Free Republic

Tim Blanning, Frederick the Great: King of Prussia (New York: Random House, 2016), 688 pp., $35.00. NAPOLEON SWIFTLY conquered Prussia in October 1806, inflicting crushing defeats at Jena and Auerstedt that humbled a realm long known for its military tradition. A bulletin announcing news of the two battles described them as expunging the fifty-year stain left by Frederick the Great’s victory over a French army at Rossbach in 1757. When he visited Frederick the Great’s tomb with a group of his generals, Napoleon purportedly instructed them, “hats off gentlemen, if he were alive we wouldn’t be here today.”

America’s F-117 stealth fighter has been in a state of limbo. In 2008, the U.S. Air Force officially retired the black, angular warplanes but they never entirely went away. For eight years, the radar-evading aircraft have rested in climate-controlled hangars at the Tonopah Test Range in Nevada. Here’s why — when the F-117s retired, Congress required the Air Force to maintain some of the planes in case they were ever needed in a future war. The flying branch even kept flying a handful, most likely as guinea pigs for stealth-penetrating sensors … or some other mysterious hardware. Well, that shouldn’t continue for...

The United States will soon surround the Islamic State on three sides with rocket artillery batteries. The plans follow months of aerial bombardment, but the ground-launched rockets represent an expanding and less-publicized element to the war. On April 26, the Pentagon announced it will send U.S. Army troops and the rocket launchers to southern Turkey. The ground combat branch already has similar units in Iraq and Jordan — and the use of the launchers are by no means exclusive to these three countries.

Those of us who have handled Classified government information are aghast at how Hillary Clinton handled Classified government information in such an intentionally careless way. We, including Hillary Clinton, were very specifically informed that the careless handling of Classified government information would result in imprisonment by, or killing by, the government. It is life and death serious. There is nothing more serious. We know how wrong her behavior was. But, does the average Democrat voter understand how wrong her behavior was? It is critical that some words and concepts are understood by all Americans. Hillary Clinton is basing the defense...

A few paces west of the public beach in Yorktown, Virginia, is a little cave looking out toward the water. We all know Yorktown from history class. This is where, in October 1781, the British army commanded by Lord Cornwallis surrendered to the Americans under General George Washington and the French under the Comte de Rochambeau. It’s not much of a cave, really, but tourists by the thousands stop to peep into it, as they have for more than two centuries. It is known to this day as “Cornwallis’s Cave,” and for most of our history visitors have been told...

ISIS likes to portray itself as a well-oiled fighting force that makes sweeping territorial gains with ruthless efficiency. But behind its propaganda machine, the reality is anything but – as this battlefield video shows. Taken from the headcam of an ISIS fighter, it captures the chaos among a group of hapless militants as they fumble around trying to fire weapons at Kurdish forces in Iraq.

Peace be with you all, I am one of four Democrats seeking the nomination to replace Todd Young in Indiana's 9th congressional district. To assist in educating and informing the voters of IN09, I am providing the full video of the debate hosted by Jeffersonville High School's Debate Team on 20 APR 16. Enjoy! I look forward to your comments. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8gYWbgmx72U James R. McClure Jr. Jeffersonian Anti-Federalist Democrat candidate for IN09

WASHINGTON – A showdown might soon settle one of the U.S. military’s biggest air power controversies. The high-tech and expensive F-35 Joint Strike Fighter will face off in upcoming testing with the Air Force’s aging close-air-support stalwart, the A-10 Thunderbolt II, the director of the Defense Department operational test and evaluation office said Tuesday. The battlefield comparison “makes common sense” and will pit the two airframes against each other in a variety of war scenarios this year, Michael Gilmore said during Senate testimony. The department is in the midst of developing the F-35 – the most expensive procurement program in...

