4-319th Artillery in Latvia conducting fire support training in winter of 2016 (photo Department of Defense)

Defense and National Security News

January 6, 2017 SOF News 0

National Security and Defense News – JSTARS, Syria, Iran, Iraq, fixing the Navy, fighting terrorism, counterinsurgency, state-building, foreign policy, and more. JSTARS Over the Middle East. One reporter, Eric Schmitt, recently spent some time with the Air Force visiting a […]

Map of Combatant Command. Source DoD 2016

What is a Combatant Command?

January 3, 2017 SOF News 0

The Department of Defense has divided the world up into regional areas of responsibility – each region designated as a combatant command. These regions are provided command and control organizations and led by four-star general (or admirals) officers. The Combatant Commands […]

MQ-9 Reaper on flight line at Creech Air Base, Nevada. The RPA can carry four AGM-114 Hellfire missiles and two 500-pound bombs. It can fly for a 18-24 hour mission. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Christian Clausen).

Drones – News Reports, Papers, and Publications

December 29, 2016 SOF News 0

Drones Update 20161229 – U.S. supplied drones in Ukraine are disappointing, drone tactics in Afghanistan, counter-drone challenge, low morale and training of drone pilots, and more. Not a Good Job – Piloting Drones. “The U.S. Army and the Air Force both […]

An AH-1W Super Cobra from 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit lands on a Navy ship in the Mediterranean Sea. The helicopters have been taking part in Operation Odyssey Lightning - the campaign against ISIS in Libya. (Photo USMC by SGT Ryan Young, Nov 18, 2016).

Defense News 20161221

December 21, 2016 SOF News 0

Defense News 20161221 – Sirte, Libya now liberated, Trump’s Generals, and more. Sirte, Libya Liberated. It appears that the U.S. Department of Defense is declaring victory in Libya over the ousting of the Islamic State from Sirte, Libya. A campaign […]