Ian Michael

Ian served four years in the Marine Corps as a fire support man, deploying twice to Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan. While pursuing higher education, Ian joined the California Army National Guard as a public affairs specialist. In late 2015, he deployed again, this time with a combat aviation regiment with an operational footprint in multiple countries across the Middle East. After returning home, Ian decided to broaden his horizons. In the world of firearms, Ian earned his certification as an NRA basic pistol instructor. He is a co-founder of Distributed Security Quad Cities, a firearms handling and safety training program. Ian’s passions include writing and photography. He is a prolific journalist with articles, photos, and documentaries that have been shared across the country and abroad. His most recent venture is into the world of speculative fiction. He’s published one volume of his work with several more on the way.

Russia-Ukraine Standoff: Here’s What We Know (Live Updates)

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The standoff in Eastern Ukraine continues. Here’s a rundown of events so far and what may come next. I’ll continue adding live updates to this post as the situation develops.

The Kremlin doubles down on their troop and ship movements, the White House is ineffectual as always, and Ankara gets bolder with their support of Ukraine. That last development (which includes new Turkish drones and Syrian mercenaries) is particularly good for Kiev, but probably gives them little comfort since just about every player at the table has made it clear they won’t face open warfare with Russia.

Former US Ambassador to Kiev named five options for “How to Stop Moscow and Russian troops”

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JMTG-U Honors Ukrainian Armed Forces Day with Ambulance Turnover Ceremony Former US Ambassador to Kiev named five options for "how to stop Moscow and Russian troops"

As pretty much everyone who doesn’t live under a rock already knows, the U.S. and NATO has pledged support to the nationalist government of Ukraine during the current standoff with Russia. Steven Pifer, former diplomat and avid warhawk, has proposed five courses of action. They’re hopelessly insane.

Megiddo: The First “Officially” Recorded Battle in History

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Megiddo: The First "Officially" Recorded Battle in History Battle of Megiddo

In this battle, Thutmose III crushed a coalition of rebels in Canaan. Aside from advances in military tactics and technology (like the composite bow), the confrontation at Megiddo was the first known case of an accurate play-by-play description of the battle, including the body count.