Featured in contractorsBYJoseph TrevithickAug 5, 2019ShareUS Looks to Preposition Jet Fuel in Niger, Algeria, as Drone Operations Expand in AfricaThe US military mission in the region looks set to enter an entirely new phase. BYJoseph TrevithickAug 5, 2019ShareBYJoseph TrevithickJul 10, 2019SharePentagon Watchdog Slams U.S.-Backed Efforts to Expand The Afghan Air ForceA new report highlights incoherent and haphazard policies, long-standing training gaps, and an over-reliance on contractors. BYJoseph TrevithickJul 10, 2019ShareBYJoseph TrevithickJun 30, 2019ShareUS Uses a Private Helicopter Force to Get Around Kabul And Intel Woes Might Put It At RiskThose concerns come as Kabul becomes even more dangerous and amid reports that US officials are hiding key details about America’s longest war. BYJoseph TrevithickJun 30, 2019ShareBYJoseph TrevithickJun 30, 2019ShareUS Navy Wants to Hire Contractors to Fly Their Own MQ-9 Reaper Drones in AfghanistanThe Marine Corps task force in Helmand Province has an urgent requirement for the unmanned aircraft. BYJoseph TrevithickJun 30, 2019ShareBYJoseph TrevithickJun 29, 2019ShareUS Effort to Find Those Behind the Benghazi Attack Nets a Second SuspectSEAL Team Six and the FBI grab Mustafa Al Imam in Libya and spirit him off to the United States to stand trial. BYJoseph TrevithickJun 29, 2019ShareBYJoseph TrevithickJun 29, 2019ShareThe U.S. Military’s Incident In Niger Has Been a Long Time ComingA “light footprint,” limited resources, and political complexities put American troops in Africa at increased risk. BYJoseph TrevithickJun 29, 2019ShareBYJoseph TrevithickJun 29, 2019ShareUS Military Reveals Contractors Flew to the Rescue in Niger, but Little ElseDetails about an ambush in the West Africa country and what American personnel were doing there remain scant. Here’s what we know. BYJoseph TrevithickJun 29, 2019ShareBYJoseph TrevithickJun 29, 2019ShareBlackwater Founder Wants to Provide a “Turn Key” Mercenary Air Force for AfghanistanBut the new proposal from infamous Erik Prince could immediately face legal and logistical problems. BYJoseph TrevithickJun 29, 2019ShareBYJoseph TrevithickJun 29, 2019ShareHumanitarian Cargo Contractor Secretly Supported U.S. Spec Ops in YemenNewly revealed relationship underscores the importance of private companies in America’s most shadowy counter-terrorism operations. BYJoseph TrevithickJun 29, 2019ShareBYJoseph TrevithickMay 15, 2019ShareThe U.S. State Department Has Its Own Sprawling Air Force, Here’s What’s In Its InventoryThe Department has more than 200 helicopters, aircraft, and small drones, including a particularly shadowy small transport plane. BYJoseph TrevithickMay 15, 2019ShareBYJoseph TrevithickApr 9, 2019ShareUSAF Reveals Timelines And Basing Plans For Its Huge Adversary Support ContractThe service says it will start awarding contracts in 2019 as part of a massive program that could be worth billions over the next decade. BYJoseph TrevithickApr 9, 2019ShareBYJoseph TrevithickMar 12, 2019ShareMarines Lay Out Plans For Their Own MQ-9 Reaper Drone Force In New Budget RequestThis would give the service its first long-endurance drones and help pave the way for future unmanned aircraft capabilities. BYJoseph TrevithickMar 12, 2019ShareBYJoseph TrevithickJan 16, 2019ShareSuicide Bombing Kills U.S. Troops In Syria, Mysterious S-92 Helicopter Seen Evacuating Casualties (Updated)ISIS claimed responsibility for the attack in Manbij, which comes amid American plans to withdraw from Syria entirely. BYJoseph TrevithickJan 16, 2019ShareBYJoseph TrevithickOct 16, 2018ShareUAE Contracted An American Hit Squad to Kill Political Figures And More in YemenThe revelations expose a worrying new dimension to the conflict in Yemen and could have consequences outside that country. BYJoseph TrevithickOct 16, 2018ShareBYJoseph TrevithickSep 12, 2018ShareHow U.S. Taxpayers Are Spending $1.8B For Afghanistan To Fly A Couple Dozen A-29 Attack PlanesThe estimated annual sustainment costs alone are more than twice what the U.S. Air Force pays to operate a squadron of F-16s for a year. BYJoseph TrevithickSep 12, 2018ShareBYJoseph TrevithickJul 9, 2018ShareU.S. Secretary of State Rides in Gun-Toting “Embassy Air” Helicopter In AfghanistanThe contractor-operated service highlights how fragile the