In the never-ending quest to remain technologically ahead of current and future rivals, the Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC) has assembled two documents containing lists of capabilities and technologies that will enable its special operators to dominate the battlefield. More specifically, the… [Read more…]
In the never-ending quest to remain technologically ahead of current and future rivals, the Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC) has assembled two documents containing lists of capabilities and technologies that will enable its special operators to dominate the battlefield. More specifically, the JSOC documents, which are titled Special Operations Forces (SOF) Capability … [Read more…]
During a U.S. House Armed Services Committee hearing last Tuesday, Acting Secretary of Defense Patrick Shanahan told lawmakers the long-awaited Niger ambush report will go through yet another review. The report concerns the botched Niger operation that took place in October 2017 and cost the lives of four Americans. Justifying his decision, Shanahan said his predecessor, … [Read more…]
U.S. President Donald Trump signed a new executive order on Tuesday, mandating a government-wide effort to harden critical elements of the nation’s infrastructure against the possibility of an electromagnetic pulse (EMP) attack. Put simply, an electromagnetic pulse is a short burst of a specific kind of radiation that’s most commonly released by a nuclear detonation. EMPs … [Read more…]
Dakota Wood spent 20 years in uniform as a U.S. Marine. He retired as a lieutenant colonel in 2005 and entered the world of academic defense analysis. Now a senior fellow at the Center for National Defense at the Davis Institute for National Security and Foreign Policy, Wood used his experience in the United States Marine Corps (USMC) and as a researcher to field a … [Read more…]
A Canadian Catholic priest is recovering after he was stabbed during mass on Friday morning. The incident was broadcast to thousands of viewers via live television, as the mass was being carried on a Catholic television station, according to a report from Agence France-Presse (AFP). The victim, 77-year-old Claude Grou, was getting ready to begin speaking at the pulpit when a … [Read more…]
As the unconventional conflicts in Syria and Afghanistan draw to a close and the U.S. military again turns its gaze toward nation-level threats, the 75th Ranger Regiment prepares for a conflict in the Arctic. The Regiment sent almost 30 Rangers from across its three line battalions to attend the Cold Weather Operations Course (CWOC), at Fort McCoy, Wisconsin, between … [Read more…]
China’s aggressive claims of sovereignty over the vast majority of the South China Sea have put the nation at odds with many of its Pacific neighbors, many of whom have conflicting claims over portions of the waterway. International law permits the navigation of waterways outside of about 12 nautical miles from a nation’s shore and awards exclusive economic rights to the sea … [Read more…]
On Tuesday March 19th, a group of armed men opened fire on police escorting a shipment of uranium destined for one of Brazil’s two operational nuclear power plants. The convoy came under fire while passing through the town of Frade, about 19 miles from its ultimate destination in Angra dos Reis. Details surrounding the incident remain fairly sparse, but according to reports … [Read more…]
In an effort to attract more qualified candidates from minority communities, the Naval Special Warfare Command (NSWC) has enlisted the first African-American to become a Navy SEAL to serve as an unofficial recruiter. Master Chief Bill Goines was part of the first wave of Underwater Demolition Team (UDT) operators who established the SEAL teams back in 1962. Sailors who … [Read more…]
It’s happened countless times in movies: the hero slips a Bible, a notebook, a watch, or (in “Back the Future III”) a stove door into their shirt before squaring off with their opponent. After a moment of tension-building drama, the villain draws and fires, striking our hero who crumples to the ground. After yet another moment of suspense, the seemingly-dead hero springs back … [Read more…]
The massacre that took place in two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand, invites questions about the country’s counterterrorism (CT) response. Who is responsible for dealing with such situations? Why wasn’t the elite New Zealand Special Air Service (NZSAS) called in? In this article, we break down the country’s different units in an attempt to answer these questions. The … [Read more…]
Like the Army, the United States Marine Corps (USMC) is modernizing to meet emerging threats. These efforts are most evident in the Marine Expeditionary Units (MEUs). Marine Expeditionary Units (MEUs) are small and flexible combined-arms units that can act as a theater quick-reaction force. They’re designed around a reinforced battalion, also known as the Battalion Landing … [Read more…]
