Ukraine Separatists’ Weapon of Choice — Howitzers in Huge Amounts Artillery battalion moves to Donetsk As Russian-backed separatists in Ukraine dig in for a long war, they’re relying more and more on heavy artillery to match Kiev’s army. Howitzers are nothing new to the conflict, and the drumbeat of artillery explosions has become part... Read more
Uncle Sam’s Databases of Suspicion
It began with an unexpected rapping on the front door. When Wiley Gill opened up, no one was there. Suddenly, two police officers appeared, their guns drawn, yelling, “Chico Police Department.” “I had tunnel vision,” Gill said, “The only thing I could see was their guns.” After telling him... Read more
What These Ghostly Shipwrecks Tell Us About the Atlantic War
On Oct. 21, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration announced the discovery of a remarkable pair of shipwrecks off the North Carolina coast. In an area long known as the “Graveyard of the Atlantic” for the many vessels lost there, the crew of NOAA’s Okeanos Explorer located both the... Read more
The Lawyer Who Defended Terrorists
The gray-haired man puffs on a cigar. He seems small and unassuming in his vast study. He squints his eyes behind tiny, circular wire-frame glasses. The middle button of his powder blue shirt is undone, as if he dressed in a rush. He leans back, his face serious. “Some... Read more
Ukraine Separatists’ Weapon of Choice—Howitzers in Huge Amounts
As Russian-backed separatists in Ukraine dig in for a long war, they’re relying more and more on heavy artillery to match Kiev’s army. Howitzers are nothing new to the conflict, and the drumbeat of artillery explosions has become part of eastern Ukraine’s ambient soundscape. But within the past few... Read more
Recent three-way war game is no joke Australian, American and Chinese troops spent two weeks in October in Australia’s remote Northern Territory camping, hunting and fishing together in the unforgiving jungle. Exercise Kowari 2014, the first-ever ground war game involving the three countries, reflects strengthening ties between very different—and potentially... Read more
So a Bunch of Chinese, American and Australian Soldiers March Into the Jungle…
Australian, American and Chinese troops spent two weeks in October in Australia’s remote Northern Territory camping, hunting and fishing together in the unforgiving jungle. Exercise Kowari 2014, the first-ever ground war game involving the three countries, reflects strengthening ties between very different—and potentially rival—armies. The training was supposed to... Read more
The Billion-Dollar Game Designer Who Became a Future-War Theorist
Video games are huge business. For years now, digital games have earned more than the music and film industries combined. And of all of the billion-dollar properties in the industry, Call of Duty is one of the biggest. For eight years, Dave Anthony steered the franchise. He wrote and... Read more
Iran Is Still Using Old American Drones to Keep Its Fighter Pilots Sharp
Crashed American drones have been a boon to Iran’s rusty military, giving it propaganda tokens to parade and, if you buy the government’s claims, useful technical data from reverse-engineering. But it also appears that U.S. robotic hardware is doing another job for the Iranians—helping keep their fighters pilots ready... Read more
U.S. Stealth Drone Helped Test Huge Bomb
Two years ago, the U.S. Air Force brought the stealthy RQ-170 Sentinel drone and the Massive Ordnance Penetrator—two of America’s most secretive weapons—together for a single test. The Pentagon denies that it intends the huge MOP munition—which only the B-2 stealth bomber carries and which can punch deep into... Read more