security situation remains in even the most heavily protected areas of the country. BYJoseph TrevithickJul 9, 2018ShareBYJoseph TrevithickJul 6, 2018ShareRed Bull Definitely Didn’t Give Wings To The Crew of This Air Force MC-12W Spy PlaneThe can of energy drink exploded inside the cockpit, forcing the plane to return to base and costing over $100,000 in repairs. BYJoseph TrevithickJul 6, 2018ShareBYJoseph TrevithickJun 20, 2018ShareIt’s Official, Contractor-Owned MQ-9 Reaper Drones Will Watch Over Marines in AfghanistanThe deal will be an important stepping stone for the service as it gets closer to acquiring bigger, multi-mission unmanned aircraft. BYJoseph TrevithickJun 20, 2018ShareBYJoseph TrevithickJun 15, 2018SharePentagon Admits Afghanistan’s New Black Hawks Can’t Match Its Older Russian ChoppersA new official report raises serious concerns about whether the new helicopters will actually hurt the Afghan military’s ability to operate. BYJoseph TrevithickJun 15, 2018ShareBYJoseph TrevithickJun 1, 2018ShareSenators Want Millions For Air Force And Marine Light Attack Planes In New BudgetLawmakers are pushing for new aircraft in both services as the Air Force insists it is getting close to actually buying the planes. BYJoseph TrevithickJun 1, 2018ShareBYJoseph TrevithickMay 17, 2018ShareWe’ve Posted The Pentagon’s Entire Moment-By-Moment Niger Ambush Video BriefingThe high-quality video presentation shows friendly fire, French forces racing to the rescue, and contractor helicopters recovering the fallen. BYJoseph TrevithickMay 17, 2018ShareBYJoseph TrevithickMay 2, 2018ShareUS Special Operators Scattered Across Yemen Might Soon Rely On Contractors To Rescue ThemWith its own search and rescue units under strain, the US military continues to lean heavily on private firms for casualty evacuations. BYJoseph TrevithickMay 2, 2018ShareBYJoseph TrevithickApr 3, 2018ShareThis Is How The U.S. Military Is Already Patrolling And Working On The BorderIf he decides to, Trump can use established legal authorities to send personnel to the border to perform missions from surveillance to construction. BYJoseph TrevithickApr 3, 2018Share12
BYJoseph TrevithickAug 5, 2019ShareUS Looks to Preposition Jet Fuel in Niger, Algeria, as Drone Operations Expand in AfricaThe US military mission in the region looks set to enter an entirely new phase. BYJoseph TrevithickAug 5, 2019Share
BYJoseph TrevithickJul 10, 2019SharePentagon Watchdog Slams U.S.-Backed Efforts to Expand The Afghan Air ForceA new report highlights incoherent and haphazard policies, long-standing training gaps, and an over-reliance on contractors. BYJoseph TrevithickJul 10, 2019Share
BYJoseph TrevithickJun 30, 2019ShareUS Uses a Private Helicopter Force to Get Around Kabul And Intel Woes Might Put It At RiskThose concerns come as Kabul becomes even more dangerous and amid reports that US officials are hiding key details about America’s longest war. BYJoseph TrevithickJun 30, 2019Share
BYJoseph TrevithickJun 30, 2019ShareUS Navy Wants to Hire Contractors to Fly Their Own MQ-9 Reaper Drones in AfghanistanThe Marine Corps task force in Helmand Province has an urgent requirement for the unmanned aircraft. BYJoseph TrevithickJun 30, 2019Share
BYJoseph TrevithickJun 29, 2019ShareUS Effort to Find Those Behind the Benghazi Attack Nets a Second SuspectSEAL Team Six and the FBI grab Mustafa Al Imam in Libya and spirit him off to the United States to stand trial. BYJoseph TrevithickJun 29, 2019Share
BYJoseph TrevithickJun 29, 2019ShareThe U.S. Military’s Incident In Niger Has Been a Long Time ComingA “light footprint,” limited resources, and political complexities put American troops in Africa at increased risk. BYJoseph TrevithickJun 29, 2019Share
BYJoseph TrevithickJun 29, 2019ShareUS Military Reveals Contractors Flew to the Rescue in Niger, but Little ElseDetails about an ambush in the West Africa country and what American personnel were doing there remain scant. Here’s what we know. BYJoseph TrevithickJun 29, 2019Share
BYJoseph TrevithickJun 29, 2019ShareBlackwater Founder Wants to Provide a “Turn Key” Mercenary Air Force for AfghanistanBut the new proposal from infamous Erik Prince could immediately face legal and logistical problems. BYJoseph TrevithickJun 29, 2019Share
