Author: Braxton Taylor

RIGA, Latvia — If Russia again encroaches in NATO-member airspace, officials say they now have set expectations about how that nation will respond—and the list includes options from tracking the Russian aircraft to shooting them down.Over the past week, NATO leaders have been working to bring more “coherence [and] synchronization across all of the air policing activities,” one senior military official told Defense One Saturday at the NATO military committee meeting here. However,  NATO members still have to work through issues around specific authorities and rules of engagement, the official said. “Some countries have some legal limits. Some countries have…

Whitetail hunters love to argue about which state holds the biggest and baddest bucks. But which one is really the best?Well, a lot of what makes hunting ground “the best” depends on your personal preferences. Do you like big bucks, and you cannot lie? Maybe you just like to hunt around fewer people. Or maybe you like to feel like a kid in a candy shop, surrounded by opportunities for deer of all ages. Do you prefer to travel or are you more of a homebody? Maybe you like to manage a food plot and be able to set up…

Legacy Sports International is now offering the Citadel Mariner pump-action shotgun model in 20 gauge. Even though 20-gauge shotshells are smaller overall compared to 12-gauge shells, they can still pack an effective payload for defensive purposes and have less felt recoil. Buckshot loads are available in this gauge, with the industry improving its 20-gauge-specific offerings every year. The pump-action Citadel Mariner comes with a stainless “marine” finish that protects its base metals against corrosion from salt air and humidity. As a security-focused shotgun, it also includes defensive ghost-ring sights and a Picatinny rail for mounting an optic. The Citadel Mariner…

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth summoned hundreds of admirals, generals, and senior enlisted leaders to Quantico, Virginia, on Tuesday to hear him announce a spate of personnel initiatives around physical fitness and grooming standards, the inspector general process, and mandatory training.Some of the 10 initiatives flow from reviews Hegseth has ordered since taking the job in January, including gender-neutral fitness standards for combat jobs and exemptions to facial hair rules. Others take aim at processes that affect or have affected the secretary himself.“I don’t want my son serving alongside troops who are out of shape, or in a combat unit with…

Grooming standards, “toxic leadership,” and culture wars were the themes Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth chose for his unprecedented short-notice gathering of more than 800 military leaders and their senior enlisted advisors from commands around the world to a Marine base in Virginia Tuesday morning. Shortly before Hegseth spoke, President Donald Trump told reporters the generals and admirals had come to hear “how well we’re doing militarily.” But Hegseth spent most of his time repeating many of the gripes heard during Trump’s presidential campaign. “No more dudes in dresses. No more climate change worship,” Hegseth said in his Tuesday address. “We are done…

Chiappa is introducing the 86 Wildlands Angle Ejection Takedown, a modern take on the old lever-action classic. Chambered in .45-70 Gov’t., it has a 16.5-inch barrel with a 1:18-inch twist and a tubular magazine that holds four rounds. The barrel is threaded ⅝x24 tpi to attach muzzle devices, accept thread protectors, recoil-mitigation devices or suppressors. The stock is skeletonized with an adjustable comb and outfitted with an attachment point for accessories or cartridge holders and there is an integrated, adjustable cheek rest allows for more comfort. The fore-end is made from aluminum with M-Lok shots and features an over receiver…

A new exhibit at the National Naval Aviation Museum in Pensacola, Florida, is giving attendees a rare glimpse into life for prisoners of war and bringing back a flood of memories for Vietnam veterans who spent years in those horrendous conditions. On Sept. 19, the museum opened the Return with Honor exhibit with three POW veterans there to talk about the displays and share part of their own dark history in Vietnam prisons like Hoa Lo, commonly referred to as the “Hanoi Hilton.” But nothing was plush inside these prison walls. U.S. soldiers captured behind enemy lines were often subjected to months,…

When the small town of Sturgis, South Dakota, welcomed thousands of motorcycle enthusiasts for its annual rally in August, many of them included military veterans. The tradition dates back to the early days of post-World War II America, where a surplus of new Harley-Davidsons, combined with an influx of young veterans with some disposable income and yearning for the peacefulness of the open road, decided to invest in a “Hog.” Motorcycle groups began forming, bonding veterans together through shared experiences and the freedom of roaring down the highway. Motorcycles were vital to the war effort. Soldiers were trained to operate them on the…

I spent quite a bit of my career as mostly an outdoor writer, before filming hunts and recording podcasts took over. That early role taught me how to use weasel words like a champion. Actually, it was reader responses that taught me to cover my ass with generalizations.What happens when you write hunting articles, even benign hunting articles you assume won’t piss people off, is that you end up pissing people off anyway. So, you start to think about how to say something you want to say, but also add in a qualifier or two to head off the rage.For…

Your military ID isn’t just for discounts—it grants access to some of America’s most stunning landscapes. No copays, no waiting rooms, no paperwork. Just open skies, rushing rivers, and forests that beckon. Veterans, service members, and Gold Star families qualify for totally free entry into all U.S. National Parks and federal recreation lands.This access comes through the America the Beautiful Military Pass, normally priced at $80 per year—but available to eligible users for just a $10 processing fee. Active-duty service members and dependents get an annual pass; veterans and Gold Star families receive a lifetime one. The pass gives entry to…