Author: Braxton Taylor
We tell the armed citizen that it is important to keep an eye on a potential threat until the issue is resolved one way or another. One of the best places to focus our attention is on the individual’s hands. While the person may not be holding an obvious weapon, we can still learn a lot by watching their hands and develop information that can become important should the potential threat become an actual threat. One of the first things that I look for is a wristwatch. Most people wear these on their non-dominant wrist, which means that the other…
The Pentagon will build a facility for the Qatar air force at an Idaho air base, the defense secretary announced on Friday. The arrangement appears to flow from earlier agreements related to the 2017 sale of Boeing F-15Q combat jets to the Gulf monarchy, but the scope of the project, its cost and financing, and Congressional buy-in remain unclear.“Today, we’re announcing we’re signing a letter of acceptance to build a Qatari Emeri Air Force facility at the Mountain Home air base in Idaho,” Hegseth said during a morning appearance with Qatari Defense Minister Sheikh Saoud bin Abdulrahman Al Thani at…
Software and analytics firm Govini has joined the ranks of defense unicorns with a new investment that pushes the company’s valuation past $1 billion, the company announced Friday. The $150 million investment by Bain Capital “is really, really exciting validation of the traction that we have in the market” of defense acquisition software, Tara Murphy Dougherty, Govini’s CEO, told reporters Friday. Govini, which boasts a 300-person workforce and reported $100 million in revenue for fiscal 2025, joins other billion-dollar defense startups such as robot-boatmaker Saronic, Anduril, and Germany’s Helsing. Murphy Dougherty said she plans to use the $150 million to hire technical experts…
We all grow older. There is nothing we can do about that, but the quality of those years is within our control, as recent research has shown.After receiving a doctor’s approval to begin any exercise program, aging adults who have not been physically active for decades should start their fitness journey with the basics, such as walking and stretching. Once a solid foundation is built, though, a regular, higher-intensity exercise program can lead to remarkable improvements in heart health, according to one study.That study covered a two-year, high-intensity interval training (HIIT) program and its effects on sedentary individuals 50 to…
Many of the best shotgun shooters were fortunate to be born with natural ability. But, for the rest of us, shotgun accuracy is always a work in progress. Becoming proficient with a pump, break-action, or semi-auto can take years. Typically, those who shoot clays and hunt ducks, geese, pheasants, etc., with regularity advance in skill more rapidly.However, most folks don’t have blocks of time to dedicate to such pursuits. We’re busy working our 9-to-5s, carting kids from one sport to another, and trying to keep up with the fast pace of daily life. When we get the opportunity to shoot…
The government shutdown has surpassed one week and has put federal workers and military families in a financial bind, with food pantries in some portions of the country experiencing 30% upticks in traffic.At midnight Oct. 1 the federal government shut down over political squabbling between Republicans and Democrats in Congress, with rhetoric ramping up as posturing on each side of the aisle has become futile. Democrats want assurances regarding health insurance subsidies while Republican lawmakers and the White House have accused the opposition of wanting to embolden illegal immigrants.Dissipating negotiations have resulted in threats from President Donald Trump and GOP…
When you hear the terms “long-range shooting,” “competition rifle,” and “sniper,” what gunmakers come to mind? “Tikka” might not top your list, but I think that could be about to change.Especially in disciplines like NRL Hunter, competitive shooters are turning to Tikka’s T3x platform, swapping out the factory stock for a chassis, and hitting the circuit. Tikka has taken notice of this trend, and their new line of Ace rifles is designed to give shooters an out-of-the-box option with no need for a stock swap.I think they’re onto something. As long as this test rifle isn’t an outlier, the Ace…
Amy McGrath, a Democrat and U.S. Marine Corps veteran, is setting her sights on representing Kentucky in the U.S. Senate to replace outgoing Republican Sen. Mitch McConnell.McGrath, who previously ran against McConnell for the same seat in 2020 and lost by approximately 20 percentage points, announced her candidacy on Oct. 6 as a rebuke of McConnell’s performance in Congress coupled with the current state and trajectory of the Trump administration.The first woman to fly in an F/A-18 in combat for the Marines and do it worldwide spoke with Military.com following the announcement of her candidacy, saying that Kentuckians are seeking different…
Davidson’s is partnering up with Glock for another limited edition exclusive run of pistols. First it was an exclusive Glock G19X MOS, and now it’s a coyote-brown Glock G43X MOS pistol. Building on Glock’s original micro-compact 9mm pistol, the six-round Glock G43, the Glock G43X MOS is also a striker-fired, 9mm, optics-ready pistol built on that same popular slimline frame and slide. As an exclusive, this Davidson’s edition Glock G43X MOS has a slide cut for the Shield Sights RMSc and Holosun-K optics footprints. In fact, Davidson’s offers this pistol with a Holosun EPS Carry in a matching coyote brown…
In a 70-20 vote, the Senate passed its $925 billion defense bill Thursday, a month after House lawmakers passed their $893 billion version of the bill. “Armed Services committees will now attempt to negotiate a compromise bill that can pass by the end of the year,” Politico reports. Notable: The Senate’s version restricts U.S. troop reductions in Europe and in South Korea. It also seeks “to overhaul the Pentagon’s complex acquisition process to ramp up the defense industrial base and allow the military to more quickly field needed weapons and technology.” Roger Wicker, R-Miss., chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee:…