by Heath Hansen The wind within the body of the bird blows me back and forth as I try to maintain my balance. “Thirty seconds!” the jumpmaster yells, before telling the man at the front of the stick to “Standby.” Then, a loud “GO!” gets us moving towards the door. I cover …
Read More »Death in the Desert: A Texas Cowboy’s Gruesome Encounter
by Bobby Dee Editor’s note: Bobby Dee first made his appearance in SKK’s previous story about Bodies and Gunfire in the Texas Wilderness. Now Bobby writes about his encounter with a bad scene at sunrise. The sun wasn’t even high yet, but the heat was already pressing down on me. …
Read More »Shooting on the Move: Tactical Training That Saves Lives
The benefits of training to shoot while moving. by Gary Paul Johnston Traditionally, cops have been trained to shoot while standing still. By now it should be pretty clear where this is going, and going should be the name of the game when the going gets tough. When I became …
Read More »A-10 Thunderbolt, the Flying Tank-Hunter
The signature of the A-10 is its 30mm Gatling gun, capable of firing up to 3,900 rounds per minute. This cannon isn’t just loud; it’s bunker-shattering extreme firepower. When the ground gets hot and troops are under fire, there’s a particular sound that brings much needed steel rain: BRRRRT. That’s …
Read More »Blood on the Highway: The Cartel War to Seize Power in Sinaloa
by Jose Campos A growing alliance of criminal groups has emerged to wrest control from Los Chapitos. The firefight began on the main federal highway in Mexico, and it didn’t let up for hours. Long after dark, the sound of gunfire echoed through Mocorito in Sinaloa, turning the stretch of …
Read More »‘I Wanna Jump From a Big Iron Bird’: Following in Dad’s Boot-Steps to Become a Paratrooper
by Heath Hansen I looked up into the big, blue sky. Far in the distance, I spotted a C-130 Hercules headed towards the open grass field I waited in. For a few moments, I watched as the plane continued in my direction. Suddenly, from the tail-end of the aircraft, paratroopers …
Read More »Operation Nimrod: When the British SAS Rescued Hostages From Iranian Embassy Siege
by Robert McAlister Editor’s Note: Six armed men on April 30, 1980 stormed the Iranian embassy in London. The men were Iranian Arab terrorists campaigning for sovereignty of Khuzestan Province. They took hostages, and issued demands. Enter the British Special Air Service (SAS) and Operation Nimrod. British crisis expert Robert …
Read More »WATCH: C-17 Globemaster Leaves Nellis Air Force Base in the Dust
When C-17’s leave the runway in the dust. Two C-17 Globemaster III aircraft out of Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Washington, flew into the Nevada Test and Training Range to support a training exercise for the High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS). The massive cargo planes, part of the 62nd Airlift Wing, …
Read More »Lone Wolf Terrorists and Soft Targets: Predicting the Next Wave of Attacks
The fact that a high-profile lone wolf attack may not be based on any clear motive doesn’t worry some terrorist groups. They will still claim the perpetrator as one of their own, to gain maximum publicity. by Jeffrey D. Simon For many Americans, the events of September 11, 2001, were the first …
Read More »Silent Saboteurs Pose an Insider Threat to the Homeland
COMMENTARY by Susan Katz Keating What would happen if enemy shadows enveloped an air traffic control system in a major U.S. city? How do we protect our country from unfriendly foreign entities working against us within our country? Sometimes the most dangerous actors don’t slip across borders under cover of night; …
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