Free Republic

Outraged family members of US troops hurt in the line of duty slammed Kamala Harris’ brazen claim that no Americans are serving in war zones — a statement which flies in the face of her own administration’s official list of active combat zones. As many as 50,000 US service members currently patrolling countries and oceans across the Middle East and Africa are receiving either “hostile fire” or “imminent danger pay,” monthly payments of up to $225 for troops deployed in areas where they could easily be subjected to — or do come under — enemy attack, retired Army Col. and...

A new method developed by Northwestern University uses electrical currents to solidify marine sand, creating durable, rock-like structures that could replace costly traditional coastal defenses like sea walls. Researchers from Northwestern University have demonstrated that a zap of electricity can strengthen a marine coastline for generations, mitigating the rising threat of erosion in the face of rising sea levels and climate change. In their study, recently published in Communications Earth and the Environment, the researchers took inspiration from clams, mussels, and other shell-dwelling sea life, which use dissolved minerals in seawater to build their shells. Similarly, the researchers leveraged the...

Imperial College London research has found limits to how quickly we can scale up technology to store gigatonnes of carbon dioxide under Earth's surface. Current international scenarios for limiting global warming to less than 1.5 degrees by the end of the century rely on technologies that remove carbon dioxide (CO2) from Earth's atmosphere faster than humans release it. This means removing CO2 at a rate of 1–30 gigatonnes per year by 2050. However, estimates for the speed at which these technologies can be deployed have been highly speculative. Now, findings from a new study led by Imperial College London researchers...

A near-week of threats hasn’t had the hoped-for impact for Sir Keir Starmer, who on Monday announced a change of tack with the establishment of a “standing army” to crush riots where they appeared. The Prime Minister, a seasoned lawyer with a usually assured and slick style seemed unsure of his words at times and lacked his normal energy as he spoke to journalists on Monday after he stepped out of a government crisis meeting. Speaking at his official residence and office Downing Street, where it appears a certain degree of bunker mentality has set in — the husband of...

An Israel Defense Forces (IDF) brigade that has been active in the fight against Hamas in Gaza drilled last week in northern Israel in preparation for a possible ground war against Hezbollah in southern Lebanon. The Kfir Brigade, which has been deployed in Gaza and elsewhere, is now turning its attention to the northern front. In a joint statement by the IDF and the Israel Security Agency (ISA, or Shin Bet, or Shabak), the Israeli military said:

There has arisen in America a generation which never heard of a lowly enlisted combat medic in the US Army who defied Bill Clinton and his entire chain of command, refusing to serve on a United Nations deployment wearing a blue helmet under the command of a general officer from a foreign country. It happened this day, 1995. Ask people over 50 years old, or better yet, 60. MANY of them remember the story - it was front page and nationwide, indeed worldwide news. No good deed unpunished, however, and Army SPC4 Michael New was court-martialed, received a kangaroo trial,...

Reuters analyzed more than 50 videos of drone attacks, collated research and spoke to over a dozen manufacturers, soldiers and officials about how the technology is transforming warfare.

Its been 56 years and yet just the sound of these birds can get the adrenaline going and the pulse quickening. Slick driversIf you've never sat on the floor of a Huey holding on to the pilot seat frame as your slick was running balls out a hundred feet above the jungle headed into a hot firefight, door guns, mini guns and rocket pods blazing. Well, then at 18 years old you just never experienced one of the most intense adrenaline dumping events in your short life.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s (D) administration lost track of the $24 billion in taxpayer funds it spent over the past five years in an attempt to curb the state’s homelessness crisis, an audit has found. The California State Auditor’s report, released on April 9, detailed multiple “gaps” in accountability in regards to how the money was allocated during the 2018-2023 fiscal years. Lead auditor Grant Parks said the state “has not collected sufficient data” to prove that the billions of dollars improved the situation.

EA AIR SPACE 2024 — The Navy is in the nascent stages of evaluating how to bring autonomous combat drones to the decks of aircraft carriers, but the service’s top official for unmanned programs says one thing is certain: The drones will have to be cheap, topping out at about $15 million per unit. To keep prices low, the Navy will likely sacrifice the longevity of each so-called Collaborative Combat Aircraft, said Rear Adm. Stephen Tedford, the Navy’s program executive for unmanned systems and weapons. Instead of being sustained over a 40-year lifecycle, a single drone could be catapulted and...

