Tactics

News, explainers, and analysis on military tactics.

Latest in Tactics

Special operators conduct training in austere conditions near Pituffik Space Base, Greenland, on May 9, 2023, in support of exercise ARCTIC EDGE 2023. ARCTIC EDGE 2023 (AE23) is a U.S. Northern Command-led homeland defense exercise demonstrating the U.S. military's capabilities in extreme cold weather, joint force readiness, and U.S. military commitment to mutual strategic security interests in the Arctic region. (U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Andrew Adams)

A brief history of the US military’s presence in Greenland

By Jeff Schogol

Posted on Feb 5, 2026

From left, Maj. Gen. Winston Brooks, Command Sgt. Maj. Neil Sartain, Command Sgt. Maj. Michael Augustin, and Maj. Benjamin Page shake the hands of soldiers assigned to the 1st Battalion, 14th Field Artillery regiment as they board a plane at the Lawton Fort Sill Regional Airport on May 2, 2024.

The Army wants soldiers to travel less for training, do more in virtual reality

By Patty Nieberg

Posted on Jan 13, 2026

The vessels would allow the Marines to move small teams onto remote islands. Medium Landing Ship, or LSMs, can carry 200 Marines to shore.

Amphibious Operations

Marines may finally get landing ships for modern-day island hopping

By Jeff Schogol

Posted on Dec 23, 2025

SAINT LAWRENCE ISLAND, Alaska (Sept. 11, 2022) A West Coast-based Naval Special Warfare operator conducts security utilizing a SHIELD AI Nova I drone during Operation Noble Defender. Sensors, artificial intelligence, and machine learning software capabilities coupled with the development of layered denial, and defeat mechanisms capable of addressing current and emerging threats are fundamental to national defense. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Alex Smedegard)

Navy SEALs want to start a 10-day school to learn drone warfare

By Nicholas Slayton

Posted on Nov 17, 2025

A U.S. Marine Corps Amphibious Combat Vehicle and Marines assigned to Alpha Company, Battalion Landing Team 1/5, 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit, secure a beach during a simulated amphibious assault at Hwajin-ri, South Korea, Sept. 2, 2024, as part of exercise Ssang Yong 24. Exercise SY24 strengthens the Republic of Korea-U.S. Alliance through bilateral, joint training, contributing toward combined amphibious capability in defense of the Korean Peninsula. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Amelia Kang)

Amphibious Operations

This is how the Marine Corps storms a beach

Posted on Nov 10, 2025

Soldiers with the 34th Infantry Division receive instruction on the M250 automatic rifle during a New Equipment Training fielding at Camp Ripley, Minn. September 14, 2025. The M250, part of the Army’s Next Generation Squad Weapon program, replaces the M249 Squad Automatic Weapon. (U.S. Army photo by Sgt. 1st Class Timothy Hamlin)

National Guard units are getting the new M250 machine gun

By Patty Nieberg

Posted on Sep 25, 2025

A soldier uses the KnightFigher drone jamming device during Project Flytrap, July 28, 2025.

Project Flytrap and the Army’s answer to drone warfare

Posted on Aug 29, 2025

Soldiers carry a simulated casualty dummy during an EMP exercise.

The reality about EMPs and the US military

Posted on Aug 15, 2025

U.S. Army paratroopers operate and analyze a first-person view (FPV) drone in-flight April 27, 2025. Photo by Sgt. Mariah Y. Gonzalez

‘Brutality over precision’ — What the Army is learning from Russia in Ukraine

Posted on Jul 28, 2025

An M1 Abrams Main Battle Tank at Bergen-Hohne Training Area, Germany, equipped with Abrams Reactive Armor Tiles and the Trophy Active Protection System, July 10, 2020.

What the Army is doing to keep its tanks alive against drones

Posted on Jul 24, 2025

Amphibious assault ship USS Tripoli (LHA- 7) , departs Naval Air Station North Island, Calif., April 7, 2022. Tripoli completed flight deck operations with 20 F-35B Lightning II jets from Marine Fighter Attack Squadrons 211 and 225, Marine Aircraft Group 13, and 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing, as well as Marine Operational Test and Evaluation Squadron 1, as part of the U.S. Marine Corps’ Lightning carrier concept demonstration. The Lightning carrier concept demonstration shows Tripoli and other amphibious assault ships are capable of operating as dedicated fixed-wing strike platforms when needed, capable of bringing fifth generation Short Takeoff/Vertical Landing aircraft wherever they are required. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Sgt. Samuel Ruiz)

Amphibious Operations

Lightning Carriers: The Marines’ secret weapon in the Pacific

Posted on Jun 26, 2025

U.S. Army Soldiers, assigned to 10th Mountain Division, complete a training and validation exercise on the AN/TPQ-53 radar system in Sierra Vista, Ariz., March 12, 2025. The AN/TPQ-53 radar system is a unique military capability provided by Joint Task Force - Southern Border to augment U.S. Customs and Border Protection along the southern border. (U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Chase Murray)

Soldiers on US-Mexico border hunt drones with air defense radars typically used in combat

By Patty Nieberg

Posted on Jun 4, 2025

Ukraine Drone Attack In Russia 2025

No ‘silver bullet’ against a drone attack like Operation Spider’s Web

By Jeff Schogol

Posted on Jun 3, 2025

U.S. Soldiers assigned to the 4th Battalion, 118th Infantry Regiment, 218th Maneuver Enhancement Brigade, South Carolina Army National Guard, conduct an Integrated Training Weapons Strategy (ITWS) qualification table for the newly fielded Next Generation Squad Weapon Rifle (NGSW-R) XM7 and Next Generation Squad Weapon Automatic Rifle (NGSW-AR) XM250, during a week-long training event held at Fort Stewart, Georgia, June 20, 2024. During the first four days, the Soldiers learned about the XM7 and XM250 technical and tactical capabilities, then continued the training by firing and zeroing both weapons. The South Carolina Army National Guard is the third Army National Guard command to receive the new weapons, Following the North Carolina National Guard and the West Virginia National Guard. The 4-118th is part of the 30th Armored Brigade Combat Team, the “Old Hickory,” a modular heavy-brigade with headquarters in North Carolina. The “Old Hickory” is the second major command in the U.S. Army to be issued the new weapons. The XM7 and the XM250 will replace the currently issued M4 Carbine and the M249 Squad Automatic Weapon, respectively. (U.S. Army National Guard photo by Spc. Turner Horton)

Army’s next generation rifle designated M7 amid criticism over performance

By Jeff Schogol

Posted on May 22, 2025

An F-35A Lightning II performs a restricted climb over March Air Reserve Base during takeoff for a practice demonstration, April 11, 2025. The F-35A Demonstration Team showcases the power, precision, and lethality of the world’s most advanced multirole stealth fighter. (U.S. Air Force photo by Capt. Nathan Poblete)

F-35’s close call over Yemen raises questions about how it’s used

By Jeff Schogol

Posted on May 13, 2025

A rat on a leash runs across the ground, a red sign with a skull and crossbones behind him.

Hero rat sets Guinness World Record for detecting landmines

By Nicholas Slayton

Posted on Apr 5, 2025