Fighting Back–the Right Way
Admittedly, we don’t visit Wal-Mart’s corporate blog very often. But maybe we should; there’s a recently-posted item that suggests the retailing giant may be taking a new approach with some…
Setting the Stage for Another Snowden
It happens after every spy scandal, or inadvertent disclosure of classified material. Congress passes a new law aimed at fixing the breach, the bureaucracy implements it, and….nothing really changes. The…
The Winning Formula?
Somewhere, former Chicago Mayor Richard Daley must be smiling. Legend has it that John F. Kennedy didn’t know he had the nailbiter 1960 presidential race until he took a call…
Sign Up the Geezers (Almost)
Army Reserve Sergeant First Class John Taffee recently made headlines when he graduated from basic training at the age of 55. Taffee, a Coast Guard security contractor who spent 14…
Lesson Learned (Barf Bag Edition)
What you eat does matter–particularly before a ride with the USAF Thunderbirds. Air Force Secretary Deborah James recently experienced a “technicolor flight” with the Air Force demonstration team (official USAF…
Game Changer
An Israeli Iron Dome battery fires against a Palestinian missile attack on 9 July 2014 (Associated Press photo). Almost one week into the latest fighting between Israel and Hamas, a…
At the Birth
Dewey Phillips at the WHBQ microphone in the early 1950s. The legendary Memphis DJ was the first to play an Elvis record on the air (photo courtesy StreamingOldies.com) Sixty years…
Jetliner Down
An export version of the SA-11 “Gadfly” surface-to-air missile system. The SA-11 is believed responsible for today’s shootdown of a Malaysia Airlines Boeing 777 in the border region between Russia…
More to the Story
An RC-135 Rivet Joint SIGINT aircraft in flight. An encounter between a U.K.-based RC-135 and Russian fighters last month forced the USAF crew to divert into Swedish airspace (USAF photo…
Inside the Wheel Well (Let the Firings Begin)
A C-130J on the ramp at Ramstein AB, Germany. Two days ago, maintenance crews inspecting a C-130 that had just returned from Africa found the body of an African boy…
The Galloping Ghost is Found
The USS Houston in 1935 (Wikipedia photo) More than 72 years after the USS Houston went down during a battle with Japanese forces, the Navy has confirmed that underwater wreckage…
Head Count
There won’t be a rescue mission from Iraq’s Mount Sinjar afterall. Earlier this week, there was talk about a massive evacuation effort, using helicopters, transport aircraft and security forces, to…
The Dimmest Bulb in the Senate Firmament
Angered over Burger King’s purchase of Tim Horton’s (and move to Canada), Ohio Senator Sherrod Brown is urging consumers to eat instead at Wendy’s–which owned the Canadian donut chain for…
Hair-Splitting at its Finest
Sadly, this should come as no surprise. The Veterans’ Administration watchdog agency “has been unable to substantiate allegations that 40 veterans may have died because of delays in care at…
A Tale of Two Strategists
How times have changed. In the dark days following Japan’s attack on Pearl Harbor, General George Marshall turned to a then-unknown staff officer, Brigadier General Dwight Eisenhower, and gave him…
On the Reading List
…Rick Whittle’s much-anticipated book on the Predator drone and how it evolved from technology opposed by much of the defense establishment, and into a key component of the war on…
Good Riddance
Traitor John Walker, the former Navy Warrant Officer who sold out his country to the Soviet Union, has died at a federal prison in North Carolina, less than nine months…
Boots Already on the Ground?
Since deciding that ISIS isn’t the terrorist “jayvee team”–and determining that it does pose a serious threat to our national security–President Obama and members of his administration have been steadfast…
At the Border
Major General Stephen Twitty, the new commanding general at Fort Bliss, Texas. Since taking command of the post (and the 1st Armored Division) in August, General Twitty has emphasized security…
Wrong Mission, Wrong Place, Wrong Time
As the first American troops begin their battle against Ebola in West Africa, a number of current and former service members are expressing grave misgivings about the mission. In From…