Norway Wants America To Provide More US Marines As Protection Against Russia. We Shouldn't Do It. by Scott FaithBy most accounts, Norway is a great place to live. It consistently rates extremely high on the world "happiness" index. It has a very high standard of living, it features socialized medicine and education, and ranks very low on the "corruption" index. In fact, … [Read more...]
The Ranger Way – A “Peer Eval” on Benghazi Survivor Chris Paronto’s Book
The Ranger Way - A "Peer Eval" on Tanto's New Book It is fitting on the first day of the week-long celebration at Fort Benning, Georgia known as “Ranger Rendezvous” to highlight a book published in May. The Ranger Way, written by Kris “Tanto” Paronto, underscores both the value and unique lifestyle of a Ranger. Having both earned the “coveted” Ranger tab and … [Read more...]
GEN McChrystal On ISIS: Four Tips From Someone Who Actually Knows How To Fight Terrorists
Originally published on 14 September, 2014. _____ When it comes to defeating terrorists, General McChrystal gets it. At a time when our political leaders freely admit that they don’t have a plan to deal with ISIS, or try to tell the nation that we’re somehow “not at war” with a de facto state that our President claims we’re nonetheless going to destroy, it’s deeply … [Read more...]
“Draft Dodger:” I Don’t Think You Know What That Word Really Means
In the aftermath of Muhammad Ali’s death and the recent Havok Journal article about it, the determination about his worth in the veteran community centered on one facet, his stance on Vietnam and his personal refusal to serve. The term most often used? “Draft dodger.” And it’s been used lavishly. And the term has been used inappropriately.Consider first that the draft … [Read more...]
It’s 2018: Why fight wars at all?
Why fight wars at all? We lose lives and treasure even if we win. Those who survive are haunted by the violence and the price they paid; whether they were drafted or volunteered every one of them offered up their lives for an ideal.War is a bloody, terrible business. Military personnel are trained to kill their opponents and destroy their materials of war whatever those … [Read more...]
Violence, Resources, Dominance: The Long And The Short Of How The World Works
People think that the world is a complicated place. It's not. What's happening on the world stage makes perfect sense. You just need to understand four things:1) Killing is a natural occurrence. It's a natural way to establish dominance. Either kill or be killed; the winner lives and the loser has no say-so because the loser is dead. It's an uncomplicated-truth though it is … [Read more...]
Carry On Wayward Veteran
Originally published in February of 2017.For the past 18 months, I’ve had the fortunate opportunity to “unplug” from the operational Army and be a graduate student at Princeton University. During this time, I must admit I’ve been chasing ghosts. I’ve toiled and mulled over thoughts and feelings wondering: “Is there something wrong with me?” Sadly, veterans and the military … [Read more...]
EMPs Don’t Work Like That
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 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...]
Earning My Combat Scroll
Written 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 big ass mountain or anything that … [Read more...]