If you're in the market for a hard sci-fi space opera, this is glorious. Consuming machine plagues, a disappearing planet, religious insanity, and some very unsettling characters. 14/10

My analysis of the recent US Navy shipbuilding plan and the Golden Fleet. BLUF: They wrote a plan then had to stick in a battleship that undermines the entire thing. open.substack.com/pub/behindth...

Building a Trump resort in the Bay of Pigs?

Now do the battleship

MS Word insists I am mixing up "launch" and "lunch". I don't think we should prepare missiles for lunch, bro.

My analysis of the Golden Fleet (derogatory) and the latest US Navy Shipbuilding Plan will be out this week

ALL FRONT NO FLANK I need this on a shirt.

I was just asked on AJE about this and I want to shout it loudly. Hormuz is not the US military's fault. Servicemembers go where they're told and do what is asked of them to the best of their abilities. I'll defend them to the hilt. This is a civilian problem, a series of civilian fuck-ups.

"Give us everything we want and we'll stop losing a war, killing thousands of people, and tanking the global economy wait where are you going"

It's Sunday, share your TBR stack! (This is partial due to my inveterate tsundoku, the Reynolds is my current)

Destroyer, frigate, cruiser, battleship, carrier, amphib

I'm tired of America fucking up the world, time for a relaxing cup of tea and some completely different fiction

I just had the most surreal day - a (lovely) Aussie news crew came to my house to film me talking about NATO's eastern front. Completely bizarre and glorious, recommend.

Iran doesn't have to have anything more than moderate capability as long as that capability is enough to strangle a fifth of global oil flows. Which it is. www.reuters.com/world/middle...

"Thoosideedees, he's doing a great job, people are talking about him more and more, likes traps? What a guy."

Just had a wander past my old university department for the first time since passing my PhD viva. My beloved Bloomsbury is still full of bookshops and students. Nostalgia! (Department of Politics, Birkbeck, University of London)

Place your bets - on a scale of chill to apoplectic, how angry is this thing going to make me?

I talked with @mgerrydoyle.bsky.social about Iranian mini-submarines www.bloomberg.com/news/article...

New article: The Kara Strait: Russia’s Hormuz trap for Europe www.britainsworld.org.uk/p/the-memora...

There's nothing that resets your joy quite so much as hearing your DM say "how do you want to do this?" (Divine Smite straight through the skull, obviously)

"Sir, the Iranians have mined another stretch of water." "Hormuz?" "You're not going to believe this..."

Finally writing a proper academic essay on the Strait of Hormuz

Whoever had my voodoo doll, can you stop www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

If you're in the UK, don't forget to vote today! There's an awful lot of people in the world who don't want you to be able to, and an awful lot more who gave their lives so you can.

I talked through Project Freedom with DW News ⬇️ youtu.be/NLoN9yKyNHk?...

My adversary keeps trying to win, which is very inconvenient, so if they'd simply stop doing that everything will be great!

New Details Of Russia’s Super-Weapon Submarine ‘Khabarovsk’ www.navalnews.com/naval-news/2...

OTD in 1954 the Viet Minh under Gen. Võ Nguyên Giáp began their final assault on the French Union base at Điện Biên Phủ, after a two-month siege. The psychological shock of their victory the following day led to French withdrawal and the partition of Vietnam along the 17th parallel.

I just gave an interview on the current situation in the Strait of Hormuz that was the verbal equivalent of

No no, he's right

"All below the threshold of restarting major combat operations" is such a ridiculous thing to say

How did Vietnam go

Moi en français - explaining Trump's fit of anger at Merz and his complete ignorance of the fact that US troops are in Europe to facilitate US operations in places like, say, the Gulf www.france24.com/fr/europe/20...

Interviewer: "If Trump came to you right now and asked for your advice, what would you say to him?" Me: "I don't think I should swear in an interview..."

Sometimes I'm glad my academic work is relevant and immediately helpful in some small way in times of crisis. Other times I look with envy upon other fields - the world of, say, 3rd century Gallic pottery is probably cut-throat but at least it doesn't involve having to go on TV to explain Trump.

The IRGC map of the Strait of Hormuz, released today, showing the zone it claims military control over. Any US warship entering will be fired upon, as well as commercial ships not complying with Iranian demands. Using red lines is rather on the nose.

Project Freedom aka Project Tempt Iran to Shoot at US Navy Warships

I called Trump authoritarian, a bully and a coward - if I wasn't already visa blacklisted by the administration I definitely am now

If you need some joy in your life youtu.be/lf9CbQwCsCc?...

Slightly diminish a film The Look for Red October

Me: "Oh boy, a media interview request for something other than the Strait of Hormuz!" Me: "Oh." www.independent.co.uk/news/world/e...

I'll be live on LBC at 0750 BST tomorrow to talk about the latest round of American dumbassery (Iran and Germany, if you're keeping score)

In southern England it's the Retired Wanderers - in the countryside or market towns, having a little potter about while looking at things, dressed in sensible clothing, before having a bit of a sit down. Absolute goals.

No, no, it's a PEACE blockade, they're keeping all the war blockaded in so it doesn't spill out

When the negotations stall and he orders more strikes using the military assets that are remaining in theatre that will be a completely separate war, he's playing 2D chess that we simply cannot comprehend

I went on the Iran: The Latest podcast to talk about naval warfare in the Strait of Hormuz open.spotify.com/episode/65FW...

This is like when the other kids in your class set up a club and don't invite you because you're mean so you set up Donny and Pete's Way Cooler Club but it's just the two of you sitting in a corner

Jokes King Charles III should have told: What's the difference between the USA and yoghurt? If you leave yoghurt alone for 250 years it develops a culture. (Add your own!)

Some of us never stopped due to existential nihilism, or joie de vivre, or possibly both, do keep up www.thecut.com/article/shou...

The consequences of the US pulling back from its commitment to enforce freedom of navigation are on display right now in the Gulf, so one does not need to be a naval historian to extrapolate the impact worldwide. Restraint - just say no, kids. Not even once.