954 articles
Brussels, Belgium — The Belgian government has announced its intention to purchase the F-35A Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) to replace its ageing F-16 fleet. The Belgian Air Force intends to replace its current fleet of 58 F-16s with 34 F-35As by 2023. The F-35 beat the Eurofighter Typhoon to win the contract. The sale will […]
Arctic Circle — Earlier in October, British Royal Marines and Dutch Royal Marines were conducting combat training exercises in the Arctic. The exercises were part of a training regime intended to enhance relations between the two European nations, establish interoperability between the two Corps, and signal that the Arctic is still depoliticised. But they weren’t […]
Reykjavik, Iceland — What happens when boatloads of American troops port-call in a small island nation? All the beer runs out. According to the Icelandic media, the around 7,000 U.S. servicemen, who briefly stayed in Iceland on their way to Norway, drained the whole city dry in just four days (October 24-28). Although the American […]
London, United Kingdom — The Special Boat Service (SBS) will be getting new mini-subs from the United States. After the budget announcements for the next year, the British government approved the purchase of three MK 11 Shallow Water Combat Submersibles (SWCS) to replace the ageing MK VIII Mod 1 Swimmer Delivery Vehicle (SDV). The SWCS […]
Washington, D.C — President Donald Trump announced a military deployment in the U.S-Mexican border to ensure security. More than 5,200 troops will be sent to the border to assist the local and federal law enforcement and border security authorities with an imminent influx of immigrants from Central America. The administration’s decision comes after stories broke last […]
Canberra, Australia — Kuga, a Special Operations Military Working Dog (SOMWD), posthumously received the PDSA Dickin Medal, which is the Victoria Cross equivalent for service animals. A Belgian Malinois, Kuga served with the Australian Special Air Service Regiment (SASR), and completed multiple combat deployments to Afghanistan. He received the prestigious award for his actions during […]
Sydney, Australia — Comradeship and defiance, these two traits describe what the Invictus games represent. The games began last week. During a wheelchair tennis match between the British-Dutch team and Team USA, a helicopter flew above the court. The pilot was lower than he should have been. UK team member Paul Guest froze. The low-flying helicopter […]
Brussels, Belgium — When it comes to conflicts and emerging crises, the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) depends on its member nations to lift their weight and contribute. But when it comes to protection of its leadership, NATO depends on the officers of the Close Protection Unit (CPU). These are the men and women who […]
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, […]
The early 1970s. With the help of the British, the Sultan of Oman is in the final stages of winning a communist insurgency in the southern part of his country (Dhofar). British contribution was limited to a few Royal Air Force (RAF) squadrons, seconded officers and enlisted men to lead the local troops, and — […]
Dolna Krupa, Slovakia — Paramilitary and influence operations can take many forms. They could be a team of Delta Force operators conducting Operational Preparation of the Battlefield (OPB) in an unstable region; they could be a CIA front company creating a pro-U.S. narrative in a far-away country; but they could also be a Russian biker-gang […]
Mexico—A migrant caravan comprised of more than seven thousand Central Americans is headed toward the U.S.-Mexico border. Like a cascading snowball, the caravan has increased in size and visibility with every mile northward. It all began when around 150 Honduran migrants grouped to have better security for their trek north. As they hitched rides, their […]