Opinion

In my July 4 op-ed for the Daily Herald, I introduced the concept of “backyard wars” as limited but violent expressions of ongoing rivalries between great powers. I observed that “often, and increasingly in the present era, these conflicts are fought through proxies armed and otherwise supported by rival great powers.” Currently, what amounts to a cold war between the ... Read More »

Brad Johnson, a career CIA operations officer and former chief of station, responds to the New York Times’ Op-Ed declaration, “The myth of America as the greatest nation on earth is at best outdated and at worst, wildly inaccurate”. As a career CIA operations officer and former chief of station, I’ve spent most of my adult life directly involved in ... Read More »

Kyle Mizokami discusses the bulk of North Korea’s army – 1.1 million in infantry, with approximately 200,000 light infantry and special forces. North Korea’s light infantry and special forces are taking on increasing importance. The country’s aging mechanized units, starved for technology and fuel, are becoming less relevant to the country’s war plans. Infantry weapons have long been a pillar of ... Read More »

I came across the SOFX article about the Department of Mayhem and it struck a chord for several reasons. There is this mentality and mindset that goes with being a part of this small percentage of the population, whether connected by service or by marriage, of a superhero ethos.  It’s the unstoppable and unbreakable spirit that comes with this world ... Read More »

n July 11, 1995, an open letter was faxed to the king of Saudi Arabia denouncing him as an infidel. The public accusation was shocking enough, but what made this event particularly stunning was the author’s status as the scion of a major Saudi family and, until recently, a member of the Saudi inner circle. “Your alleged kingdom in reality ... Read More »

Marines haven’t exactly shaken their reputation as crayon-eating meatheads in recent years. Just look to the many scandals over cultural issues like misogynistic Facebook pages and Marines United. But the Corps recently got a new Commandant, Gen. David Berger. Berger has jumped into the fire with both feet. Only a few days on the job, he has put out a series of initiatives in ... Read More »

Six days into negotiations that many expect will deliver a preliminary deal to end nearly two decades of United States military presence in Afghanistan, the last stretch is proving to be a difficult balancing act. Most of the American and Taliban negotiators were stuck in talks late into the night Thursday in the Persian Gulf state of Qatar — but ... Read More »

Cities matter. They matter for fighting climate change, for fighting pandemics, and, as the Urban Warfare Project continues to demonstrate, they matter for the future of fighting itself. The heightened importance of urban spaces results from demographic developments, with the global population advancing toward 70 percent living in urban areas by 2050, and from recent trends in terrorism, counterinsurgency and ... Read More »

He has called for death to America and Israel. He has described non-Muslims as “animals who roam the earth and engage in corruption.” He has dubbed U.S. troops in Iraq “bloodthirsty wolves” and expressed support for Shiite militias seeking their demise. He has hosted Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan as an honored guest. He has demanded the execution of ... Read More »

Over the past decade, the Russia threat has loomed larger and larger in the minds of U.S. foreign-policy experts and officials, but the fear has especially grown in the wake of the Russian government’s meddling in the 2016 presidential election. “It wasn’t a single attempt. They’re doing it as we sit here,” former special counsel Robert Mueller said of Russia’s ... Read More »