Cold Weather Packing List Video
Cold Weather Packing List Video – Have a look at what a U.S. Marine puts in his backpack to survive in the cold weather. 21 items weighing a total of 79 pounds will keep him warm. He can then survive […]
NATO
General John Nicholson – Two Years as RS Commander
General John Nicholson has completed two years as the commander of NATO’s Resolute Support Mission in Afghanistan. One is tempted to evaluate his performance as the head guy in the Afghan War for the past couple of years. Of course, […]
NATO JTAC Video – “She Has the Firepower”
A NATO JTAC video provides a glimpse of the role of the Joint Terminal Attack Controller in the French Army. Chief Sergeant Perrine, a JTAC, describes her role, details on what her job consists of, and the steps that lead […]
Defense News Update 20171021
News Update on Defense 20171021 – France’s strategic security review, expansion of CT fight in Africa, SFABs, FORSCOM’s ‘Frontline’, AWOL Afghan trainees, Raqqa liberated, Iraq and Kurdish forces clash, CTC Sentinel (Oct issue), and more. France and Defense. The geopolitical […]
US SOF Participate in Aurora 2017 Exercise in Sweden
U.S. SOF participated in Aurora 2017 – a multi-nation exercise held in Sweden with conventional and special operations forces. The exercise took place in September 2017 with a focus on the defense of Gotland – an island in the Baltic […]
Special Operations News Update 20171010
SOF News Update 20171010 – Military – media interaction, NATO in the Black Sea, podcast on drones and JSOC, U.S. military in Lake Chad Basin area, Erik Prince entering politics, CANSOF in Iraq, Russia and the disinformation war in the Baltic […]
Resolute Support Social Media and the Afghan Conflict
Resolute Support Social Media – Everyone knowledgeable about counterinsurgency recognizes the importance of winning the media battle. Unfortunately, it seems the insurgent and terrorist groups like ISIS, the Taliban, and others seem to be way out in front of the […]
Video – Resolute Support Mission in Afghanistan
Resolute Support Video – SHAPE NATO has published (July 6, 2017) a one-minute long video explaining how the International Security Force Assistance (ISAF) mission in Afghanistan transitioned to the Resolute Support Mission. The video is entitled RSM: for the future of […]
NATO to Send More Troops to Afghanistan
NATO Troop Increase – The North Atlantic Treaty Organization has decided to send more troops to Afghanistan. In 2014 the mission of the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) ended with the hope that the Afghan security forces would be able […]
Expeditionary Advisory Package (EAP) Concept for Afghanistan
Expeditionary Advisory Package. For the past few years the U.S. military has been utilizing an Expeditionary Advisory Package (EAP) model to advise Afghan National Defense and Security Forces (ANDSF) elements at a few of the Afghan National Army (ANA) corps […]
Ocean Shield – NATO’s Anti-Piracy Mission is ‘Mission Accomplished’
Ocean Shield is now shut down. For a number of years the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) stepped up its maritime capability by running a naval task force some distance from the European continent. Piracy was a huge problem for […]
Afghanistan News Update for Jan 8, 2017
Afghan Update 20170108 – Russia and the Taliban – things that make you go “Hmmmm”, development aid and COIN in Afghanistan, Afghan militias – the good and the bad, why the U.S. should stay committed to Afghanistan, and more. Russia and […]
Afghan War Update 20170106
Afghan War Update 20170106 – Turkey extends its mission in Afghanistan, Taliban’s diplomatic offensive, Afghan women in a Trump world, meddling of Russia, CSIS report on Afghanistan, Marines back to Helmand, and more. Turkey Extends RS Mission. Turkey has been […]
Special Forces, Unconventional Warfare, and the Baltic States
Special Forces and Baltic States – Unconventional Warfare is an option for the East European security dilemma. If ever an unconventional warfare (UW) mission cried out for attention it is in the context of the security situation of the Baltic […]
Russia – NATO and the Defense of Europe
NATO Defending Eastern Europe. Poland, Lithuania, Estonia, Latvia, and Ukraine have been receiving lots of love lately from the North Atlantic Treat Organization. Exercises are being conducted, temporary deployment of battalions and battlegroups to Eastern Europe have taken place, and […]