Soldier of Fortune Magazine

COMMENTARY by Susan Katz Keating Russia repeatedly has been accused of poisoning its enemies. The historical record offers a useful test before drawing conclusions about this case. My inbox filled up within hours of the news. The question was consistent: “Did the Russians poison Lindsey Graham?” I don’t know. Did anyone poison Lindsey Graham? Nobody outside a toxicology lab knows yet, and anyone telling you otherwise right now is guessing.

In this installment of our investigative series, we examine how booby-trapped equipment slipped into wartime aid networks in Ukraine, targeting Russian soldiers. by Susan Katz Keating The Russian soldier placed the FPV goggles on his head, and flipped the switch on his drone console. He expected to see real-time images of the battlefield in Ukraine. Instead, the goggles exploded.

In California’s harsh border country, Marines and Border Patrol agents turn to horses for the kind of mobility no vehicle can match. The U.S. military and the U.S. Border Patrol are reaching back to one of the oldest methods of moving through unforgiving country: horseback. Near El Centro, California, U.S. Marines assigned to Joint Task Force–Southern Border recently joined Border Patrol agents for a horsemanship course as part of Operation Ardent Vanguard.

by Mr. Wolf She was built for one job: find downed American airmen before the sea claimed them. Today, the boat known as P-520 is the last surviving 85-foot World War II Army Air Forces crash-rescue boat still afloat in her original configuration. Built in Wilmington, California, in 1944, she belonged to a fleet of fast rescue craft that stood ready whenever a bomber or fighter failed to return to base.

by Jonathan Stumpf “At what range can a tank engage targets with reasonable accuracy?” I asked. “About six kilometers,” the captain said. The Russian tank was two kilometers away. Lozova is a godforsaken place in eastern Ukraine. Since the city was partially evacuated as a result of the war, its bleak Soviet-era apartment blocks have taken on an almost ghostly appearance.

The author with his dad. The Fire Pit 13,588 Views by Heath Hansen I looked up into the big, blue sky. Far in the distance, I spotted a C-130 Hercules headed towards the open grass field I waited in. For a few moments, I watched as the plane continued in my direction. Suddenly, from the tail-end of the aircraft, paratroopers jumped out into the open air. The parachutes expanded sideways as they became caught in the wind and fully inflated, pulling the soldiers swiftly with them.

by Dan O’Shea Two pilots in the water, a tight rescue window, and a craft with no one aboard showed how unmanned systems are adding new options for bringing Americans home. On a half-moon lit night, flying above the northernmost point of the Strait of Hormuz, a U.S. Army Apache helicopter flew dangerously close to hostile Iranian territorial waters.

Image by Soldier of Fortune. Guns & Gear 14 Views by Susan Katz Keating The first time I gave serious thought to shoulder holsters was not at a gun counter or on a range. It was when I spotted the ones worn by the men following me. That story is for another day. I was working on an investigative story, and picked up some unwanted attention. What stood out was not a dramatic movie moment or some elaborate tradecraft failure. It was the shoulder rigs. They made me wonder.

The Operator blade got our attention. The readers made sure we didn’t stop there. We moved on to the Assassin, the Salient, and the Operative. by Jose Campos A knife can look good on a website. The real question is what happens when it leaves the box. Our review of the Triarii Metalworks Operator knife struck a nerve with Soldier of Fortune readers. The feedback came in quickly: What about the company’s other blades? We listened.

by Susan Katz Keating The movie just dropped. The files keep coming out. We’ve been covering this for years. Here’s your field briefing. With a major UFO film hitting theaters today, the timing feels almost scripted. But at Soldier of Fortune, we didn’t wait for Hollywood to greenlight a script before digging into what’s real, what’s rumored, and what the government doesn’t want to talk about.