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 •

What Is a Citizen First Responder?

Editor’s Note: This article describing the citizen first responder is presented for discussion purposes. Know and follow your jurisdiction’s laws regarding self-defense, and ensure that anyone rendering aid is qualified to do so. Seek competent training from qualified instructors. A commo...

By Randall Wilson •

Alamo Scouts: America’s Undefeated WWII Recon Force

The Alamo Scouts emerged from one of the most demanding and complex theaters of World War II, the vast and unforgiving Southwest Pacific. By late 1943, Allied forces under General Douglas MacArthur were pushing steadily northward along the New Guinea coast, preparing for the eventual return to th...

By Eugene Nielsen •

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 •

Breek Arms Sledgehammer Omni-Buster: Gas Mitigation From Either Shoulder

We recently spoke with Breek Arms about the company’s Sledgehammer AR-15 Gas Blocking Charging Handle and its LE Latch counterpart, both designed around a problem that has become increasingly familiar as suppressor use has grown: gas coming back toward the shooter’s face. The Sledgeha...

By James Burton •

Ayoob: The Guns of Cormac McCarthy

When I plucked the September-October issue of Smithsonian magazine out of my P.O. Box, the first article I turned to was “The Secret Life of Cormac McCarthy” by Richard Grant. As I skimmed it, a pull-quote leaped out at me: “He never left the house without a book. He never left the house wi...

By Massad Ayoob •

U.S. Navy Seawolves Helicopter Attack Squadron HA(L)-3

In 1965, as the war in Vietnam continued to escalate, the U.S. Navy began joint operations in the south to stop the flow of supplies and interrupt communications to the Viet Cong via the Mekong Delta. The U.S. Navy began operating riverine forces throughout the Delta and launched Operation Game W...

By Friedrich Seiltgen •
Older Posts »