The Syrian Civil War is much less intense than it was a few years ago, but there are serious questions as to whether the war-torn country can become a viable nation again. The crisis is particularly acute in the Shehba triangle in northwestern Syria. The United States, Russia, and Turkey have all battled Islamic militants in this area. The region …

If war comes between Iran and the United States, Iraq will almost certainly be a battleground. Since the State Department does not want its people caught in the crossfire, they might be leaving the country. In recent years, Iraq has tried to cultivate relationships with Iran and the United States, a policy which might soon backfire. As rocket and IED …

Sunday, September 20, 2020, was a red letter day in Afghanistan. That date marked a record-breaking 232 days without a U.S. combat-related death in Afghanistan, the longest stretch since 2016. The last American combat death was in February 2018, shortly before all sides agreed to a cease-fire while peace talks continued. However, the lack of combat deaths does not mean …

These seemingly diverse African nations are all dealing with Salafi-jihadi insurgencies, a new wrinkle in the ongoing Global War on Terror. Recent unrest in Mali has focused attention on the nation’s capital. Islamic militants, who now work in the shadows, often face little opposition. Some observers fear that these groups could expand into other parts of west Africa. If that …

The sprawling Baiji Refinery in central Iraq should be refining about 300,000 barrels of oil a day while employing hundreds of people in this war-torn country. But instead, it is almost completely idle. In 2015, an ISIS attack significantly damaged this facility. A subsequent military operation drove ISIS forces away, but caused even more damage. Of the plant’s three major …

A conflict which seemed to be winding down may have instead entered another and more dangerous phase, after Israeli warplanes reportedly struck Syrian army positions near Damascus. The attack targeted Syrian Defense Forces and some supporting Hezbollah fighters in the southern province of Daraa, which is near the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights. The Syrian news agency SANA reported that “the Zionist …

Seventy-five years ago, representatives of the dying Japanese Empire signed surrender documents in Tokyo Bay, officially ending World War II. On September 2, 1945, representatives of the Empire of Japan and ten Allied nations assembled on board the USS Missouri. During the ceremony, part of the U.S. First Cavalry Division was preparing to enter Tokyo. Roughly 1.5 million American soldiers …

Four South Korean civilians died after an SUV collided with an armored car near the Rodriguez Live Fire Complex. The wreck, which happened near Pocheon, prompted the U.S. Eighth Army to “temporarily suspend training in the area,” per a statement. According to investigators, an SUV carrying four people in their 50s rear-ended an armored vehicle. Investigators believe that one driver …

As further evidence of the mounting Islamic militant activity in Mozambique, the government recently announced that Dyck Advisory Group contractors, who were slated to stand down in July, would remain in-country through at least the end of 2020. DAG has lost two aircraft during operations in the country. Additionally, DAG helicopter gunships supposedly fired on civilians during a recent operation. …

From 2008 to 2019, the Pentagon spent over $1 trillion on private military contractors. None of this money was part of the “official” accounting figures, according to a recent report. Brown University researchers dubbed this hidden spending the “camo economy.” Many agreements with private military contractors are “non-competitive.” The government picked a specific contractor and negotiated the terms only with …

Over a dozen embassy security guards from Nepal are infected with coronavirus, causing some panic among embassy workers. Contractors in Afghanistan are not new. In 2015, there were four times as many contractors in Afghanistan as regular servicemembers. Many of these individuals are Nepalese Gurkhas, whose ancestors fought alongside British and Indian forces in World War II as well as …

Fears of a future confrontation with China over the South China Sea have exponentially increased activity levels at previously sleepy military installations. The Air Force recently sent a detachment of long-rage B-1 and B-52 bombers to Guam’s Andersen Air Force Base. The B-52s flew 28 hours nonstop from Louisiana to reach their new home. Officials described the B-1 redeployment as …