An Advent calendar is a great way to ramp into the season of Christmas. I’ve loved the tradition ever since my grandmother gifted me custom Advent calendars each year growing up- it gave me great memories with her that I’ll always remember.Now, you can get specialized Advent calendars that focus on a wide range of topics, including survival. The gear in these isn’t going to knock your socks off, but they are a great gift for beginning preppers or young survival enthusiasts.My main recommendation is for the MyLune Survival Advent Calendar, which has a good assortment of tools and solid…
Author: Tommy Grant
It’s been a problem as long as the existence of modern communications: Despite the need for commands to have accurate contact information for military spouses, some service members, military wives or husbands simply don’t want to be reached.The failure of troops to provide phone numbers for spouses in the Air Force Personnel Accountability and Assessment System, however, can carry dire consequences. Chief of Space Operations Gen. Douglas Scheiss recalled an incident in which he and his wife, Debbie, needed to reach a spouse whose husband had died in Syria. But when they called the number on file, the phone simply…
The U.S. Defense Department and Lockheed Martin signed a framework agreement on Thursday to expand production of the AIM-260 Joint Advanced Tactical Missile, or JATM, laying the groundwork for a future multiyear buy of the classified long-range air-to-air weapon. The agreement is neither a contract nor an order for missiles. Officials described it as a demand signal to Lockheed and its suppliers to justify investing in capacity, workforce and production efficiencies. Should Congress authorize and fund a multiyear buy, the aim is for production lines to be ready when orders arrive. “Speed, scale, and stability drive acquisition excellence, and these…
China is devoting enormous efforts — from submarines to ballistic missiles — to destroy America’s aircraft carriers.The strategy prompted a U.S. think tank to ask why America couldn’t do the same and sink China’s growing fleet of carriers.The think tank, the Center for Strategic and International Studies, devised a plan to target Chinese carriers by using many of the same tactics that China would use against American flattops.“China’s expanding carrier force presents a strategic vulnerability that the United States and its allies can exploit, rather than merely a challenge to U.S. dominance,” argues a CSIS report, titled “Flip the Script.”“Instead…
Bouillon cubes are a dehydrated broth usually preserved and packaged in a small, block form. They are typically wrapped in foil and kept in a jar for storage. They’re sold in every grocery store and usually find themselves in most home pantries. Some flavors include chicken, beef and vegetable. The primary benefit of any bouillon cube is its ability to add an instant, savory flavor to any recipe. But another benefit that is particularly relevant is its long and stable shelf life. This makes it an ideal addition to any long-term food storage as a dependable and instant flavor enhancer…
The U.S. Navy awarded defense startup Castelion $200 million for the production of its Blackbeard hypersonic missile, a low-cost, scalable weapon that can be fielded across carrier strike groups, the service announced Tuesday.The Navy championed the contract as one of the first successful examples of the Department of the Navy Rapid Capabilities Office and how it “has adapted its acquisition structure to more rapidly meet the needs of the warfighter. … By leveraging advanced commercial manufacturing methods and a vertically integrated production line, this landmark program introduces immediate ‘affordable mass’ to the fleet.”Blackbeard is “an air-launched, hypersonic strike weapon that…
An Alabama martial arts instructor alleges that U.S. Army personnel copied his published training materials on self-defense and gunfighting tactics into an instruction manual without giving him credit or compensation.Johnny Lee Smith, who published his Vanguard Training Manuals through his company Triad Martial Arts, accused the Army of copyright infringement in a complaint filed Sept. 11 in the U.S. Court of Federal Claims.Military Times reached out to Smith for an interview, but he did not respond in time for publication. The Army has also not yet responded in court. According to the 28-page complaint, Smith opened Triad in 1996 after…
A survival mirror costs less than a candy bar, weighs almost nothing, and never runs out of batteries. It’s also one of the most misunderstood pieces of gear in any bug-out bag, since most people who own one have never actually learned to aim it correctly. This guide covers what a survival mirror actually is, the real history behind its design, the aiming technique that separates a useless flash from a rescue-worthy signal, and the honest limits of what this tool can and can’t do for you. If you’re carrying one without knowing how to use it properly, you’re carrying…
Auto-Ordnance has just launched an 18-inch variant of its Thompson TAO50 .50 BMG bolt-action rifle.When it comes to .50 BMG rifles, there’s no getting around their size. They will always be huge by necessity. But that doesn’t mean they can’t be made a little more compact. That’s what Auto-Ordnance just did with its Thompson TAO50 bolt-action.The standard TAO50 sports a 29-inch barrel, and the integrally suppressed model has a 35-inch barrel, and both end up being even longer thanks to their giant, high-efficiency muzzle brakes. For those who need serious firepower in a more compact package, the 18-inch model is…
Human approval may not be enough to ensure manual control over AI-enabled decisions, witnesses told Congress Wednesday, as artificial intelligence takes on a greater role in military target identification and recommendations, and in turn, compresses time available to intervene.The concern, critics say, is not limited to weapons that can select and engage targets on their own. At the hearing, titled “Artificial Intelligence in the Military Domain: Implications for Human Rights,” witnesses told members of the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission that AI can influence human decisions leading to a strike while leaving the individual formally responsible for the final call.…