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Mike Glenn

Mike Glenn grew up on Navy bases as the son of a career sailor but then decided to annoy his father and joined the Army after he graduated from high school in the Dallas area. He did a hitch as an enlisted soldier in Germany during the Cold War, where he spent a considerable amount of time in the field on maneuvers. After leaving the Army, he moved back home to northeast Texas and entered the University of Texas at Arlington where he studied history. He also took Army ROTC classes at UT Arlington and upon graduation received a commission as a Second Lieutenant. He was assigned to the 3rd Cavalry Regiment at Fort Bliss in El Paso and took his platoon to the Middle East where he fought in the Gulf War. He got into journalism after Operation Desert Storm and has worked at newspapers and magazines throughout Texas. He joined The Washington Times from the Houston Chronicle. He can be reached at mglenn@washingtontimes.com.

Articles by Mike Glenn

First ships on board military’s tanker security program

The Transportation Department this week signed up the first nine commercial ships for its Tanker Security Program, which provides the Pentagon with a fleet of privately owned bulk petroleum carriers.

July 28, 2023

Ukraine steps up pace of counteroffensive against Russian occupiers

Intense fighting in Ukraine's western Zaporizhia Oblast this week may be a sign that Kyiv has reached a turning point in its counteroffensive against Russian occupiers. The country's military commanders appear to be pouring thousands of Western-trained and equipped troops into the battle who had been held in reserve for nearly a month.

July 27, 2023

Navy names ship after American Indian tribal leader

The Navy will name a future Navajo-class towing, salvage and rescue ship after an American Indian activist from Washington state who spent decades fighting for tribal fishing rights.

July 27, 2023

U.K. says Russia could be preparing to block Ukrainian seaports

Russia appears to be preparing to enforce a maritime blockade of Ukraine after earlier pulling out of an agreement allowing the safe passage of grain shipments from ports on the Black Sea, British officials said Wednesday.

July 26, 2023

Pentagon’s Austin presses Israel on ‘extremist settler violence’ against Palestinians

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin wants his Israeli counterpart to address what the Pentagon called "extremist settler violence" against Palestinians and continue efforts to improve economic opportunities for Palestinians living in the West Bank.

July 25, 2023

U.N. command, North Korea have first contact on defecting American GI Travis King

A senior officer with the UN Command said Monday officials have made their first contact with North Korea over the status of a deserting American soldier who dashed across the border into the North last week.

July 24, 2023

Second U.S. submarine docks in South Korea amid North Korean threats

A second nuclear-powered U.S. submarine arrived Monday in South Korea, adding to the show of force by Seoul and Washington intended to counter North Korean threats.

July 24, 2023

Biden nominates Adm. Lisa Franchetti as first woman to lead Navy, join Joint Chiefs

President Joe Biden on Friday nominated Adm. Lisa Franchetti to be the next chief of naval operations. If confirmed by the Senate, Adm. Franchetti, the current vice chair of naval operations, will be the first woman to head the service and the first woman to serve as a member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

July 21, 2023

Russian military takes over Wagner Group’s prison recruitment program

Russian oligarch Yevgeny Prigozhin boasted that he recruited 50,000 convicts to fill the ranks of his Wagner Group mercenary army, the bulk of its troops fighting in Ukraine. They were heavily involved in the capture of the eastern Ukrainian city of Bakhmut for Russia, one of Moscow's few recent claims of success.

July 21, 2023

Pentagon says soldier who crossed into North Korea now considered AWOL

Private Travis King, the American GI who dashed across the heavily-guarded border into North Korea this week after his release from a South Korean prison, is now officially considered AWOL by the military, Pentagon officials said Thursday.

July 20, 2023

Military academy leaders, lawmakers clash over ‘woke’ policies

When the Supreme Court ruled last month that racial preferences in admissions at U.S. colleges and universities was unconstitutional, the justices carved out a sole exception for the nation's military academies. They said institutions like West Point and Annapolis had "distinct" diversity interests owing to their unique mission of turning out the nation's top military officers.

July 19, 2023

Russia attacks Black Sea port after U.S. announces major agricultural aid package

Russia launched a round of missile and drone strikes on the Ukrainian port of Odesa on Wednesday, hours after the U.S. Agency for International Development announced a $750 million humanitarian and agricultural aid package following Moscow's decision to pull out of a Black Sea grain deal.

July 19, 2023

Pentagon sends warship, jet fighters to Persian Gulf after Iran tries to seize oil tankers

Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin sent a Navy destroyer and a fleet of jet fighters to the Persian Gulf region following an increase in Iranian naval activity, including multiple attempts to seize commercial oil tankers, Pentagon officials confirmed Monday.

July 17, 2023

Moscow cracking down on insubordinate army generals

Moscow has begun sacking commanders of military units involved in the fighting in Ukraine as part of a growing crackdown on high-level insubordination against top officials in the Defense Ministry.

July 17, 2023

Sen. Tom Cotton: Taxpayers shouldn’t fund Pentagon’s ‘abortion tourism,’ DEI policies

A key Senate Republican said Sunday that it was President Biden, not congressional conservatives, who was guilty of playing politics with the troops, days after the House pushed through a massive $886 billion Pentagon policy bill containing several policy riders targeting what critics say are "woke" military policies under Mr. Biden.

July 16, 2023

Post-mutiny, Wagner Group mercenaries still a threat in Africa, Middle East

The notorious Wagner Group mercenary army hasn't taken part in major combat operations in Ukraine since its founder, Russian oligarch Yevgeny Prigozhin, went into exile on June 24 after abruptly calling off a brief mutiny against the country's military leadership.

July 14, 2023

Military reservists will be sent to Europe following Biden’s call-up

The Defense Department has been given the green light to order up to 3,000 military reservists to active duty so they can augment U.S. troops that are part of Operation Atlantic Resolve, the Pentagon's military response to Russian operations in Ukraine.