamented how difficult COIN was in comparison to tanks. He noted you could just plop tanks across from one another, and they go at it.

Aircraft capable of delivering punishing attacks on ground targets while retaining a good chance of surviving hits taken in return are going to remain in high demand worldwide.