Author: Braxton Taylor

Being selected for military special operations programs requires a layered approach to fitness. Here is a question from a reader on that challenging journey:What’s your recommendation for workout splits if I have an hour to work out in the morning and a few hours in the afternoon? Upper body strength and calisthenics are areas where I need the most work, given my triathlon background. I am planning for Air Force Special Warfare, with the goal of PJ training after selection. Thanks,NickTransitioning from a triathlon background to preparing for Air Force Special Warfare (AFSW) — especially with the goal of Pararescue (PJ)…

  Firefield | Rapidstrike 1-10×24 CR1Combining close-range agility with long-range accuracy, the Rapidstrike 1-10×24 CR1 is versatile, but also tough. Designed to withstand the recoil of a .338 Lapua Mag., the scope features a second-focal-plane reticle, pop-up, resettable, locking turrets; fully multi-coated optics; a single-piece, 30 mm tube and hard-anodized finish. It is shockproof, fogproof and water-resistant. Magnification: 1-10XObjective Lens Diameter: 24 mmReticle: Second-focal-plane BDCLength: 10.7 inchesWeight: 17.6 ouncesMSRP: $239(817) 225-0310; firefield.com Leupold | VX-6HD Gen 2 RiflescopeThe second generation of Leupold’s signature VX6-HD line includes a low-power, variable option in addition to three standard riflescope options. All models have…

00:00:00 Speaker 1: So like I co founded under Armour, people could say that was a big success. I’ve been involved with some other things that you could say with success. I have never felt successful ever once until about two weeks ago, sitting in Alaska overlooking the mountains, looking at my team move a bunch of hunters in and out. 00:00:20 Speaker 2: We just had a bear hunter come in. 00:00:23 Speaker 3: Really cool outfit. 00:00:24 Speaker 1: It’s close to my heart, It’s where I want to be. It’s outdoors at its best. And I was…

Rapidly changing policies at the Pentagon this year, from civilian workforce cuts and canceled contracts to a mandate for buying software faster, have changed the landscape for defense contractors.  And for Booz Allen Hamilton—one of 10 consultant firms targeted for cuts in a federal government contract review amid the shakeup—the plan is to lean into those changes. “It was a big pivot,” Andrea Inserra, president of Boox Allen Hamilton’s global defense business, told Defense One. “The whole world is under pivot….everything is changing…and I think there’s goodness to that.”Inserra, who previously led the company’s aerospace business, took the job in April and…

00:00:01 Speaker 1: Welcome to the Wired to Hunt podcast, your guide to the White Tail Woods, presented by First Light, creating proven versatile hunting apparel for the stand, saddle or blind. First Light Go Farther, stay Longer, and now your host, Mark Kenyon. 00:00:19 Speaker 2: Welcome to the Wired to Hunt podcast. This week on the show, I am running Terry Drury through our what would you do? Gauntlet, in which I will be asking him to share with me exactly how he would handle a series of different hypothetical, challenging hunting scenarios and circumstances. All right, welcome…

It’s official: After signaling their support for a black bear hunt, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) voted this morning to finalize a set of rules for the three-week December season.The 5-0 vote in favor of the hunt is a striking rebuke to anti-hunting groups that have lobbied for months to block it. Today’s meeting saw testimony from an equal number of supporters and opponents, according to the Tallahassee Democrat, but opponents came armed with cute pictures of bears and signs reading “I am not your trophy” and “Wounded, hunted, forgotten.”“This hunt is unnecessary and cruel unless you…

Practicing how I play has delivered great success in my life. It’s no different with archery. While flinging arrows at a target is fun just about any way you slice it, we like to make sure it serves our ultimate goal.You’re training for that one moment in the wild when you’re deep in the mountains, your legs are screaming, your heart’s pounding, and you’ve got one shot to make it count. Hunting isn’t just about marksmanship. It’s about being ready, physically and mentally, for whatever the backcountry throws at you.I’ll do my best here to outline how we combine fitness…

An Alaskan military base long used to intercept Russian aircraft is now racing to welcome one instead.President Donald Trump will host Vladimir Putin for an unprecedented summit at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, just north of Anchorage, a White House official confirmed to Defense One. The joint Air Force-Army base, which today supports F-22 Raptors, historically has been used to counter the Soviet Union and launch intercepts of Russian and Chinese aircraft. The installation has hosted numerous presidential visits over the decades, but has never welcomed a U.S. adversary of Putin’s stature on base. This begs questions about the logistics of securing the…

Unsure whether they would ever step on solid ground again, a distressed group of mariners huddled above the imposing waves that thrashed their broken ship.A menacing nor’easter pummeled the SS Pendleton on Feb. 18, 1952, causing the oil tanker to be broken in two a mile off the coast of Cape Cod, Massachusetts. The captain and seven crewmen were in the bow, or front, of the ship while the other 33 seamen on board were in the stern (rear), according to author and historian Michael Tougias, who wrote “The Finest Hours,” the historical account that inspired the movie of the…

More jobs at Department of Veterans Affairs medical centers faced “severe” shortages this year compared with last year, and more facilities reported shortages in doctors, a government watchdog found in a report released Tuesday.This year, Veterans Health Administration facilities reported 4,434 severe occupational staffing shortages in jobs ranging from physicians to nurses to security guards to electricians, the VA’s inspector general said in the report. That’s compared to 2,959 total jobs with shortages last year — or about a 50% increase.Meanwhile, the inspector general estimated that 94% of facilities have severe shortages for medical officer jobs, compared with 86% last…