Experts describe the footage obtained by Sky News of a “jihadi technical college” as an intelligence gold mine. Terror group Islamic State is employing scientists and weapons experts to train jihadists to carry out sophisticated “spectacular” attacks in Europe, while also modifying weapons systems capable of targeting passenger jets and military aircraft. From a “jihadi…
Category: Tactics
Military History: The Lasting Influence of the Ancient Greeks on the Modern Military
Written more than two thousand years ago, texts by ancient Greeks still have a major impact on the modern militaries of today in numerous ways. At the start of the Cold War, the then US secretary of state, George Marshall, read the histories of Herodotus and Thucydides, convinced that the events of the Peloponnesian War…
The Double-Edged Sword that is Open Carry
(Originally Published in March) Texas just got one step closer to joining the 13 other states in which Open Carry is Legal (with permit) with the Texas Senate Republicans passing the measure 20-11 in a straight party vote. Read that story HERE. As a PROUD Texan, I know many of you out there would…
The Lessons of Debaltseve: Armored Vehicles Still Matter
After nearly fifteen years of counterinsurgency in Iraq and Afghanistan, American advocates of heavy armored forces interpreted Ukrainian forces’ defeat at the battle of Debaltseve as an indication that “tanks still matter.” But the key lesson of the Debaltseve fight is a broader one: Combat vehicles of whatever kind must provide the mobility, protection,…
Thinking About War Underground
No one has done better than the great British comic illustrator Heath Robinson to illustrate the intrinsically reciprocal dynamic of military engineering in general and mining and countermining in particular. This cartoon is from a collection Heath Robinson at War I found in a rummage sale years ago–no doubt there are abundant reprints. I would guess,…
Peering into the Past and Future of Urban Warfare in Israel
I traveled recently to Israel to visit a state-of-the-art military training facility in the southern Negev Desert opened by the Israeli Defense Force (IDF) last year. The facility, at the Tze’elim army base, is meant to simulate urban operations of the kind the Israelis have so often faced in their conflicts with Palestinian and Lebanese…
Holiday Travel Tips: Concerns over Active Shooter Threats at Airports
According to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, critical infrastructure and key resources are the backbone of our nation’s economy, security, and health. One key component of critical infrastructure is the security of our nation’s airports from mass casualty incidents such as an active shooter scenario. With over 450 commercial airports, in addition to the…
Indicators and Battle Tracking Baltimore
Will Baltimore blow up like Ferguson? Early indicators are not looking good. Batten down the hatches and put one in the chamber, it could be a long week. I also highly urge all my readers to participate at GuerillAmerica and practice Battle Tracking…it is a important skill to keep sharp in the times we are…
Military History: History’s Last Left Hook?
Military Envelopments with Strategic Implications “Left hook” is a boxing term for a short, sideways, inside punch which often lands on an opponent’s jaw. Left hooks generally come as a surprise because for most people it is much harder to punch with their left arm. So, while boxers may continuously jab, cross, and uppercut, the…
The Sixth Dimension: DOD Could declare the Electro-Magnetic Spectrum (EMS) a Domain of Warfare
The Defense Department’s recent emphasis on the importance of the electromagnetic spectrum could be coming to a head, as the department is considering recognizing the spectrum as a sixth domain of operations, in addition to land, air, sea, space and cyberspace, which officially was declared a domain in 2011. In a statement to Breaking Defense, DOD…