Author Archive
Sam Skove
Staff Writer

Sam Skove is a staff reporter at Defense One, where he writes about the Army. He previously worked in Ukraine covering the Russia-Ukraine war for The Daily Beast, Radio Liberty, and The New Republic, among other publications. He holds a bachelor's degree from Oberlin College and a master's degree from Georgetown's Security Studies Program.
Threats
Army Seeks Bomb-Carrying Drones Like Ukraine’s
Average U.S. soldiers could pilot lethal quadcopters—if they are ever fielded.
- Sam Skove
Policy
‘Fort Liberty’: Army More Than Half Done Scrubbing Confederate Names from Its Bases
The new name for Fort Bragg is a compromise between airborne and Special Forces, one source said.
- Sam Skove
Threats
Misfiring Cannons, Rotted Tires in US Army Gear Pulled for Ukraine, Watchdog Finds
It’s not the first time the unit and its contractor have been faulted for poorly maintained equipment by the service's inspector general.
- Sam Skove
Policy
With Ukraine Set to Get Another Weapon from Its Wish List, Democrats Push for More
Rep. Jason Crow calls for more tanks to Ukraine—and maybe non-combatant military observers.
- Sam Skove
Threats
Arms Flow 30% Faster to Ukraine as US Relearns Cold-War Skills
Logisticians are honing techniques invented to keep the Soviet Union from seizing Europe.
- Sam Skove
Ideas
Defense One Radio, Ep. 125: The Army’s recruiting crisis; the science of special forces; and NATO’s Mircea Geoană
Can the Army pull itself out of a two-year recruiting slump? And what sort of gear is drawing the attention of America's special operators?
- Patrick Tucker, Ben Watson and Sam Skove
Threats
US Medics Must Learn from Ukraine’s Harsher War, Report Says
Russia’s artillery and jammers make battlefield medicine harder and more dangerous than in Afghanistan and Iraq.
- Sam Skove
Threats
As Army Launches Recruiting Drive in Cities, One Recruiter Lays Out the Challenges
Potential recruits aren’t worried about Army emphasis on diversity, despite Republican concerns.
- Sam Skove
Threats
US Aid to Ukraine On Track to Run Out in September
In Washington, some are beginning to wonder what Biden is waiting for.
- Sam Skove
Threats
How One Millennial Ukrainian Is Defeating Russians: Viral Videos, Collaboration, and Lots of Drones
But the 34-year-old battalion commander said if he had his enemies’ arsenal, he would “burn them off of the earth.”
- Sam Skove
Threats
Who Bombed the Kremlin?
U.S. officials puzzle over what appears to be the first drone attack on Moscow.
- Sam Skove
Threats
With Lessons from Ukraine, US Special Forces Reinvents Itself for a Fight with China
A recent exercise was Army SOCOM’s first to explicitly name China as the adversary.
- Sam Skove
Policy
As Pressure Builds, US Keeps Mum on Ukraine’s Cluster-Munitions Request
Proponents and military leaders note their tactical benefits, but strategic concerns may quash the deal.
- Sam Skove
Threats
Today's D Brief: 4th Sudan ceasefire begins; Evacs widen from outside Khartoum; Ukrainian weather forecast; Next Army chief; And a bit more.
- Ben Watson, Jennifer Hlad and Sam Skove
Threats
11,000 Ukrainians Have Had at Least Some US Training As Spring Offensive Looms
Ukraine also set to start training on U.S. Abrams tanks by mid-May.
- Sam Skove
Ideas
Defense One Radio, Ep. 123: The Discord leaks and what might lie ahead for Ukraine
Defense One’s Patrick Tucker and Sam Skove help explain where Russia's Ukraine invasion stands today, and what might unfold over the coming weeks and months.
- Patrick Tucker, Ben Watson and Sam Skove
Threats
Some Ukrainian Troops Are Still Using Soviet Methods, Despite US Training
One year into the conflict, younger officers still strain against older leaders’ ways, military experts note.
- Sam Skove
Defense Systems
US Sending Experimental Anti-Drone Weapons to Ukraine
SAIC is among contenders for a crash Army effort to help the country down Iranian-made drones.
- Sam Skove
Business
Why It’s Hard to Double GMLRS Production
Ukraine could use more of the devastating artillery rockets, but Lockheed says tooling, labor, and supply-chain problems prevent big leaps in production.
- Sam Skove
Threats
Nine Soldiers Die On Night Helicopter Training Mission
No emergency message was received from the two crews before their aircraft crashed, a 101st Airborne leader said.
- Sam Skove