North Korea’s new sea-launched, nuclear-capable ballistic missile and the submarine that fires it are both technologically backward, unreliable, and wickedly unsafe for the unfortunate souls tasked with operating them. In short, Pyongyang's new undersea nuke—which the hermit regime test-launched off the country's eastern coast on April 23—is a dud by any normal standard.

House Democrats on Tuesday released letters from Pentagon officials that they said should put an end to “silly speculation” generated by Republicans that protecting a bird known as the greater sage-grouse could hamstring the U.S. military. They're hoping the new information persuades lawmakers to oppose a GOP provision in the annual defense policy bill that would block the Obama administration from protecting the sage-grouse under the Endangered Species Act for 10 years. The measure also would prevent implementation of land-use plans by the U.S. Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management to conserve the sage-grouse and its habitat. …

The Royal Navy and coast guard authorities have been investigating why two Belgian naval ships have been allowed to sail close to the Welsh coast for the past 12 hours today. The colossal BNS Godetia, a command and logistical support ship that is 92 metres long and BNS Lobelia, a 51 metre long minehunter, have been mysteriously circling the coast since late last night. A Holyhead Coastguard spokesman confirmed the ships were sailing off Cilan Head near Abersoch but said they had 'absolutely no idea what they are up to'. The colossal ships are believed to have been involved in...

Why did Hillary Clinton lie about Benghazi? There is no doubt that she lied. It has been proven that she told two completely different stories. What exactly was the lie? She lied about the enemy's motive for attacking us at Benghazi. She told the American people that we were attacked at Benghazi by a disorganized mob because some Libyans were mad about a video they saw. She knew this explanation was a lie. She told her daughter, almost immediately, that the attack was an organized attack by our enemies. Why did she tell this particular lie? You lie to cover...

One of the first things you learn in the military is how to move and work with other people. The Sergeants taught me how to stand in line and how to turn without tripping the people I was with. The quickest and most efficient means of moving a large group of people is to put them in a formation and march them. This also sends a message to anyone watching that the people marching together are focused, disciplined and ready to fight. Let's say you need to move a bunch of people from a football field to a park. You...

Humvees failed airdrop Falling from the sky (Language Warning)

The U.S. Army has released its 2016 Weapons Systems Handbook, which is available at www.army.mil/e2/c/downloads/431298.pdf. For more on military equipment, including weapons, visit Military.com's Equipment Guide.

Time to reform the Pentagon’s award system There has been a jarring addition to U.S. military uniforms since the end of World War II. Seventy years ago, high-ranking officers wore relatively few ribbons or medals — and awards for valor were rare. Go back farther to the Civil War, and it was common for officers to not wear military decorations at all. But for the modern officer, it’s now possible to perform one’s duties without being a hero and still have a chest full of ribbons that are indecipherable to all but the most dedicated students of phaleristics. Most of all, the...

Daniel Torres was an undocumented immigrant when he used a false US birth certificate to join the marine corps. After serving in Iraq, he was found out and discharged. Eventually he returned to Tijuana, where he was born, though he said he was always homesick for the country he had fought for.

The Supreme Court Very interesting, but scary, view. A number of republican voters have threatened that they won't vote for the GOP candidate this November if the eventual nominee was not their personal choice in the primaries. I just want to put something into perspective: · Justice Scalia's seat is vacant. · Ginsberg is 82 years old, · Kennedy is 79, · Breyer is 77, and · Thomas is 67. Nowadays, the data shows that the average age of a Supreme Court retirement or death occurs after the age of 75. There are 5 vacancies that will likely come up...

FAYETTEVILLE, N.C. – A North Carolina judge sent a retired Special Forces sergeant to jail for violating probation — then spent the night in the cell with him. News media outlets report Joe Serna, 41, who suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder after three tours in Afghanistan, was diverted to Cumberland County Veterans Court after being charged with driving under the influence and other traffic offenses. The court is designed to help troubled veterans avoid jail time and get the help they need. Serna was told to stay sober and return to the court every two weeks. But when he appeared...