Security

Mercenary bands in Switzerland for centuries were much feared by their enemies – and prized by the families that owned them. One group in particular – the Zerlauben family – ran a robust mercenary enterprise during the old Swiss Confederacy, supplying men for the Swiss Guards and other outfits. Family …

by Martin Kufus Editor’s note: The following is an excerpt from “P is for Pirates,” a chapter in Plow the Dirt but Watch the Sky, by Martin Kufus, a former editor at Soldier of Fortune.  Somali piracy already was waning in 2012 when I arrived on the Indian Ocean as a member of …

by Susan Katz Keating Morning reveille had not yet sounded at the Marine Corps barracks on Oct 23, 1983, when a Hezbollah terrorist drove a bomb-laden truck into the building in Beirut, Lebanon. The massive blast lifted the barracks off its foundation, and reduced it to rubble – instantly killing …

ANALYSIS by Susan Katz Keating Soldier of Fortune has not viewed nor received copies of the classified documents; nor will we link to any site that claims to describe the contents. [Updated Oct. 23, 2024] While the FBI launches a probe into Friday’s unauthorized leak of classified U.S. intelligence documents, the …

The U.S. Marine Corps and partner troops show their stuff in an amphibious assault exercise in September. This annual event, Super Garuda Shield, is, focused on commitment to partnership and a free and open Indo-Pacific.

Buzzed by the Bear… On Sept. 23, 2024, a U.S. Air Force F-16 operating under the direction of North American Aerospace Defense Command, was conducting a routine intercept of a Russian Tu-95 aircraft in the Alaskan Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ), when a Russian Su-35 air superiority fighter craft conducted …

by Heath Hansen Tim Foley is the founder and leader of Arizona Border Recon (AZBR), a private group that patrols the U.S. Southern border. Members gather intelligence about activity there, and share their findings with federal and local officials. Most of what they encounter involves human trafficking and drug smuggling. …

by Elon Perry The Israeli commandos wrote their farewell letters to be delivered only in the event they were killed on the high-stakes operation. Then they boarded their flights to Uganda, for a rescue raid that stunned the world. Sunday morning, 27 June 1976. An Air France A300 airliner, Flight …

by Susan Katz Keating Skeptics quickly raised questions about the vehicle. “I don’t think that’s a good idea,” Dmitry wrote. “There’s a lithium battery in there, and if it gets depressurized, it will start a fire that can’t be put out.” Ramzan Kadyrov, who leads Russia’s Chechnya region, took to …

by Susan Katz Keating Thirteen years ago today was a horrific event in the annals of Naval Special Warfare. On Aug 6, 2011, a CH-47 Chinook helicopter, call sign Extortion 17, was shot down in Afghanistan. In the process, 30 American military servicemen and a U.S. military working dog were …