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 …

Launch from the Truman. WATCH while sailors prep to send this F/A-18 Super Hornet airborne.

by Greg Chabot For Halloween, Greg Chabot leads us down the rabbit hole in search of the legendary Giants of Afghanistan. So gather ’round in the dark and hold your flashlights under your chins, while Greg tells the tales. ~SKK Throughout history there have been phenomena and sightings of things …

by Heath Hansen I slowly poured a bit of water into my MRE heater bag and waited as the chemicals reacted and began to warm. I slid the main course into the packet and folded the top sleeve over, laying the bag against a rock or something. As I waited …

Ten years after British forces concluded their combat mission in Afghanistan, veterans commemorate their service in Operation Herrick. That was the codename for the UK’s military mission in Afghanistan, which began in 2002. British forces remained for a decade, and officially ceased all combat operations there on On 27 October …

History-making missions are often best told in photos, so it’s pretty cool to know that photos were the mission of one of the most highly decorated aircrews in U.S. military history. During World War II, there was a crew with the U.S. Army Air Forces 43rd Bomb Group of the …

French Defense Minister Sébastien Lecornu announced on Wednesday that France had successfully tested a new type of remotely operated munition. The new UX11 drone, also known as “Colibri,” will soon be delivered to French forces and to the military of Ukraine, the ministry said. Watch the video France released about …

If you run out of food and game while roaming the wilds, fear not. You’ll still be able to make soup, salad, or something akin to coffee. A British Army bushcraft expert walks us through how to spot and eat these five edible wild plants, commonly found in Western and …

by Mikial The author tells Soldier of Fortune: “All of my work was with Department of Defense contractors. We never considered ourselves mercenaries although we were called mercenaries, gunslingers, and worse at times. It was difficult and dangerous work and also sometimes boring. We often lived rough in camps and …