One hundred years ago Friday, as the last shells of a week-long bombardment crept off into the fields of northern France, British Army Capt. William P. Nevill kicked a football into no-man’s land. It was a few minutes after 7:30 am on July 1, 1916, and one of the bloodiest engagements in the history of civilization — the…
Espionage Files: Spy ‘Wearables’
Secret agents typically use tracking devices to monitor foreign adversaries, but now, U.S. spies will assess their own capabilities by outfitting (willing) intelligence personnel with body sensors. Yes, spies have plans to spy on themselves with wearables. “Selecting and evaluating a workforce that is well-suited for the psychological and cognitive demands of the diverse positions…
Surveillance State: Secret Rules Make it Easy for the FBI to Spy on Journalist
SECRET FBI RULES allow agents to obtain journalists’ phone records with approval from two internal officials — far less oversight than under normal judicial procedures. The classified rules, obtained by The Intercept and dating from 2013, govern the FBI’s use of national security letters, which allow the bureau to obtain information about journalists’ calls without going to a…
History of Terrorism: From Russia With Hate
By Peter Bergen The news that the Istanbul attack was carried out by a Russian and citizens of Central Asian states that were once part of the Soviet Union might surprise those who have hitherto seen the group as a collection of mostly Arab fighters with a large Western European contingent. Yet in fact, Russian…
Crusader Corner: The Attack On The ISIS Convoy Is a Tactic As Old As War
Personally, I got a lot of satisfaction watching these ISIS camel turds get wiped off the face of the planet, I hope you do too.-SF Killing retreating soldiers has a long — and totally legal — history As the Iraqi army overran the last of Fallujah’s neighborhoods remaining in the Islamic State’s hands this week, more than 500…
International Military News: Thanks to Russia, Hezbollah Now Has a Proper Army
For now its focus is on the Syrian civil war, where it is sustaining heavy losses, but the Lebanese Shiite terror group has become a far more formidable player in the 10 years since the Second Lebanon War Pictures being published from time to time by Hezbollah tell a great deal about its role in…
Military History Book’s Worth A Damn: Pumpkinflowers
Matti Friedman, Pumpkinflowers: A Soldier’s Story (Algonquin Books, 2016). Iraq veterans finally have their book; a manuscript that really deals with the whole of the Iraq experience. After over a decade at war in Iraq, we now have the best first-person account, not only of fighting against the insurgency, but also what it felt like to come…
World War II HIstory: Nazi Propaganda Exploited Sherman’s March as “Lost Cause”
In the months before the Allied invasion of Nazi-occupied Europe, the Wehrmacht’s propagandists warned those living under German occupation that America’s armies would not be as forgiving. In the pages of Signal, a bi-weekly magazine funded by the Oberkommando der Wehrmacht and intended for foreign audiences, the Nazis invoked William Tecumseh Sherman’s march across the…
Outsourcing Govt. and Military Security is DUMB
Something I have been screaming for a LONG Time.-SF It is not a theory that delegating the protection of our embassy and military personnel to other countries risks lives. It is a reality bathed in American blood. The latest reports on Benghazi released this week underscore the persistent dangers of outsourcing security. By all accounts,…
Modern Crime: The $24 Million Dollar Wall
Wow. He must have sold a lot of Miracle Grow to make this haul, huh? -SF Luis Hernandez-Gonzalez runs a successful gardening store in Miami-Dade, but not quite successful enough to explain the $24 million cops found stashed in his wall. The 44-year-old was charged with offenses including money laundering and marijuana trafficking after police…