Alex Hollings

Alex Hollings

USMC
Alex Hollings writes on a breadth of subjects with an emphasis on defense technology, foreign policy, and information warfare. He holds a master's degree in communications from Southern New Hampshire University, as well as a bachelor's degree in Corporate and Organizational Communications from Framingham State University.

NASA’s New Horizons rings in the new year with historic flyby 4 billion miles from the sun

As people all over the world nursed their hangovers from the night before, the members of NASA’s staff that have continued to work despite the partial government shutdown rang in the new year by making history. “Congratulations to NASA’s New Horizons team, Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory, and the Southwest Research Institute for making history […]

Read outgoing Defense Secretary James Mattis’ farewell to the troops

Late Monday night, as Americans were preparing to ring in the new year, Defense Secretary James Mattis was having a very different sort of evening. After decades of service, the former Marine general relinquished authority over the Pentagon to his former deputy secretary and current acting defense secretary, Patrick Shanahan. According to the Department of […]

New images surface of rail gun mounted aboard Chinese warship

Images have recently surfaced on social media suggesting that China may be preparing to test a ship-mounted electromagnetic rail gun. The weapon system was first tested some three years ago, and reports of it being mounted on the deck of a People’s Liberation Army-Navy warship first surfaced late last year. Electromagnetic rail guns can fire projectiles […]

Unpaid government employees given sample letters that suggest trading services to landlords for missed rent

As the partial government shutdown continues, some 380,000 federal employees have been furloughed, with another 420,000 expected to continue working without pay. Now, the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) has released sample letters for those federal workers to send to creditors, mortgage companies, and landlords explaining why they are unable to meet their financial obligations. […]

70-ton crane removed from 200-foot hole it made in Russian aircraft carrier flight deck

Weeks after Russia’s only aircraft carrier was involved in a mishap that saw the dry dock it was being serviced in catch fire and sink, Russian officials have announced that the massive crane that collapsed onto the carrier’s flight deck has finally been removed. “The crane was completely removed from the deck of the aircraft-carrying […]

Mattis to ring in the New Year by turning over the Pentagon at midnight on Monday

While Americans on the East Coast are toasting the arrival of the new year, current Secretary of Defense James Mattis will be on a conference call with Pentagon officials to turn over authority to Deputy Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan. Shanahan will serve as acting Defense Secretary until President Donald Trump appoints a new permanent replacement. […]

Russia’s ‘Zircon’ missile reportedly hits Mach 8 in recent test

The race for hypersonic missile supremacy is in full swing, with Russia testing yet another advanced platform this month. On December 10th, Russia conducted a test launch of their new Zircon hypersonic anti-ship missile. According to reports, the platform’s engines fired as they were intended and the missile achieved a sustained speed of approximately 6,138 […]

42,000 members of the US Coast Guard will go without pay if shutdown extends past Friday

While the Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marines all fall under the financial purview of the Department of Defense and will not see an interruption of their pay if the partial government shutdown continues beyond Friday, the U.S. Coast Guard falls under the Department of Homeland Security. As a result, 42,000 Coast Guard members tasked […]