All five major types of combat-related military contractors play prominent roles in the DoD’s worldwide strategy. All five kinds are in demand. In 2022, the DoD paid private military contractors over $400 billion, which is more than a third of its budget.  Private military contractors play diverse roles and serve in diverse places. During the Iraq War, contractors often fought …

Once again, Qatar’s foreign ministry has gone beyond the borders of this Gulf Coast country in an attempt to resolve a regional crisis that could become an international crisis. Speaking during a media briefing held by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Doha, Majed bin Mohammed Al-Ansari highlighted Qatar’s involvement in facilitating constructive dialogue between Iran and the international community. …

Army spokesperson Lt. Col. Dustin W. Cammack said that four prisoners diagnosed with COVID-19 are “experiencing minor symptoms and are improving.” Two of the prisoners who tested positive were identified by people with knowledge of the situation as defendants in death penalty cases: Abd al-Rahim al-Nashiri, who is accused of plotting the suicide bombing of the destroyer Cole in 2000, …

Department of Defense officials confirmed that a drone strike in northeast Syria killed a contractor and five regular servicemembers. The U.S. retaliated with airstrikes on Iranian-linked targets in Syria, which hit buildings that housed drone/aviation assets and vehicles used by groups affiliated with the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). One activist group said the U.S. strikes killed fighters on the …

Thousands of people backing a recent coup in Niger marched through the streets of the capital, denouncing the country’s former colonial power and setting a door at the French Embassy ablaze on Sunday before the army broke up the crowd. French President Emmanuel Macron said Sunday that attacks on France and its interests would not be tolerated, and anyone who …

Polish officials expressed alarm after they received reports that about 100 soldiers from the disgraced Wagner group had moved closer to the Belarusian city of Grodno near the Polish border. In early July 2023, Poland began moving more than 1,000 troops to the east of the country amid rising concerns that the presence of Wagner fighters in Belarus could lead …

Many Kuwaitis, and many Americans, hope that the reshuffled Kuwaiti cabinet deck of cards produces a winning hand. Sheikh Ahmad Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah, who was re-appointed as prime minister last week, formed the new cabinet, announced in a decree carried by the state news agency KUNA. The Gulf Arab state also named a new defense minister, Sheikh Ahmad Al-Fahad Al-Ahmed …

President Joe Biden immediately blamed former President Donald Trump for America’s chaotic 2022 exit from the war-torn country. According to a new State Department report, that shifting of responsibility was not entirely fair. “The decisions of both President Trump and President Biden to end the U.S. military mission posed significant challenges for the [State] Department as it sought to maintain …

The Therapeutic Goods Administration, Australia’s version of the Food and Drug Administration, made previously illegal psychedelic drugs available to persons with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Strict limitations apply. Only registered psychiatrists who have the ethics approvals normally needed to conduct clinical trials and who have gained regulatory authorization through a provider program will be allowed to prescribe them. The TGA …

Mercenaries frustrated with government policies occupied a Russian town and planned to march on Moscow. Fortunately, Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko mediated a solution that avoided bloodshed. After the Ukraine War began, the Wagner Group’s ranks swelled from about 5,000 fighters to about 25,000. Wagner Group fighters in Ukraine complained about equipment shortages and mission orders. Russian military commanders sometimes ordered …

American private military contractor companies basically did not exist until the 1980s. The 1893 Anti-Pinkerton Act basically banned paramilitary organizations. Then, in 1978, the General Accounting Office reversed its strict interpretation policy. Several companies, 10 of which are listed below, quickly stepped up to take advantage of the new law. As contractor duties expanded, the possibility of injury expanded as …

Generally, veterans must initiate the VA disability process. The situation is reversed for Afghanistan and Iraq War burn pit victims. “We’re dealing with veterans who in some cases have waited decades for these benefits and in some cases are dealing with terminal illnesses,” Joshua Jacobs, VA Benefits Undersecretary, said. Since the PACT Act took effect, over a half-million veterans have …