It’s a matter of days before Hurricane Joaquin hits the East Coast; the first in the past 15 months despite lots of enviro-pandering that we’d experience more frequent and severe hurricanes as a result of global warming. At any rate, it’s been a while since I blogged, and in light of this hurricane, I wanted…
Author: The Tactical Hermit
Armed Texan and Part-Time Bard.
HOW THE OSS SHAPED THE CIA AND AMERICAN SPECIAL OPS
Six months after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, President Franklin D. Roosevelt established the Office of Strategic Services to collect and analyze intelligence and conduct special operations. Its formal existence lasted just three years. But more than 70 years on, the U.S. organizations charged with these missions today remain indelibly influenced by the OSS…
What @Snowden told me about NSA’s Cyberweapons
By James Bamford Stephen Gerwin, chief of the Howard County Bureau of Utilities, it was “a peculiar project.” His workers were told they needed to get background checks and sign nondisclosure forms before they could begin work on a wastewater pump station in a forested area near the Little Patuxent River. “You sign a document…
Muslim from the U.S. is top ISIS Commander
Kind of blows away the fallacy that JIHADIST ARE ONLY RECRUITED AND EDUCATED IN FOREIGN COUNTRIES DOESN’T IT? Make no mistake about it, they are HERE, right now, among us, being recruited, trained and deployed.-SF How did a Muslim from the U.S. come to have the understanding that taking sex slaves and fighting for the…
Field Review: Spec-Ops Brand Single Point Mamba Sling
I have been a fan of Spec-Ops Brand weapon slings for some time. Having used them both in the military and in the private sector, I can attest to their durability and toughness. So I was really pleased when my friends at Spec-Ops Brand in Monahans, Texas sent me one of their flagship slings…
Field Review: Spec-Ops Brand Combat Master Knife Sheath, Long
My friends over at Spec-Ops Brand decided to send me the Combat Master Knife Sheath Long for review. If you guys remember, I recently reviewed this Sheath’s little brother, the Combat Master, Short. This sheath is identical to its little brother in features with the exception it will fit an 8 inch blade. It…
The Battle of Salamis: Themistocles and the Birth of Strategy
The dichotomy of strategy and tactics in war did not solidify as a concept until the publication of Carl von Clausewitz’ On War in 1832. Since then the relationship between the two has been hotly debated, along with the subsequent interjection of the operational level of war. What is not debated are the concepts themselves….
Constructing a War Rig
No, not that kind of War Rig…. I recently wrapped up an ongoing project to finish all of my “ESG” or Essential Support Gear (The rigs I use to haul mags and other swag).The 2 main rigs that I use are Chest Rigs and a War Belt. I also have Mag Bags (also called…
Ammo Field Test: Freedom Munitions .223 60gr VMAX
Finally got out to the back 40 to Test out Freedom Munitions .223 60gr VMAX Load. The 60gr VMAX Load is a Polymer Ballistic Tip Round that comes screaming out of the barrel at 2975 fps with a muzzle energy of around 1229 ft. lbs. At 100 yds the FPS drops to around 2698 with…
DHS wants Boeing to Test Brain Chip
The Department of Homeland Security is funding a Boeing company to create a “brain chip” for its self-destructing Black smartphone that could be adapted for any device, DHS officials say. The technology powering the devices potentially could identify the user’s walking style, for example. Officials would be alerted if the gait does not match the authorized user’s…