Pain at the pot: Coffee prices expected to surge this year

The price of Arabica coffee beans is expected to rise sharply during 2019. According to a Reuters poll of nine coffee experts, the price shift will likely come from the global coffee deficit which is expected to hit markets as Brazil begins a smaller year of harvesting. By the winter of 2019, experts predict the price […]

China to sell its first and only aircraft carrier to Pakistan

According to local Chinese media outlets, the Chinese government has decided to sell its first and only aircraft carrier to Pakistan. More specifically, the Liaoning will be sold to Pakistan for a yet-undetermined price in order to upgrade the Pakistani Navy’s capabilities. But why would the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Navy proceed to sell its […]

Remembering SF MIAs Kinsman, Harwood From Vietnam

Today we remember two of our missing in action brethren from the Vietnam war On this day, January 15, 1971, two Green Berets from the 5th Special Forces Group, SGT James Arthur Harwood, and 1LT James F. Kinsman became missing in action in southwestern Vietnam along the Cambodian border. Harwood was born March 10, 1950, […]

Senior Chinese defense official calls for ramming US ships that enter the South China Sea

Tensions in the South China Sea have been rising steadily in recent years, thanks to China’s declared sovereignty over the entirety of the massive waterway, despite competing claims from no fewer than five other nations with established international norms on their side. The United States, in particular, has taken issue with China’s claimed ownership of […]

Five battlefields to visit in 2019 if you love US military history

Everyone has their own idea of the perfect vacation. Some people like the mountains, others the beaches; some people prefer a big city, and some would rather be out in the country, far away from everyone. At first glance, a vacation to a historic battlefield might sound a little dull — if not insensitive. However, […]

Want a successful proxy war? Send the SAS: Part II

This is the second part of the article regarding SAS involvement in proxy operations during the Cold War. You can read Part I here. Historically, the Mahra tribe had lived in a tri-border area that overlays Saudi Arabia, South Yemen, and Dhofar.  After the British withdrew from South Yemen in 1967, and the country went communist, […]

A rare glimpse inside the NZSAS

Papakura, New Zealand—The New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF) has released a rare glimpse of the secretive New Zealand Special Air Service (NZSAS). The video reveals the unit’s high-tech training facility and offers a taste of the operators’ daily routines and training regimens. Additionally, the NZDF sanctioned an interview with the New Zealand Herald, which produced […]

Across the Fence with MACV-SOG: You shot me three times

Near the end of September, the brass asked Schaff if he’d mind becoming the One-One, or assistant team leader. The brass wanted to put an overweight Special Forces sergeant from Germany who had a previous tour of duty with a Green Beret A-Team, but no experience in Laos, in the One-Zero slot simply because he […]