By: Andrew Martin As a former Special Operations Forces Combat Controller, I’ve been a part of, and have seen, the revolution of Battlefield Air Operations. The use of tactical unmanned aircraft systems (UAS), for example, has evolved dramatically since their first deployment on the battlefield nearly 20 years ago – from single mission tools to...
During the presidency of George W. Bush, the administration’s cabinet and top advisors were an eclectic mix of liberal internationalists and neoconservatives. The thing these two ideologies have in common is their lust for foreign interference. At the surface their objectives were different, but at their core, they believed the United States should have a...
By Mohamed ELDoh There were over 4.5 billion active internet users around the world as of January 2020—roughly 60 percent of the global population. In an average month, over 3 billion are active on social media platforms. This scale means individuals can disseminate an unprecedented amount of information more efficiently than ever. On Facebook alone, more than 300 million photos are...
By Paul Dibb Russia has published an official executive order (ukaz) titled ‘Basic principles of state policy of the Russian Federation on nuclear deterrence’. It entered into force on 2 June when it was signed by President Vladimir Putin. This is the first time in the almost 30-year history of the Russian Federation that an explanation...
By: Jonathan Cleck At a recent defense industry conference, the commander of the Air Force Special Operations Command, Lt. Gen. James Slife, said that the Air Force’s selection process for future special operators will be less about a candidate’s physical performance and more about the candidate’s attributes, suggesting perhaps that a candidate’s analytical and diplomacy skills...
In 1959, the U.S. Air Force deployed its first intercontinental ballistic missile at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. A year later, the Navy deployed its first submarine-launched ballistic missile aboard the submarine George Washington. These systems, together with the Air Force’s nuclear-capable bomber force, formed the United States’ nuclear deterrence capability, which came to...
By: Eric Lofgren Congress’ unprecedented fiscal response to COVID-19 has many in the defense community wondering whether belt tightening will hit the Pentagon. On May 19, the Congressional Progressive Caucus wrote a letter arguing for substantial defense budget cuts to support additional spending on the pandemic. Nonprofit progressive supporters have been asking to cut a...
By: Laicie Heeley As the host of a national security podcast literally named “Things That Go Boom,” I spend a lot of my time thinking about what keeps us safe. And usually these thoughts are pretty focused on big, obvious threats — things like bombs. But with the world seemingly imploding, a global pandemic spreading,...
President Trump continues to use inflammatory language as many Americans protest the unlawful death of George Floyd and the unjust treatment of black Americans by our justice system. As the protests have grown, so has the intensity of the president’s rhetoric. He has gone so far as to make a shocking promise: to send active-duty...
