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.

The Pic of the Day: California wildfires as seen from space

The Earth, in all its majesty and its tragedy, is the subject of images taken aboard the International Space Station. This image of the Carr and Ferguson fires was captured by European Space Agency astronaut Alexander Gerst, on August 3, 2018, from the station. “California burning. These fires are frightening to watch, even from space. […]

The Pic of the Day: Kashmiri rebel fires his gun to salute fallen comrades

A Kashmiri rebel fires his gun to salute fallen comrades during their joint funeral in Malikgund village, south of Srinagar, Indian controlled Kashmir, Saturday, Aug. 4, 2018. Rebels and an Indian army soldier were killed in gun battles in disputed Kashmir, triggering violent protests by residents opposed to Indian rule, officials said Saturday. See footage […]

A CIA double agent and bad software led to China executing as many as 30 American intelligence assets

In recent years, the results of Chinese espionage within the United States have become increasingly apparent within their growing defense industry. Fifth-generation fighter platforms based directly off of stolen plans for America’s F-22 Raptor and F-35 Joint Strike Fighter and the recent revelation that Chinese hackers made off with 600 gigabytes of classified data relating […]

The Pic of the Day: Security forces run from suicide bomber attack in Afghanistan

Security forces run from the site of a suicide attack after a second bombing in Kabul, Afghanistan, Monday, April 30, 2018. A coordinated double suicide bombing hit central Kabul on Monday morning. Monday marked the deadliest assault on reporters since the fall of the Taliban in 2001, according to Reporters Without Borders, also known by […]

Russia’s ‘inspector’ satellites are likely a weapon — here’s why it’s hard to be sure

Earlier this week, a top U.S. State Department official addressed the United Nations at Geneva, using the opportunity to draw attention Russia’s military efforts in orbit, despite their ongoing media campaign aimed at discrediting the United States’ endeavor to mount a space-specific branch of its own. Assistant Secretary of State for Arms Control, Verification, and […]

US looks to counter Russian and Chinese space weapons with new $3 billion satellites

Defense contractor Lockheed Martin has secured yet another sizeable government contract aimed at countering the real and potential capability gaps between American space and missile technologies and those being developed in competitor states like Russia and China. The day after the Air Force announced awarding Lockheed a second hypersonic missile development contract worth nearly an […]

The Pic of the Day: An unlikely side effect of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict

In this Monday, Aug. 6, 2018, photo, crocodiles rest at a farm in the Jordan Valley, West Bank. Hundreds of crocodiles are stuck at the farm where they were brought in the mid-90s to serve as a tourist attraction. Ensuing Palestinian-Israeli violence kept visitors away, prompting the crocodiles’ purchase by an entrepreneur hoping to sell […]

Russia may already have weapons in space, shining a light on their disinformation campaign regarding a US Space Force

President Trump’s directive to establish a new branch of the United States Military tasked specifically with orbital defense is not without controversy within the United States, but some of the most interesting responses to this initiative have come from foreign competitors. Russia, in particular, has been particularly vocal in their condemnation of an American Space […]

China and Russia are winning the hypersonic missile race — can the US spend its way out of trouble?

After nearly two decades of focusing specifically on counter-terrorism and counterinsurgency warfare, the United States now finds itself in a difficult position. Despite having the largest defense budget on the globe, nation level competitors, specifically Russia and China, have begun fielding weapons technologies the United States simply can’t currently match. America, it would seem, allowed […]