BYJoseph TrevithickJun 29, 2019ShareHumanitarian Cargo Contractor Secretly Supported U.S. Spec Ops in YemenNewly revealed relationship underscores the importance of private companies in America’s most shadowy counter-terrorism operations. BYJoseph TrevithickJun 29, 2019Share
BYJoseph TrevithickMay 15, 2019ShareThe U.S. State Department Has Its Own Sprawling Air Force, Here’s What’s In Its InventoryThe Department has more than 200 helicopters, aircraft, and small drones, including a particularly shadowy small transport plane. BYJoseph TrevithickMay 15, 2019Share
BYJoseph TrevithickApr 9, 2019ShareUSAF Reveals Timelines And Basing Plans For Its Huge Adversary Support ContractThe service says it will start awarding contracts in 2019 as part of a massive program that could be worth billions over the next decade. BYJoseph TrevithickApr 9, 2019Share
BYJoseph TrevithickMar 12, 2019ShareMarines Lay Out Plans For Their Own MQ-9 Reaper Drone Force In New Budget RequestThis would give the service its first long-endurance drones and help pave the way for future unmanned aircraft capabilities. BYJoseph TrevithickMar 12, 2019Share
BYJoseph TrevithickJan 16, 2019ShareSuicide Bombing Kills U.S. Troops In Syria, Mysterious S-92 Helicopter Seen Evacuating Casualties (Updated)ISIS claimed responsibility for the attack in Manbij, which comes amid American plans to withdraw from Syria entirely. BYJoseph TrevithickJan 16, 2019Share
BYJoseph TrevithickOct 16, 2018ShareUAE Contracted An American Hit Squad to Kill Political Figures And More in YemenThe revelations expose a worrying new dimension to the conflict in Yemen and could have consequences outside that country. BYJoseph TrevithickOct 16, 2018Share
BYJoseph TrevithickSep 12, 2018ShareHow U.S. Taxpayers Are Spending $1.8B For Afghanistan To Fly A Couple Dozen A-29 Attack PlanesThe estimated annual sustainment costs alone are more than twice what the U.S. Air Force pays to operate a squadron of F-16s for a year. BYJoseph TrevithickSep 12, 2018Share
BYJoseph TrevithickJul 9, 2018ShareU.S. Secretary of State Rides in Gun-Toting “Embassy Air” Helicopter In AfghanistanThe contractor-operated service highlights how fragile the security situation remains in even the most heavily protected areas of the country. BYJoseph TrevithickJul 9, 2018Share
BYJoseph TrevithickJul 6, 2018ShareRed Bull Definitely Didn’t Give Wings To The Crew of This Air Force MC-12W Spy PlaneThe can of energy drink exploded inside the cockpit, forcing the plane to return to base and costing over $100,000 in repairs. BYJoseph TrevithickJul 6, 2018Share
BYJoseph TrevithickJun 20, 2018ShareIt’s Official, Contractor-Owned MQ-9 Reaper Drones Will Watch Over Marines in AfghanistanThe deal will be an important stepping stone for the service as it gets closer to acquiring bigger, multi-mission unmanned aircraft. BYJoseph TrevithickJun 20, 2018Share
BYJoseph TrevithickJun 15, 2018SharePentagon Admits Afghanistan’s New Black Hawks Can’t Match Its Older Russian ChoppersA new official report raises serious concerns about whether the new helicopters will actually hurt the Afghan military’s ability to operate. BYJoseph TrevithickJun 15, 2018Share
BYJoseph TrevithickJun 1, 2018ShareSenators Want Millions For Air Force And Marine Light Attack Planes In New BudgetLawmakers are pushing for new aircraft in both services as the Air Force insists it is getting close to actually buying the planes. BYJoseph TrevithickJun 1, 2018Share
BYJoseph TrevithickMay 17, 2018ShareWe’ve Posted The Pentagon’s Entire Moment-By-Moment Niger Ambush Video BriefingThe high-quality video presentation shows friendly fire, French forces racing to the rescue, and contractor helicopters recovering the fallen. BYJoseph TrevithickMay 17, 2018Share
BYJoseph TrevithickMay 2, 2018ShareUS Special Operators Scattered Across Yemen Might Soon Rely On Contractors To Rescue ThemWith its own search and rescue units under strain, the US military continues to lean heavily on private firms for casualty evacuations. BYJoseph TrevithickMay 2, 2018Share
BYJoseph TrevithickApr 3, 2018ShareThis Is How The U.S. Military Is Already Patrolling And Working On The BorderIf he decides to, Trump can use established legal authorities to send personnel to the border to perform missions from surveillance to construction. BYJoseph TrevithickApr 3, 2018Share