Task & Purpose
The Taliban Are Watching US Troops With Drones ’24/7′ In Afghanistan
If you step onto a U.S. military outpost in Afghanistan, then militants may be watching your every move. During an October showcase of counter-drone directed energy weapons at the White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico, Air Force Research Laboratory official Tom Lockhart revealed that the Taliban and various insurgent groups that are battling for control of … Read More
Russian Mapping Service Reveals Secretive Military Bases Across The Middle East
A Russian satellite-based mapping company may have accidentally revealed the locations of at least two sensitive NATO facilities in the Middle East in what can only be described as the OPSEC version of the Streisand effect. According to a new report from the Federation of American Scientists published Monday, Russia’s Yandex Map “agreed to selectively blur … Read More
Russia Sent Warplanes To Venezuela And The Pentagon Isn’t Having It
As the Russians send bombers to Venezuela, the Pentagon is stopping just short of firing a pistol into the air and yelling “Liberación!” The two TU-160 strategic bombers arrived in strife-ridden Venezuela for joint exercises on Monday along with an AN-124 transport aircraft and IL-62 jetliner, the Russian defense ministry has announced. It is the … Read More
The Navy Is Revamping Surface Warfare Training To Avoid More Deadly Collisions
The Navy has revamped training for junior officers following two deadly collisions in 2017 involving U.S. Navy ships. The revamped Junior Officer of the Deck course is taught at the Surface Warfare Officer School in Newport, Rhode Island. The training purposefully puts students in situations to increase their stress levels and teach them how to … Read More
Army Guard Investigating Whether Training, Equipment Lapses Led To Death Of EOD Soldier In Afghanistan
The Army National Guard is investigating whether a member of an explosive ordnance disposal unit killed by an improvised explosive device in Afghanistan in October was appropriately trained and equipped prior to his deployment, the New York Times reports. Spc. James A. Slape, a 23-year-old EOD tech assigned to the 430th Ordnance Company of the North … Read More
The Pentagon Scapegoated Junior Officers For The Niger Ambush. Then Mattis Got Involved
The Department of Defense last month did an about-face on the punishments handed down to members of the Green Beret team deemed responsible for the deadly Oct. 4, 2017, ambush in Niger that left four Army Special Forces personnel dead, the New York Times reports, shifting blame from junior officers to more senior commanders following … Read More
Marine Pleads Guilty To Conspiracy To Steal Ammo, Explosives From Navy Sub Base
One of the four men accused of stealing small arms ammunition and explosives from Navy Submarine Base Kings Bay pleaded guilty Thursday in U.S. District Court in Brunswick. Austin Allen Cross was a Marine stationed at the base when, between September 2010 and July 2014, he participated in a conspiracy to take the ammunition and … Read More
Senior Army General Reportedly Asked Whether Green Beret Ambushed In Niger Was Eligible For Medal Of Honor
One of the four Army Special Forces soldiers killed in the Oct. 4, 2017 ambush in Niger may potentially be under consideration for the Medal of Honor, according to a new report. In a Friday story concerning Defense Secretary Jim Mattis’ recent anger over the Pentagon’s ambush investigation, the New York Times notes that U.S. … Read More