“Success!” The fiendish terrorist leader grips his Kalashnikov in exultation. He and his men have successfully assaulted a U.S. military base. Sirens blare. Security forces have detected the intruders. But the terrorists are only moments away from forcing their way into an arms locker. The terrorist leader rechecks the... Read more
Russian Aircraft Can’t Save Iraq
Uncategorized July 1, 2014
Like many nations whose armies disintegrated, the Iraqi government is looking to the sky for salvation. As Sunni militants continue their mostly unopposed blitz across northern Iraq, Moscow has sold Baghdad a dozen Su-25 Frogfoot close air support aircraft—in essence, Russia’s equivalent to America’s A-10 Warthog—as well as trainers... Read more
Has the German Army Gone Soft?
Uncategorized June 20, 2014
The classic image of the German military is of obedient, iron-disciplined soldiers clicking their heels before arrogant, monocle-wearing officers. Frederick the Great, the legendary 18th-century Prussian king and strategist, said he wanted his men to be more afraid of their officers than of the enemy. But today’s German army,... Read more
The Man Who Invented GPS Has Died
Uncategorized June 19, 2014
Imagine a world without Global Positioning System, the constellation of navigational satellites. No, imagine a war without GPS. No satellite-guided missiles. No devices to tell soldiers their exact location. Suddenly, every soldier, sailor and pilot has to expertly navigate like Julius Caesar, Horatio Nelson and Eddie Rickenbacker did. By... Read more
There’s something wrong when a military can pay for expensive weapons but can’t, or won’t, pay to train troops to use them. Israel will spend almost $3 billion to buy just 19 American-made F-35 stealth fighters. At the same time, the Israel Defense Forces canceled training for IDF reservists... Read more
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
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
Why D-Day Will Never Happen Again
Uncategorized June 6, 2014
Even 70 years later, the Allied invasion of Nazi-occupied France on June 6, 1944—D-Day—is awe-inspiring. The statistics alone boggle the mind. Seven thousand ships, 12,000 aircraft and 160,000 troops. All concentrated on a small slice of the French coast. It was incredible. It was magnificent. It was terrible. And... Read more
On the morning of Jan. 31, 1945, U.S. Army private Eddie Slovik stood in the courtyard of a house in a small town in northeast France. Soldiers tied him to a post and blindfolded him. A priest gave him a final blessing. At 10:04 AM, a dozen soldiers raised... Read more
Comrade, You Are a ‘Schweinhund!’
Uncategorized June 3, 2014
It was always an oddity that Cold War alliances consisted of nations that once tried to annihilate each other. NATO members like America, Britain, Canada and The Netherlands defended German cities that they once tried to wipe of the face of the Earth. Alhough perhaps it wasn’t coincidence that... Read more