Dear supporters, In January of 2016 gunmen linked to al-Qaeda stormed a hotel and restaurant and murdered 30 people in Ougadougou. This was the deadliest of the recent terrorist attacks in Burkina Faso where extremist incidents are on the rise. As violent extremism spills across the border from Mali, the Burkinabé military, though skilled and … Continued
The second part of my recent trip to Syria had a more southerly focus. The US Army civil affairs team and I toured Ayn Isaa, a ghost town roughly 40 miles north of Raqqah, the capital of the Islamic State. Given the prevailing atmosphere of religious discord and acrimony across the Middle East, the name, … Continued
Hello, I recently returned from a trip to Burkina Faso, where I had the opportunity to travel alongside our US military partners as they assessed local needs, met with Burkinabé counterparts, and provided training to their partner force. Overall, I was incredibly impressed by the Burkinabés. They are one of the most disciplined, competent, and … Continued
The rockets red glare, the bombs bursting in air, gave proof through the night, that our flag was still there. Celebrating the 4th of July, those words of Francis Scott Key inevitably come to mind. The American experiment is 241 years old and our flag is still there. The stars and stripes are recognized around … Continued
Greetings from the Tar Heel State, Last week, I was in Fort Bragg, NC, a place our project managers and I visit often, and a place that played a significant role in my military career. I first arrived at Fort Bragg in December 2009 to attend Civil Affairs training at the US Army John F. … Continued