Security

by A.R. Fomenko Hidden beneath the border, sophisticated tunnel networks have turned Ceuta into one of Europe’s most enduring corridors for organized cross-border smuggling. VIENNA BUREAU – It was the kind of pursuit that runs slow and cold. Spanish authorities hunted in vain for years to uncover a smuggling tunnel between …

by Susan Katz Keating Wave of drone attacks continue to light up targets deep inside Russian territory and beyond. But the notion of drones doing the killing isn’t as new as it might seem. The history of drones is long, strange, and full of surprises. The roots run deep into …

by A.R. Fomenko VIENNA BUREAU – A massive wildfire inside the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone revived scrutiny of the radioactive timber trade, wartime disruption, and the shadow economy investigators say has operated inside the contaminated forest for decades. Flames vaulted across the tree tops, carried by wind gusts that whipped through the …

Years after his death, sworn testimony alleged that Mitchell WerBell III didn’t die of a heart attack after all; he’d been poisoned. The allegation remains one of the most curious episodes connected to the legacy of the legendary OSS veteran and firearms designer. by Jose Campos Mitchell WerBell III had …

by Jose Campos In the shadow of Japan’s Mount Fuji, Marine explosive ordnance disposal technicians trained with live ordnance, refining the precision stand-off techniques used to safely neutralize dangerous munitions. The rocket motor lay on the range at Camp Fuji, waiting to be destroyed. Marine explosive ordnance disposal technicians regarded …

In this installment of our investigative series, we examine how booby-trapped equipment slipped into wartime aid networks in Ukraine, targeting Russian soldiers. by Susan Katz Keating The Russian soldier placed the FPV goggles on his head, and flipped the switch on his drone console. He expected to see real-time images …

In California’s harsh border country, Marines and Border Patrol agents turn to horses for the kind of mobility no vehicle can match. by Jose Campos The U.S. military and the U.S. Border Patrol are reaching back to one of the oldest methods of moving through unforgiving country: horseback. Near El …

by Boris Egorov At the end of 1980, on the outskirts of Moscow, Soviet policemen beat to death a KGB major, and staged it as a robbery. They had no idea what dire consequences the encounter would have for them and the entire Soviet police force.  On the morning of …

by Dan O’Shea Two pilots in the water, a tight rescue window, and a craft with no one aboard showed how unmanned systems are adding new options for bringing Americans home. On a half-moon lit night, flying above the northernmost point of the Strait of Hormuz, a U.S. Army Apache …

The Bureau spent years chasing flying saucers. Then it stopped. One memo explains why the public never trusted that decision.by Jose Campos The Roswell story was high on the public radar when the FBI’s Dallas Field Office fired off an urgent cable to Director J. Edgar Hoover. An object had …