"The Kurds have no friend but the mountains," as the old saying goes. Yet there are few mountains in Northern Syria, where the Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG) and Women's Protection Units (YPJ) formed a coalition with Arab militias called the Syrian Democratic Forces to fight the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS). The U.S. government resisted involvement in … [Read more…]
State Department pulls remaining staff from Venezuela, urges all Americans to leave
The U.S. State Department announced earlier this week it would be evacuating the remainder of its embassy staff still stationed in Caracas, Venezuela. This latest order comes as the political situation in the country continues to destabilize after a massive blackout crippled several urban areas throughout the South American nation. "Like the January 24 decision to withdraw … [Read more…]
Operation Sickle and Hammer: Ukraine prepares to take back Donbass from Russia
Fears continue to mount in eastern Ukraine as the country nears all-out war with Russia. Reports show that Russia has prepared a large strike force on the border of Ukraine. Some would claim this is a frozen war, as all attempts at resolving the conflict with diplomacy have failed. Since the start of this year, Europe and the U.S. have paid close attention to the war in … [Read more…]
North Korea’s Jong-un ramps up missile activity after Trump Hanoi summit collapse
Just days after the collapse of the Hanoi summit between U.S. President Donald Trump and Supreme Leader of North Korea Kim Jong-un, there are reports of Intercontinental Ballistic Missile (ICBM) activity on the north side of the Military Demarcation Line. According to information from Reuters and the South Korean press, supply trucks were seen entering and leaving a … [Read more…]
The art of plausible deniability: Russian mercenaries supporting Libyan National Army
Recent reports have indicated the Russian private military firm Wagner Group has reinforced Khalifa Haftar's Libyan National Army (LNA) with 300 personnel in Libya. The report also suggests the mercenary group has delivered artillery, tanks, drones, and ammunition to the LNA. What is the Wagner Group? Wagner Group is an unregistered Russian paramilitary company that is … [Read more…]
While America focuses on its southern border, the Arctic has become ‘the front line of defense’
In recent years, the Russian government has capitalized on both melting sea ice and American inaction in the Arctic to dramatically expand its military footprint throughout the region. As Putin himself has put it, new shipping lanes opening in the Arctic may represent the future for the struggling Russian economy, but their presence in the region doesn't only spell economic … [Read more…]
Russia releases American nuclear target list, including two bases that have been closed for years
Last week, Russian President Vladimir Putin delivered a nuclear warning to the United States, saying Russia's nuclear arsenal would target the U.S. if America decided to deploy any nuclear weapons to the European continent following its formal withdrawal from the INF treaty. Putin's remarks were reminiscent of a national address the Russian president delivered two years ago, … [Read more…]
US Africa Command denies American casualties in latest al-Shabaab terrorist attack
The United States Africa Command (AFRICOM) denied that three U.S. soldiers were killed by an al-Shabaab mortar attack. AFRICOM accuses the extremist group of fabricating casualties of U.S. service members at the forward operating base (FOB) of Baledogle--also referred to as "B-dog"--on February 15, 2019. AFRICOM spokesman Christopher P. Karns told Xinhua News Agency, "No … [Read more…]
Venezuela assembles neo-Axis of Evil to oppose US intervention
The ongoing rift between Nicolas Maduro and Juan Guaido was brought to the international stage at the United Nations earlier this week. The Venezuelan foreign minister, Jorge Arreaza, took the stage with representatives from Iran, North Korea, Cuba, Syria, China, and Russia to deliver a speech asking the General Assembly to prevent the United States and allied countries from … [Read more…]
Analysis: United Nations peace negotiations in Ukraine have stalled, no clear path forward identified
The United Nations (U.N.) has announced the peace negotiations focused on implementing the 2014 Minsk Protocol and resolving the conflict in eastern Ukraine have stalled. U.N. Assistant Secretary-General for Political Affairs Miroslav Jenca made the comment in a speech before the U.N. Security Council on February 12, at an event marking the fourth anniversary of the accords. … [Read more…]
How do you fight China? Stealth aircraft and submarines would dominate the first days of a Sino-American war
The role of military strategists in America's defense apparatus isn't to establish policy that leads to war, nor is it to inform the politics that surround one. Strategists are tasked with identifying potential conflicts and developing strategies to mitigate, manage, or win those conflicts if they were to manifest. This is why the media occasionally drags out stories about … [Read more…]
Moscow has a plan to censor Russian internet–Google is already helping
The Kremlin announced plans to temporarily disconnect Russian internet users from the global internet infrastructure. All internet traffic will be re-directed through internal Russian state routing points and servers managed by Roskomnazor, the government's federal communications service. Russian news agencies indicate this is a move intended to prepare the nation for … [Read more…]