Fantasy Land
A Russian SS-27 Mod 2 ICBM during a test launch. Variants of this missile are a cornerstone of Russian’s strategic modernization efforts. President Obama is holding his fourth–and last–nuclear security…
(Not Quite) Ready for Launch
**UPDATE/15 April** U.S. and ROK defense officials report the test of North Korea’s intermediate range missile ended in failure. The missile, believed to be a BM-25 Musudan, exploded shortly after…
The Missing Element
Eric Engberg passed away last week at his retirement home in Palmetto, Florida. The former CBS News correspondent was 74. Depending on your perspective, Mr. Engberg was either an accomplished…
Grounded
Our friends in Western Europe can sleep well; NATO’s air forces are on guard, and ready to defend the alliance against potential airliner threats. For the second time in less…
Calling the Air Police
A Russian SU-24 Fencer roars over the USS Donald Cook earlier this week (US Navy photo via CBS News). Many observers were stunned by video and still images of Russian…
Calling the Air Police, Redux
A Russian transport is shadowed by an RAF Typhoon of NATO’s air policing force near the Baltic coast (UK MoD photo via Sky News) Recently, we’ve taken a few shots…
"We Could Have Been There"
The Benghazi scandal might have passed quickly from public memory had it not been for the work of two journalists at Fox News, Catherine Herridge and Adam Housley. Ms. Herridge,…
Idiot of the Week (VA Edition)
It’s been far too long since our dubious honor was bestowed and we appeared to have an easy winner in Bill Kristol, the neocon pundit who’s been trolling for a…
Wiped Out
Few people realize it, but the U.S. Air Force has been at war for 25 years. Beginning with Operation Desert Storm in January 1991 and continuing through the current conflict…
Correcting History
There is something quite predictable about The New York Times article which presents a new twist on one of the most iconic images in history–Joe Rosenthal’s 1945 photograph of Marines…
God and Airmen at Travis AFB
Returning after an extended break from the blog, I came across this disturbing headline (and accompanying video) at Breitbart: “Veteran Forcibly Dragged from Air Force Ceremony for Mentioning God.” The…
Adrift, Redux
The Navy has released its report on the January incident that resulted in 14 sailors being captured and detained by Iran, after a patrol boat suffered a mechanical failure and…
Loose Ends
The House Select Committee on Benghazi released its final report this morning. Republican members of the panel (and their staff) crafted the document; committee Democrats, who dismissed the two-year inquiry…
Ataturk's Last Stand (Today's Reading Assignment)
If you read just two articles this week, may we suggest this opinion piece from Fox News strategic analyst Ralph Peters, and the latest column from former NSA senior spook…
Opportunity Missed
Donald Trump was served the political equivalent of batting practice last night. He took a mighty cut and swung for the fences. The presumptive GOP presidential nominee didn’t whiff, but…
Cooking the Intel Books
You remember the refrain: “Bush lied, people died.” That phrase took on a life of its own following the invasion of Iraq; the “failure” to discover Saddam’s alleged WMD arsenal,…
Selective Outrage (Cyber Edition)
It’s always fun to watch politicians and their flunkies try to spin a bad situation, and those tactics were clearly on display during Hillary Clinton’s e-mail scandal. Before receiving that…
What Might Have Been (Iran Edition)
For the second time in three days, there has been a confrontation between U.S. and Iranian naval vessels in the Persian Gulf. During today’s incident, an American patrol craft fired…
Mr. Putin's New FOB
As we noted on Twitter (@natehale) earlier today, the difference between Vladimir Putin and Barack Obama can be summed up rather succinctly. Mr. Putin plays geo-political chess; President Obama is…
Hillary's Unnoticed Revelation
Let’s be charitable and say both presidential candidates were less-than-impressive during last night’s Commander-in-Chief forum, which was broadcast by NBC and hosted by the Today’s show’s Matt Laurer. Hillary Clinton…