Foxtrot Alpha should not have been a success. A defense site on a car blog? Why the hell would anyone want to do that? And who the hell would even want to read it?

And yet, FA has been a huge success for many reasons. The biggest, hands down, has been Tyler Rogoway, who sadly is leaving us today for a Time Inc. publication.

Over the past few years Foxtrot Alpha transformed from a quirky blog about planes and tanks to one of the most-read defense sites in the world, and one full of smart analysis and great reporting. It’s frequented by service members, policy wonks, military buffs and everyday people looking for a good story—not to mention a huge dedicated audience that’s come to read it daily. It’s even been copied many times in the car world now, too. (Poorly, I might add.)

That all happened thanks to Tyler’s unbelievable hard work, knowledge, sources, commitment to quality, eye for news, and, yes, even hard-headedness—like any dedicated and passionate writer ought to have.

I’m just gonna tell you right now that you have no fucking clue how much time and effort and energy Tyler put into Foxtrot Alpha. His work ethic and dedication to what he covers, and his readers, is all but unparalleled on the web.

We’ll miss him around these parts. I will miss working with him every day, even as I wish him good luck.

. Like any good Foxtrot Alpha post, I cut 600 words out of it before it ran.

Foxtrot Alpha will continue. We’re currently determining what form it will take without Tyler. In the meantime, please wish him the best.