954 articles
British media reports state that Special Air Service (SAS) operators were ordered to remove all Punisher patches and other similar insignias from their kits. SAS received the removal order after military VIPs visited the unit’s headquarters in Hereford, saw the skull-like emblems on troopers’ combat kits, and considered them controversial. The rationale behind the decision […]
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 […]
Two U.S. congressmen penned a letter to President Trump on behalf of Special Warfare Operator Chief Officer Edward Gallagher, asking that he directly intervene in the court-martial proceedings of the Navy SEAL. U.S. Rep. Duncan Hunter, R-Calif., and U.S. Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-FL sent the request in an obvious attempt to turn a military trial into […]
Could a space station on the ground in southern Argentina’s Patagonia be a massive spying facility for the Chinese military? No, according to the Chinese government, but evidence suggests otherwise. The Chinese government insists the station’s sole purpose is the peaceful observation and exploration of space, asserting it played a key role in the landing of […]
Only a few years ago, the Ukrainian military was hard-pressed to counter the Russians and their Donetsk separatist lackeys that were encroaching on eastern Ukraine. With Crimea lost by a combination of hybrid warfare, special operations, and Western diplomatic and political ineptitude, the future of Ukraine looked dire. Since 2014, however, the Ukrainian armed forces […]
With the terrorism danger perpetually high in both the United States and Europe, Special Operations Forces (SOF) are always honing their counter-terrorism (CT) capabilities, whether in a ground or maritime environment. To respond to a terrorist incident, however, SOF units need to get there first. And that’s where elite aviation units come in. American SOF units […]
The ongoing trial of Special Operations Chief Edward Gallagher over alleged war crimes is shedding light on the Naval Special Warfare (NSW) community and its cultural practices. With the trial in full swing, more details are emerging about SEAL Team 7’s Alpha Platoon deployment in Iraq in 2017. Chief Gallagher’s arrest seems to have originated by […]
In the early hours of May 2, 2011, two specially-designed stealth Black Hawk helicopters full of Navy SEALs from SEAL Team 6 infiltrated Abbottabad, Pakistan. Their mission was to kill or capture the world’s most wanted man: Osama bin Laden. Shortly after they landed, the leader of al-Qaida and mastermind behind the terrorist attacks of […]
Last year, former Secretary of Defense James Mattis issued a call-to-arms to increase the lethality of the U.S. military’s close-combat units. His initiative resulted in the creation of the Close Combat Lethality Task Force (CCLTF). The CCLTF seeks ways to improve the combat effectiveness of troops engaged in close-combat roles. Despite these units’ disproportionate role […]
Retired General Stanley McChrystal, a former head of the Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC) and commander of all forces in Afghanistan, recently co-wrote a book on leadership, exploring what makes an effective leader. The book, “Leaders: Myth and Reality,” explores a wide range of leaders across centuries of human history. The authors’ selection of leaders […]
The 79th Rescue Squadron (79th RQS) has won the That Others May Live Foundation Rescue Squadron of the Year Award for 2018. This is the first time in history that the unit managed to earn the prestigious award. The award is given to the rescue squadron that earns the highest marks in four categories: combat […]
Could small, loitering munitions be the future of close air support (CAS)? The U.S. military has been experimenting with the notion for some time. The first-ever loitering munition to enter the U.S. military’s arsenal was the AeroVironment Switchblade in 2012. The Switchblade is a small and light unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) that can be launched […]