Didn’t make a big splash in the news which is no surprise but until very recently troops deployed to fight ISIS in the current no end date “No Name” operations in Iraq and Syria were not authorized recognition for their service.  The Iraq Campaign Medal is limited to troops that served there from 2003 to …

I attended the Maneuver Conference at Ft. Benning about a week ago and wanted to share some of the highlights.  Sadly sequestration is having an impact on the joint Infantry/ Armor Conference at Ft. Benning.  Many of the government organizations that attend these events weren’t present.  Most notable was Program Executive Office (PEO) Soldier, the …

In Part I of this essay I laid out the path that led to the current situation in Iraq.   I discussed the most commonly mentioned intervention approaches i.e. having partners fight ISIS and/or expanded use of airstrikes and how neither is likely to be successful.  Most importantly, I explained that without a very clear and …

UPDATED 21:02 EST 4 Sep ’14 I’ve been searching for a quality micro red dot for my AR15 and just couldn’t justify spending around $600 for the outstanding and battle proven Aimpoint Micro H-1 red dot sight.  I discovered the Holosun PARALOW HS403A Red Dot Sight and after two weeks of kicking the tires I …

We will be sending troops into ground combat in Iraq.  It’s just a matter of when.  I predicted long ago on Military.com that after our withdrawal from Iraq we would return just like MacArthur did to the Philippines.  Unlike the Philippines, it would be to a less friendly Iraq with less friendly Iraqis, in a …

In an uncharacteristic and incredibly coincidental revelation, the US government acknowledged it attempted to rescue the subsequently beheaded American journalist James Foley.  The government’s justification for acknowledging the raid is that it was about to be reported by several news organizations.  Huh?  Whatever happened to “neither can confirm nor deny”?   Instead of potentially vague …

Russia is going to invade Ukraine.  The only question is when.  Not that Russia needs it, but Russia has orchestrated a number of incidents designed to intimidate the US. Reuters reported that Russian news cited an unnamed Russian Navy Main Staff spokesman as stating a supposedly U.S. Navy Virginia-class submarine, was detected in the Barents …

I read in FoxtrotAlpha.jalopnik.com an essay on Israel’s first combat employment of the Trophy active protection system (APS).  This immediately caught my eye because of my experience modeling the system in 2003.  The system is mounted on Israeli Merkava 4 tanks and Namer infantry carriers.  It consists of fixed array radar to pick up incoming …

Essay by Yankee Papa and published for him on GRUNTSandCo (All rights Reserved) Corporal Antonio Pessoa* stepped out of his bunker into the snow.  While the American uniforms were excellent, none of the men of the Brazilian Expeditionary Force (FEB) ever felt really warm in the mountains.  When the Force was first discussed it was …

There’s been a flurry of news lately about the potential demise of the Army’s M9 9mm pistol.  It’s a bit premature.  The Army recently concluded the Individual Carbine Competition to evaluate potential replacements for the M4 carbine.  It concluded without a clear winner or Army decision to replace the M4 though the Army has decided …