Miracle at Truk: Operation Hailstone

The Japanese seized the Caroline Islands in Micronesia in 1914, and established a naval base on the island of Truk within it in 1939. As the primary anchorage for the Imperial Japanese Navy’s 4th Fleet, Truk was soon transformed into a fortress. Truk seemed the perfect spot. Offering a natural ...

By Will Dabbs, MD •

Rebel Monster: The Ironclad CSS Virginia

Rebuilt from the scuttled hull of the USS Merrimack, the Confederate ironclad CSS Virginia steamed into Hampton Roads and changed naval warfare forever. Tom Laemlein details how this armored Civil War ram sank the USS Cumberland, destroyed the USS Congress, and spread panic through Washington D.C...

By Tom Laemlein •

Front Line Friday #36: Budget Cycles and Procurement Realities

Welcome back to Front Line Friday. This week is an editorial, and the topic is how agency procurement cycles produce gear that is already behind the curve by the time it hits the field, and why the officers holding that gear are right to be frustrated. Front Line Friday is brought to you by Dead ...

By Tom R •

The M4A1 Carbine Evolution

The M4A1 is one of the most recognizable U.S. military carbines of the modern era. Still, the weapon that entered service in the 1990s is not quite the same M4A1 that soldiers and special operations forces use today. Its development has been driven by a recurring problem: how to keep the M4'...

By Lynndon Schooler •

How the AMPV Killed the M113

If you spend five minutes talking to anyone who has served in an Armored Brigade Combat Team, they’ll tell you that the tanks and infantry fighting vehicles usually get all the glory. The public fixates on the 120mm smoothbore cannons and 25mm Bushmaster chainguns punching holes in targets acro...

By Mason Berryman •

Front Line Friday #34: Drone and Tech Tools Entering Patrol Work

Welcome back to Front Line Friday. This week is an editorial, and the topic is the wave of drones, license plate readers, and other technology moving into patrol work, and what actually changes officer capability versus what just moves money around. Front Line Friday is brought to you by Dead Air...

By Tom R •

B-52 Achieves Key Milestones for Engine, Radar Modernization

ARLINGTON, Va. (AFNS) —   The U.S. Air Force marked major progress in the long-term modernization of the B-52 strategic bomber fleet in 2026 with two critical acquisition decisions: Milestone B approval on June 1 for the B-52J Commercial Engine Replacement Program, allowing the engine ...

By Eric G •
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