The U.S. Army Had a Whole Battalion of Armed Dune Buggies
In the early 1980s, the U.S. Army created a unique battalion with a fleet of militarized dune buggies. The unit was supposed to scout ahead, as well as harass its enemy counterparts. 2nd Battalion, 1st Infantry and its unusual vehicles are one of the more recognizable parts of the... Read more
Islamists Knock Out Iraqi M-1 Tanks and MRAPs, Seize Mosul
After four days of hard fighting, the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria rebel group has captured Mosul, a city of 1.5 million in Nineweh province in northern Iraq. ISIS celebrated its victory by circulating a letter, apparently penned by the Nineweh’s governor, declaring a full retreat of the... Read more
This Is How the U.S. Thinks China Could Invade Taiwan
A new Pentagon report lays out China’s military options for invading Taiwan. And while a huge amphibious assault is one possibility for “reunifying” Taiwan with mainland China, Beijing’s burgeoning arsenal gives it plenty of other options. The invasion analysis is part of the latest edition of the Pentagon’s annual... Read more
Below Ground, Under an Imposing Artifice, a Great Museum of a Terrible War
The National World War I Museum in Kansas City, Missouri, is gearing up for the centennial of the Great War. I just visited. You should, too. It’s a good experience despite the institution’s flaws. In preparation for the first months of the centennial, the museum has opened the new... Read more
The Air Force Just Copped to Its Secret Stealth Drone
In December, Aviation Week reporters Bill Sweetman and Amy Butler went public with a months-long investigation. The U.S. Air Force, they revealed, has a new radar-evading spy drone—an approximately 130-foot-wingspan, high-tech robotic jet shaped and specially coated for maximum stealth. Sweetman and Butler even revealed the new ’bot’s designation—the... Read more
It’s Kamikazes Versus U.S. Destroyers in This Brutal War Game
From all around the compass, the Japanese suicide planes descend on your U.S. Navy destroyer. On the port bow, a Zero fighter skims the waves. From astern, a Betty bomber plunges toward your aft gun turret. On the starboard side, an Alf seaplane, its pilot Hell-bent on smashing his... Read more
Too Damn Close: North Carolina Nuclear Bomb ‘Could Have Detonated’
Where would Raleigh, North Carolina, be today had a two-megaton nuclear bomb wiped it out in 1961? That almost happened—and newly-released documents show it came closer than previously thought. The incident in question is the Goldsboro nuclear accident in North Carolina. On Jan. 24, 1961, a nuclear-armed B-52 bomber... Read more
The U.S. Army Had Plans for Helo-Riding, Tank-Killing Rangers
In 1972, the U.S. Army Combat Developments Command designed an experimental Ranger unit. The specialized infantry company would work with helicopter gunships to take out enemy tanks. USACDC’s Ranger Airmobile Infantry Company had 12 teams. Each of these six-man units included a Dragon missile launcher, depicted in the photo... Read more
America Has Assembled a Special Bomber Strike Force in Great Britain
Two B-2 stealth bombers from the U.S. Air Force’s 509th Bomb Wing in Missouri flew to the U.K. on June 8, joining three B-52s for what the Pentagon is calling a “short-term deployment.” The U.S. military insists the bomber deployments don’t have anything to do with Russia’s annexation of... Read more
How to Fight Pirates the African Way
Africa has more than 26,000 kilometers of coastline—and some of the world’s most important trade routes run through its waters. Its nations’ territorial waters contain vast mineral reserves. More than any other continent, Africa depends on the sea for its economic development. But the abilities of African nations to... Read more