Author: Braxton Taylor

Police revolver training goes back to the 19th century and President Theodore Roosevelt. Before he was the President of the United States, he was President of the New York City Police Commission from 1895 to 1897. When he began that position, New York policemen furnished their own revolvers for duty. Roosevelt was impressed by the .32 Colt New Police revolver and ordered 4,500 to be issued to the New York police. Being dismayed by the lack of proficiency of the officers, Roosevelt instituted a school of pistol practice. He required officers, or “roundsmen,” as they were called, to practice and…

A promotion for a National Guard officer is being delayed by one of California’s senators in protest of the Trump administration’s military deployments in Los Angeles.In a floor speech Thursday, Sen. Alex Padilla, D-Calif., announced he had placed what’s known as a hold on Lt. Gen. Thomas Carden’s nomination to receive a fourth star and become vice chief of the National Guard Bureau until President Donald Trump withdraws all remaining 2,000 National Guardsmen and 700 Marines from LA and commits to not sending any out-of-state Guardsmen to California.”I want to be very clear about something: My objection is about more…

Preparing for load-bearing activities commonly found in many military training programs involves building a strong foundation and improving your conditioning. The combination of leg and core strength, along with cardio conditioning through weight movement, makes you better at rucking, carrying equipment and simply walking for long periods in your full kit of gear, ammunition and weapons.Here is a workout we like to do that combines these activities:Warm up with a squat and toe touch half pyramid. This warm-up, which takes approximately 5-7 minutes, will prepare your legs for weighted movements and running.Begin with one squat and a toe touch, then…

The Department of Homeland Security is planning to house migrants at two new military installations as the Trump administration increasingly turns to the armed forces to bolster its aggressive immigration crackdown.Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, colloquially referred to as “Fort Dix,” in New Jersey and Camp Atterbury in Indiana, both relatively low-profile installations, have been identified as housing sites. Fort Dix primarily serves as a schooling hub for National Guard and reserve troops, including noncommissioned officer academies. Camp Atterbury is a field training ground primarily for Guard units in the Midwest.The move is part of a broader pattern of the administration militarizing…

Ah, July. Fireworks have fizzled, the grill has cooled, and the reality has set in: We’re officially halfway through the year. If you’re like me, you might wonder how we got here so fast. Wasn’t it just New Year’s Day? But here we are, with six months in the rearview mirror and six more to go. Which makes it the perfect time to hit pause, check our progress and make a plan for the rest of the year.Speaking of charting a course, I’ve got big plans. I’m talking about a full-blown, early December trip with our grandkids to the theme…

In a Marine Corps being pulled in a million different directions — from increased focus on the Pacific that has led to a massive restructuring to a surge in domestic operations tied to immigration — Sgt. Maj. Carlos Ruiz has the difficult job of trying to advocate for the daily needs of Marines.The top enlisted leader of the service, who has been shouldering that role since the summer of 2023 and is now midway through his tenure, Ruiz has been vocal about a multibillion-dollar barracks effort meant to fix disintegrating housing, as well as mental health and bonus struggles for…

The Department of Veterans Affairs would have to ensure that its staffing levels can deliver timely care and benefits under a spending bill advanced by the Senate Appropriations Committee on Thursday.The language in the Senate’s version of the fiscal 2026 VA appropriations bill offers a mild, but notable bipartisan rebuke of staffing cuts at the VA, which have been pared down but are still expected to eliminate about 30,000 jobs.The bill “includes important bipartisan provisions to protect the VA workforce to ensure that veterans are never denied care or timely access to care as a result of damaging or arbitrary…

The Trump administration has chosen a Marine officer to replace the first woman to lead the U.S. Naval Academy, trading out one history-making officer for another, well short of the typical three-year tenure for the position.Lt. Gen. Michael Borgschulte, who currently oversees the Marine Corps’ personnel directorate, has been nominated to replace Vice Adm. Yvette Davids as superintendent of the academy, the Pentagon formally announced Friday.Davids was the first woman to head the service’s storied academy. Meanwhile, Borgschulte will be the first Marine to head the academic institution in its 180-year history.Read Next: National Guard Officer’s Promotion Stalled by California…

Much of the outdoor world is dominated by single-species pursuits. On the hunting side, this makes sense. After all, if you draw an antelope tag, you’re not super likely to quickly try to find another big game species to hunt out in the sagebrush.When it comes to fishing, the single-species pursuit is alive and well, too. If muskies or tarpon are your thing, then again, it’s understandable. When it comes to a fishing trip with the family, the idea of tossing giant bucktails for three follows a day while the kids complain nonstop is a bad one.Instead, the goal should…

North Dakota appears to have completely lost one of its most iconic native species: the greater sage grouse. During this year’s annual spring breeding grounds survey, North Dakota Game and Fish Department (NDGFD) staffers were unable to locate any active leks.“This is the first time ever we were not able to find any male sage grouse at active leks in North Dakota,” NDGFD upland game management supervisor Jesse Kolar told E&E News. Male sage grouse famously pop their chests to attempt to attract mates, and because they do so in the open, scientists rely on them to gauge populations.According to…