Flying the Covert Skies: The CIA’s Secret Airlines
An Air America Pilatus PC-6 Porter (N355F) over Southeast Asia. Often forced to operate from short, crude and isolated landing strips known as Lima Sites, Air America relied on helicopters…
The Vinh Wiretap: A Pivotal CIA Operation of the Vietnam War
A later model OH-6 Cayuse, modified with black paint, similar to the helicopters used in the operation. Photo: James Dale / CC BY 2.0 DEED. The Vinh wiretap was an…
Agent Zigzag: The Enigmatic Eddie Chapman
Eddie Chapman beside his Rolls Royce. Source: MI5 – UK National Archive declassified documents (over 50 years). Edward Arnold Chapman, known as Eddie Chapman, was born on November 16, 1914,…
Regiment Blades Auto Lock Folder & Low Viz G10 Non-Metallic
Regiment Blades Auto Lock Folder In a close-quarters lethal-force encounter, we may not have the time or ability to deploy our firearm. And what if carrying a firearm is not…
French Coffee Culture: The Art of Coffee & Life
Café Procope is the oldest café in Paris. It was established in 1686. Photo by Jean-Marie Hullot / CC BY-SA 2.0 DEED. French coffee culture is as rich and diverse…
Operation Luna: Audacious Espionage During the Space Race
A 1:1 scale model of a Luna 3 satellite at the Memorial Museum of Cosmonautics in Moscow. In the early days of the Space Race, the United States Central Intelligence…
DNI 2024 Annual Threat Assessment
The Director of National Intelligence (DNI) Annual Threat Assessment, often referred to as the “ATA”, is a comprehensive report that provides an unclassified summary of the U.S. Intelligence Community’s evaluation…
From Countess to Spy: The Story of Krystyna Skarbek
Maquisards (Resistance fighters) in the vicinity of Savournon, Hautes-Alpes in August 1944. SOE agents are second from right, Krystyna Skarbek, third John Roper, fourth, Robert Purvis. Source: Imperial War Museum.…
5.11 Rosser Jacket: A Jacket for All Seasons
5.11 Rosser Jacket is a lightweight, unlined tactical utility jacket. It is constructed of 8.3 oz. 97% cotton/ 3% elastane canvas with an, enzyme wash. Photo courtesy 5.11. Utility jackets…
The FBI’s National Art Crime Team: Guardians of Cultural Heritage
Govaert Flinck, until recently attributed to Rembrandt: Landscape with an Obelisk (1638). Stolen from the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, Boston on March 18,1990. The FBI’s National Art Crime Team is…