Written by Kevin WilsonThe Electromagnetic Pulse, or EMP, has something of a mythical status in science fiction as the all powerful killer of anything and everything electronic. Every so often, some politician or news agency reads a book or watches a show where the bad guys detonate an EMP over America, and the resulting blackout results in the apocalypse. Like most … [Read more...]
Everything You Want to Know About National Security Can Be Learned in a Nightclub
National security is becoming a sexy topic again. Thanks to the Daesh attacks, foreign policy, military concerns and intelligence issues are as hot as Kylie, Kourtney and Kendell. A re-energized American public now re-litigates issues like the Iraq War, the profiling of Muslims and the length of leash we should give the NSA.Yet the issues remain muddled. It’s hard to … [Read more...]
Losing Mattis Isn’t a Bad Thing
Although I don’t have a lot of name recognition, I have been a “mil-blogger” longer than most, which means I’ve been around long enough to see a lot of the in-fighting in the military and veteran community. And in that time I have come to appreciate just how, shall we say, schizophrenic it can be.The recent announcement of James Mattis resigning as the Secretary of … [Read more...]
Leaders: Myth and Reality – A Review
When many big names in business, politics, and pop culture sit down to pen a new book, they tend to capture personal exploits, successes, accumulation of wealth, awards, and achievements. In the new, bestselling release of Leaders: Myth and Reality, GEN (Retired) McChrystal and his co-authors manage to approach the topic of leadership with a focus still on individuals, but … [Read more...]
Why Do We Even Have A Military?
This article was first published in November of 2016.OK, we were all appalled by ISIS's ongoing litany of atrocities. But what do we do now? The President wants to maintain his strategy of half-measures, even as members of his own party beg for a change. But then, talking heads recite the politically correct, multicultural catechism about Islam.Politicians cringe at the … [Read more...]
The Ranger Way: Earning My Combat Scroll
The Ranger Way: Earning My Combat Scroll by James WebbIt was my 3rd mission that I bagged my first bad guy.Right out of the bird, I knew we were running up to the top of a hill and just above the target building. To be blatantly honest, all I paid attention to at that point was how far we were walking and if there was a terrain feature or not we had to cross, meaning a … [Read more...]
The Most Effective Weapon on the Modern Battlefield Is… Concrete?
The Most Effective Weapon on the Modern Battlefield Is... Concrete? by John SpencerEditor's Note: This article originally appeared in the Modern War Blog, hosted by West Point's Modern War Institute (MWI). It is reposted on The Havok Journal with the permission of the original author. You can read the original article here, and while you're there check out some of the … [Read more...]
Bloodchits To Bitcoins: Special Operations Uses For Cryptocurrency
Editor's Note: This article originally appeared on zapchain.com and is re-posted here with the permission of the original author. _____ by Blake Miles One of the more interesting pieces of equipment I was ever issued during my time in the military was something called a 'blood chit'. These are typically only issued out to individuals who face an increased risk of needing to … [Read more...]
Battlefield Iraq: Making Sense Of Yesterday For Today
“What man is a man who does not make the world better”- Balian from “The Kingdom of Heaven” _____ I reacquainted myself on Facebook with one of the leaders of the Iraqi citizens group whom we joined with as they fought Al-Qaeda. In the neighborhood of Ameriya, two Christians were kidnapped which sparked the local uprising. Within two months our neighborhood of Ameriya was … [Read more...]
War: The American Way.
There is an unfortunate disconnect when it comes to the American perception of war. The average American seems to think that war is conducted by drone strikes and jets dropping precision munitions on folks living in tents. Yes, we do kill our enemies this way but it is not the only way. Unfortunately what it does is paint a false picture of the reality of armed … [Read more...]