FYI, We Just Won a War in The Philippines
An excerpt from my new book Shadow Wars, available for pre-order from Potomac Books. The U.S. military battled Islamists in The Philippines beginning in 1899, when the islands — the spoils of the Spanish-American War — became an American territory. The fighting raged in fits and starts for the... Read more
This War Game is a Warning to China
Japanese hovercraft landing in southern california. department of defense photo This War Game is a Warning to China U.S. and Japanese troops practice island attacks Early Monday morning, two mammoth hovercraft blasted in from the sea and stormed ashore near San Diego. The hovercraft dropped their ramps and disgorged... Read more
In Case You Forgot, America’s Got a Ton of Warplanes
An F-35 stealth fighter in testing. Lockheed Martin photo In Case You Forgot, America’s Got a Ton of Warplanes Way more than Russia and China put together The U.S. military possesses 14,776 warplanes. That’s nearly triple what Russia and China have, combined. The latest figures for America’s aerial arsenal... Read more
The Aftermath of Snowden’s Flight
aero incarus / photopin cc The Aftermath of Snowden’s Flight Last weekend, alleged NSA leaker Edward Snowden left Hong Kong on an Aeroflot flight to Russia. According to reports, his departure came at the behest of the Chinese government in Beijing. There is uncertainty about where he will end... Read more
“With Us or Against Us”
“With Us or Against Us” The Manichean Politics of Journalists for Snowden One of the more tedious issues raised by the Edward Snowden affair is the endless self-talk among journalistic types about what constitutes “journalism.” Not only is this a sidenote — highly opinionated journalists writing for mainstream papers... Read more
Blockading Syria by Air
Turkish F-16s fly alongside a U.S. tanker aircraft. U.S. Air Force photo Blockading Syria by Air An interview with air power analyst Tom Cooper Tom Cooper is an Austria-based author and analyst specializing in Middle East air power. With political will mounting for some kind of direct foreign involvement... Read more
Inside the World’s Deadliest Warship
Bryan William Jones photo Inside the World’s Deadliest Warship Just below the surface with the submarine USS Toledo Aircraft carriers are busy and imposing. Destroyers — sleek and muscular like race cars. Amphibious ships show up after disasters to deliver relief supplies and white-painted hospital vessels tour the Third... Read more
Deadly Bandits of the Western Sea
U.S. Sailors Practice counter-piracy tactics. U.S. Navy photo Deadly Bandits of the Western Sea Peter Dörrie explains escalating piracy in Africa’s Gulf of Guinea Being a pirate has lost a lot of its appeal over the last few months — but only off the Somali coast, where security is... Read more
We Gave Up Hunting Joseph Kony, and Now a Lot of People Could Die
Congolese troops plan a counter-LRA mission. Ferruccio Gobbi photo We Gave Up Hunting Joseph Kony, and Now a Lot of People Could Die U.S. commandos pull back amid Central African unrest America just got squeamish about hunting rebel cult leader Joseph Kony in Central Africa. And that could get... Read more
Transparent, My Ass
Transparent, My Ass by Matt Bors Matt’s previous cartoon was “Obama is the Decider Now.” Read more