China to Increase Military Exercises and Patrols in South China Sea

China’s military will carry out more military exercises in the South China Sea this month involving advanced warships and submarines, state news agency Xinhua said on Wednesday, terming the drills routine. China claims almost all of the energy-rich waters of the South China Sea, through which more than $5 trillion of maritime trade passes each […]

U.S. Ships Armored Brigade Combat Team to Georgia for NATO Response Exercise

The U.S. Army’s 1st Armored Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division loaded equipment and vehicles onto ferries in Varna, Bulgaria. A  delegation of U.S. officers including General Ben Hodges, visited Batumi, Georgia to meet and greet with local and national Georgian officals. “We are here to look at the port in Batumi to understand what is required to […]

Mexican Cartel Boss ‘ El Chapo’ Guzman Moved to Jail on U.S. Border

Mexican drug boss Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman was moved on Saturday from a jail in central Mexico to a prison in Ciudad Juarez, a northern city on the U.S. border, in a move that appears to bring him closer to extradition to the United States. Guzman, head of the Sinaloa drug cartel, was one of […]

Tricks on How to Spot a Spy

Reddit recently asked an interesting question, and I decided to expand on it here, at SOFREP. You’re in the CIA and you suspect a fellow agent to be a spy. They’re 25-35 and speak perfect English. What question do you ask to determine whether they grew up in the U.S.? Isaac Asimov once answered this questions […]

‘Resurgent Russia’ Poses Threat to NATO – New U.S. Commander

In the face of a “resurgent Russia” and other emerging challenges, NATO needs to stay agile and ready to “fight tonight,” the alliance’s new supreme allied commander for Europe said today. Army Gen. Curtis M. Scaparrotti assumed command of NATO’s Allied Command Operations from Air Force Gen. Philip M. Breedlove in a ceremony today at NATO’s […]

Mission Creep: More Marines Head to Baghdad

Twenty-five additional heavily armed U.S. Marines arrived at the U.S. embassy in Baghdad within the last several hours, a U.S. official tells CNN. The Marines were requested by the State Department, which is in charge of security. Concerns have risen since demonstrations occurred there last week in Baghdad’s “Green Zone,” where the embassy is located. […]

Watch: Airstrike Annihilates Daesh [ISIS/ISIL] Tactical Unit

Coalition aircraft engages Da’esh tactical unit near Manbij, Syria, to disrupt terrorist operations and deny freedom of movement and key terrain. The strikes were conducted as part of Operation Inherent Resolve, the operation to eliminate the Daesh terrorist group and the threat they pose to Iraq, Syria, and the wider international community. The destruction of […]

The Most Difficult Task of a Federal Employee: Getting Hired

Every federal agency has two groups of employees that hold the key to who gets hired: Those in the personnel office and those who carry out the agency’s mission. For the most part, these staffs don’t collaborate as they should, and their broken relationship is a big reason that government has a lot of trouble identifying […]

Russian Nuclear Sabre-Rattling Against U.S. – NATO

US Defence Secretary Ash Carter has accused Russia of “nuclear sabre-rattling” and of being intent on eroding international order. He said he regretted strained relations with Moscow but said the US had to “prioritize deterrence” on Nato’s eastern flank. US-Russian ties have been strained by the Ukraine crisis and recent military encounters in the Baltic […]

The Russians Buzzed us Again! Provocations and War Games Risk Real War

It’s happened again. Last Friday, a Russian Air Force fighter jet intercepted an American Reconnaissance Plane over the Baltic Sea, in international airspace, and engaged in a dangerous game of high-speed intimidation. The message was clear: get out of here. At one point, the Russian jet did a barrel roll over the American plane at […]

Russia Backs China’s Challenges to U.S. Over Asian Flashpoints

Russia offered support for China’s opposition to U.S. actions in two of Asia’s biggest security flash points amid mounting tensions on the Korean Peninsula and in the South China Sea. Foreign ministers from China and Russia expressed “grave concern” about the possible U.S. deployment of the Thaad anti-missile system in South Korea to defend against […]