The biggest threat to American air superiority is not Russia selling high performance combat aircraft to countries like China, but the development of really inexpensive flight simulators. Over the last decade, computers have become a lot cheaper, and the graphics capability of these machines has skyrocketed. That's important in bringing the cost of realistic flight simulators down to a level that any country can afford. Until a decade ago, a realistic combat flight simulator cost about as much as the aircraft it was simulating. While that did reduce the cost (per "flying" hour) of pilots practicing, it was not enough...

Obama’s defense department announcement on December 3 of 2015 allowing women in combat followed repeal of DADT. Defense secretary Ash Carter contended the decision followed a long period of study and vigorous debate. However, he managed through premeditated ignorance to find only those mutually supportive creatures that serve social agendas bringing future needless devastation to those who serve. The narrative results from the links which I hope are comprehensive, well chosen, and more important than the narrative.Most of the points highlighted about women in combat arose first when the decision was made to do away with DADT. Subsequently, the LGBTQ,...

Gladiators fought in rounds, and there were referees to enforce rules. Only rarely were gladiators killed. KEY TAKEAWAYS: Gladiators rarely died in fights, as gladiatorial combat was more about demonstrating physical and mental endurance, martial skill, and athleticism. There were between 20 and 30 different styles of gladiatorial combat. Gladiators would adopt a style based on their body type and the choice of their trainers. Gladiatorial fights had rules, including fighting in rounds. Referees were present to enforce rules, caution fouls, and handle appeals. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ One of the most iconic moments in movie history is when Russell Crowe, dressed in...

As Veterans’ Day arrives, it is important for those who have never served to take a moment to understand the solitary world of a vet. Millions of vets are and have been successful in all endeavors. They are doctors, lawyers, business people and a thousand other professions. Not all have PTSD; not all are the troubled, brooding, street corner homeless guy, although they exist and need help desperately. No matter how successful a vet might be materially, more often than not, vets are often alone, mentally and spiritually each day and for the rest of their lives. Vets’ stories are...

I thought today I would related a real story of a real American soldier. A truly great soldier, an Army Tanker who served in combat in WW2 for 81 straight days. Let’s ponder that for a moment. Most of us can’t imagine 1 day in combat. I served for 100 hours in combat in 1991, just 4 days or so. This guy was in the fight, every day, for 81 days. This is insane. None of us today knows what this means. Here’s his story. He is, by the way, considered the American Tank Ace of Aces. Many of you...

WARTON, United Kingdom — BAE Systems executives this week expressed confidence that the Global Combat Air Platform (GCAP), currently in development with Italy and Japan, will achieve its projected in-service date of 2035, with a “manned, supersonic and low observable jet” demonstrator taking flight within the next five years. And more than that, the company leaders believe they can find an export market of “several hundred” jets globally. Meeting with the media at BAE Systems’ assembly plant in Warton, Lancashire, Herman Claesen, BAE Systems’ Future Combat Air System Managing Director, called the international export of GCAP a “key feature” in...

Even though JOSEPH GOEBBELS was the Reich Minister of propaganda (1933-1945), he often spoke openly about the strategy of the Reich propaganda. He said: “If you tell a lie big enough and keep repeating it, people will eventually come to believe it. The lie can be maintained only for such time as the State can shield the people from the political, economic and/or military consequences of the lie. It thus becomes vitally important for the State to use all of its powers to repress dissent, for the truth is the mortal enemy of the lie, and thus by extension, the...

President Biden will establish a task force to coordinate government efforts to address antisemitism and other forms of religious bigotry, the White House said Monday, in the wake of a rise in antisemitic rhetoric from high-profile public figures. Biden is creating an interagency group led by the staff at the Domestic Policy Council and the National Security Council, press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said in a statement. The group’s first order of business will be to formulate a national strategy to counter antisemitism.

President Biden on Wednesday announced that the administration will take on so-called junk fees as a way to help bring down costs for Americans during high inflation. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is taking new steps to eliminate billions in banking fees, hidden charges and added fees on cable bills, airline tickets and hotel bookings. “Today my administration is announcing new actions to lower the costs of everyday living for American families, to put more money in the pockets of middle income and working class Americans, to hold big corporations accountable,” Biden said in remarks at the White House. The...

Tesla CEO and SpaceX founder Elon Musk wrote to his 77.7 million Twitter followers on Monday that he was challenging Russian President Vladimir Putin to single combat and wagering Ukraine.