The days when the Army sent in ground troops without robots are long past. At the Association of the U.S. Army’s annual conference, (AUSA) even the trucks were at least partially robotic. As Training and Doctrine Command’s Maj. Gen. Cedric Wins recently said, robot steering offers “advantages that would provide additional protection to forces, or…
The Moral Hazard of Proxy Warfare
It has been a very bad month for advocates of the “indirect” approach to U.S. national security policy. U.S.-trained rebels in Syria handed over their weapons to al-Qaeda; and the United States has been forced to sit back helplessly and watch as Russian bombers target CIA-backed rebel forces. The Department of Defense’s train-and-equip program has…
U.S. Navy Returns to Celestial Navigation Amid Fears of Computer Hack
Not being DEPENDENT on technology is a skill-set guys; because with one EMP blast, the RESET button gets punched and we are back to the stone age. I will be posting more on this. -SF “I know not with what weapons World War III will be fought, but World War IV will be fought with…
Doomsday Scenario: Reviewing the ISIS Apocalypse
The ISIS Apocalypse: The History, Strategy, and Doomsday Vision of the Islamic State. William McCants. New York: St. Martin’s Press, 2015. pp 256. Apocalyptic anticipation thriving in a sectarian bloodbath is the focus of this text, which was released alongside a biography of the group’s leader available from Brookings. Despite the claims of a recent…
The Forgotten Heroes of America’s Past Wars: Military Working Dogs
At the end of every war, the men come home, but the military dogs are forgotten. Editor’s Note: The following is an excerpt from “WAR DOGS: Tales of Canine Heroism, History, and Love” by Rebecca Frankel. At the end of wars, sometimes it’s the numbers that make the difference. In World War II, it is…
Learning from Terrorist Tactics: Exploiting islamic Garb and Male Cross-Dressing
I know it sounds hilarious when you first hear it, but this is actually a fairly standard tactic among terrorist overseas. Consider this most recent incident as reported by Jihad Watch. The underlying principles for this tactic are quite simple, regardless if it is a man or woman in the garb: A fully clothed…
Anti-Texas Campus Carry Petition Trips Over Inconvenient Truth
USA – -(Ammoland.com)- “Overturn SB 11 ‘Campus Carry,’” busybody hoplophobe and legislative process ignoramus Sara Peters of Portland, OR, demands in a Change.org petition to the Texas State Senate, State House and Governor. When the petition was posted is unclear, but it looks like the earliest signature and comment was made 18 days ago, and…
Suggested Reading: Some of my Favorite Non-Fiction Espionage
I have been getting emails lately requesting I list what books I have in my Library. It is no secret I am a huge book worm, so I felt obliged to share some titles with you based on subject. Today we will focus on one of my favorite subjects: Espionage and Intelligence, next month maybe World…
Cold War Espionage: How Soviets used IBM Selectric keyloggers to spy on US diplomats
How Highly sophisticated bugs went undetected for 8 years during the Cold War. By Dan Goodin A National Security Agency memo that recently resurfaced a few years after it was first published contains a detailed analysis of what very possibly was the world’s first keylogger—a 1970s bug that Soviet spies implanted in US diplomats’ IBM…
The Cartel Corner #3: Re-thinking that Acapulco Vacation
Acapulco’s hotels, bars, and golden sand beaches stretch out along the entire length of the resort’s spectacular crescent-shaped bay, but their promise of unbridled fun struggles to shake off the shadow of the cartel turf war violence that is never far away. Miguel Alemán, the city’s coastal road that connects the main tourist hotspots along the beach, seeks to separate…