Daniel Terrill

Writer. Editor. Journalist.

My Latest Work

The US Navy wants you ... to make ‘Drone Killer’ ammunition

The Naval Surface Warfare Center Crane Division last month revealed the service’s new “Drone Killer Cartridge,” or DKC, a small-arms ammunition specifically designed to destroy small quadcopter drones.

In the announcement, Brian Hoffman, chief engineer of NSWC Crane’s Man-Portable Weapons, explained that the ammo works much like a shotshell in that it disperses a cluster of projectiles, but it’s designed to be fired from a service rifle or machine gun instead of a shotgun.

“The intent with our...

Marines approve red dot optics for pistol qualification — under one condition

Marines can now complete their handgun qualification using a pistol equipped with a red dot optic, according to a policy change announced in a Marine Administrative Message last week. However, there is a caveat: the optic — an M17 Romeo red dot — must be purchased and issued by the Marine’s unit.

Exactly how many Marines will receive the optics remains unclear. Military Times requested comment from the Marine Corps’ Marksmanship Program Management team and Training and Education Command but did...

Marine Corps to ramp up swim test difficulty

The Marine Corps plans to combine water survival training with underwater egress training, a change that will result in more demanding swim tests, Military Times has learned.

Under guidance posted in a Marine Administrative Message, or MARADMIN, on March 6, Marines will be required to train to the new standards beginning Oct. 1, 2026.

According to the guidance, the changes are intended “to increase unit readiness and enhance capabilities in maritime environments” across the fleet while also im...

Drone Awakening

Last summer, the Department of War launched its “drone dominance” initiative to rapidly expand the military’s use of inexpensive commercial drones.

Digital Version

The effort was shaped in large part by lessons from the war in Ukraine, where small, disposable drones have often proven more lethal than the million-dollar unmanned aerial systems fielded by modern militaries. It’s an area Pentagon leaders acknowledge where the U.S. military is lagging behind.

Soon after announcing the initiative,...

New Wheels

A Virginia-based infantry formation recently became the first in the Army National Guard to receive the controversial Infantry Squad Vehicle as part of its conversion to a mobile brigade combat team.

Digital Version

“The ISV gives our infantry the reach to cover more objectives, get to them faster, exploit enemy weaknesses, catch the enemy off guard and maintain the initiative,” Col. Arthur S. Moore, commander of the 116th MBCT, said in a Virginia Guard press release. He called the vehicle’s a...

Stick to your guns: Why the Marine Corps is opting for the M27 over the Army’s M7

The Marine Corps is opting to keep the M27 Infantry Automatic Rifle rather than adopt the Army’s higher caliber M7, a service spokesperson confirmed in an email to Military Times.

Lt. Col. Eric Flanagan, a public affairs officer for Marine Corps Combat Development Command, confirmed the decision, stating the M27 is well-suited “for our close combat formations as it best aligns with our unique service requirements, amphibious doctrinal employment of weapons and distinct modernization priorities....

Insect Shield to pay $1.4M to settle Army uniform testing lawsuit

A North Carolina-based company providing insect-prevention treatment to Army combat uniforms settled a lawsuit alleging it had manipulated and failed to perform proper testing on garments.

Insect Shield and the estate of its co-founder, Richard Lane, who died in 2022, agreed to pay $1.4 million to resolve the case, the Justice Department announced earlier this month.

In the lawsuit, the government claimed that Insect Shield failed to follow the Army’s permethrin testing requirements between 20...

How commercial drones make the Pentagon’s ‘Blue UAS Select’ list

The Defense Department this week began testing for the initial phase of its Drone Dominance Program, an effort to expand the use of commercial drones across the military.

Dubbed “the Gauntlet,” military operators will fly and evaluate uncrewed aerial systems, or UASs, at Fort Benning, Georgia, to determine which of the 25 competing vendors will advance to the next phase of the program.

However, ahead of the testing, DOD curated a list of commercial drones that meet baseline performance and com...

‘Vampires: Los Muertos’: A Bad Sequel With A Surprisingly Smart Fix For The Original’s Plot Hole

I always liked John Carpenter’s Vampires. It’s the movie equivalent of comfort food but less addictive. It’s got lots of fun action scenes, a plot that plows forward, great visuals, and pretty good acting, even though James Woods is an odd choice for a tough guy role. It also introduces a gritty realism to the vampire genre by depicting vampires more like rabid animals than classy aristocrats, and vampire hunters who prioritize strategy and tactics over magic or pseudo-science. However, it also...

SCCY Industries Reportedly Shuts Down

Gun maker SCCY Industries (pronounced “sky”) of Daytona, Florida, has reportedly shut down amid growing financial and legal troubles. The company was known for producing small $200 pistols that are easy to conceal — and that frequently showed up at crime scenes.

According to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), SCCY Industries manufactured 987,075 pistols between 2017 and 2023,1ATF, Annual Firearms Manufacturing and Export Reports (AFMERs), 2017-2023. compared to the m...

Florida Gun Dealer Sentenced for Aiding Traffickers

On April 22, 2025, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Florida announced that Matthew L. Stephen Easton, a licensed gun dealer operating as MIA Arsenal in Melrose, Florida, had been sentenced to 11 years and eight months in prison for his role in a gun trafficking scheme involving over 100 firearms, along with two co-conspirators: Derick Yamir Perez Diaz and Ernesto Vazquez.

The U.S. attorney’s office noted that Easton “supplied Perez Diaz with large quantities of firearms, de...

Sig Sauer Defends the P320 Pistol as More Police Ban It

On March 7, 2025, Sig Sauer issued a confrontational statement defending the P320 pistol, which has been the subject of numerous lawsuits relating to an alleged design flaw that leaves it susceptible to firing without an intentional trigger pull — and many people have claimed that their P320 pistols discharged when they did not pull the trigger, resulting in at least 100 injuries. Sig Sauer claimed that the allegations against it are “nothing more than individuals seeking to profit or avoid pers...

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