I love the National Guard working so hard to remind us they’re not a tool of repression.

This caught my attention. “There are foreign parts in 100 percent of our weapon systems and military platforms.” www.nytimes.com/2025/12/23/c...

This implies the National Guard belongs to Governors and the President cannot deploy any military domestically without specific Constitutional or statutory authority. Restrictive reading by the Court.

The Supreme Court 6-3 restricts the deployment of National Guard: “before the President can federalize the Guard under §12406(3), he likely must have statutory or constitutional authority to execute the laws with the regular military and must be "unable" with those forces to perform that function.”

The more I think about this battleship the more I think it’s a shiny distraction to keep attention away from the LSM and the frigate, both of which can be built in the near term. Some of these weapons don’t exist yet except on paper. No ship ever built could power all of these.

samf.substack.com/p/the-state-... I appreciate the shout-out and kind words from @kschake.bsky.social in this discussion of her new book.

On Lawfare Daily, Loren Voss spoke to @kschake.bsky.social and @carriealee.bsky.social about how they assess a healthy civil-military relationship, the current state of civil-military affairs, potential unlawful orders, and what we should watch going forward. www.lawfaremedia.org/article/lawf...

The Trump administration is recalling nearly 30 ambassadors, all of whom are career diplomats. A union says there has never been such a mass recall in the history of the foreign service. Morale has been plummeting in the State Department all year. Story: www.nytimes.com/2025/12/22/u...

1/ @dandrezner.bsky.social w/fantastic review of head scratching quotes on how the US has put its foreign policy in the hands of a real estate buddy and son in law w/no foreign policy experience. Why? See point #2. danieldrezner.substack.com/p/the-appall...

Also admiring the strategic genius of antagonising one of the US' most loyal allies Other states will surely see that and think: yes, this is the country I want to align with Then again, the current US administration probably thinks bullying will forever be the winning foreign policy recipe

I‘m getting tired of repeating the point that Trump wants to divide and rule. He poses a collective action problem for Europeans and as long as we leave targeted nations to fend for themselves, he will succeed in dominating us.

In conclusion, we should negotiate! But Putin won't be won over through superior argument or an appeal to higher morals. This is about power. Ukrainians will have to make painful concessions either way, but there's a difference between that and outright surrender

You’re raising important challenges for us all to think through, my friend. I don’t believe the US military would follow orders to interfere in elections or fire on citizens, and they deserve the benefit of the doubt since they’ve never been a threat. But we shouldn’t let them be arbiters for us.

“We are in the midst of, to put it bluntly, destroying every valuable part of the U.S. economic engine.” Listen to the latest episode of “The Foreign Affairs Interview,” featuring a conversation with Daron Acemoglu: https://fam.ag/49ivR90

Should we just bear the costs associated with ”innovation,” even if the profits are privatized and the risks are socialized? Where is the regulatory body protecting SF residents?

Excellent and important discussion. I think that ultimately, at least in certain cases, I fall on @charig.bsky.social’s side. But not because I don’t see @kschake.bsky.social ‘s concerns (and I def don’t think the military can save us, I just think it shouldn’t do us in). Anyway, read this.

I think this term's origin was Paul Scharre writing in Four Battlegrounds about Marines spoofing an AI by hiding under a box while giggling, and I think what first got it circulating was @shashj.bsky.social posting an excerpt on Twitter. www.pcmag.com/news/us-mari...

It’s an important challenge, @securitas.bsky.social, so thank you. I worry that in our American conversation we’re expecting the military to save us — litigating the commander carrying out the order instead of fighting about the legality of the order the civilian leadership is giving.

“I am a hopeful animal and in my most hopeful moments, I think the longer term consequence of the Trump presidency will be much more stringent restrictions on the executive power of the president of the United States.” @ldfreedman.bsky.social drew me out on civ-mil and US politics.

Putin’s war on European democracy.

why is it always “I’m against nuclear war so I think Ukraine should surrender” and never “I’m against nuclear war so I think states shouldn’t threaten nuclear war”

I share your dissatisfaction, @charig.bsky.social. But I think the solutions lie in the civilian on civilian checks in the US system — I don’t think our military can save us from the politicians we elect.

I very much share concerns about military pretorianism, but if democracies don't allow armed forces some leeway in - yes - insubordination against illegal orders, I don't see how they will not be turned into willing supporters of wannabe-authoritarians

It's the first day of winter! Southern California, how're we feeling? 🧥🧤 🎨 Jeanne Kéfer, 1885, Fernand Khnopff. Getty Museum

@kschake.bsky.social ‘s book is a clear and concise history of a complex but important aspect of US governance. Military subordination to civilian leadership is one of the greatest & yet most under-appreciated strengths of the Union.

New post out: @ldfreedman.bsky.social talks to @kschake.bsky.social - who's worked at senior levels in the US defense and state departments - on how the military should deal with Trump, Hegseth and illegal orders. (Free to read) samf.substack.com/p/the-state-...

An open access version of our piece is available here: macdonaldlaurier.ca/trumps-natio...

Publicly declaring that you are giving in to threats is a great way to make absolutely certain you and your colleagues will get more threats in the future.

Coasties to get $2,000 one-time ‘devotion to duty’ payment similar to the $1776 Warrior Dividend given this week to DoD troops. The difference? Taxes. which means some will likely receive more and some less depending on income bracket. www.militarytimes.com/news/your-mi...

It will be hard for many European citizens not to wonder whether Belgium forced EU taxpayers to assume a multi-billion euro risk in order to protect Russian money — whatever the actual technical mechanisms of the arrangement.

The bookstore owner said A Line In the Sand is one of his favorite books 🙂

Hey @jamesbarr.bsky.social! I’m in the Educational Bookshop in East Jerusalem and they’re stocking your writing.

🎙️🪖🇺🇸 This is a totally fascinating conversation @marceldirsus.com has with @kschake.bsky.social about civil-military relations in the US. I learned a ton of new things — and it gave me a lot of hope. It's a great 40 minutes of your time, promise.

You guys. No. It's named by statute. Do better.

So the National Guard doesn’t get the little $1776 bonus, just Regular forces Not a great look, since that part of the military is currently bearing the brunt of the administration’s domestic deployments and has 3 dead in the last 3 weeks (DC and Syria)

very pleased to publish @alanallport.bsky.social on 1940. foreignpolicy.com/2025/12/18/f...

The Trump administration gutting so much fundamental research is going to set the U.S. back so much in ways that will shock historians in the future. The current deliberate tanking of the economy will seem mild in comparison.

That was His Excellency George Washington, not me 🙂

Today’s America is fickle and jealous. South Korea, a decades-old ally, is learning how to deal with the increasingly one-sided demands of Trumpworld: econ.st/4pGGkAK

Article 1 Section 9 would like a word

Highly recommended read

Just so we are all on the same page, when Trump says that 11 months ago he inherited a ‘mess,’ this is the mess he inherited.

Like Neville Chamberlain, but without the reassuring piece of paper.

The United States must collaborate successfully with its allies if it is to compete with China in the global shipping industry. Maritime allies are America’s superpower | Marc Levinson engelsbergideas.com/essays/marit...

The Navy presently has 11 warships in the southern Caribbean Sea area, officials say. They are: USS Iwo Jima USS Fort Lauderdale USS San Antonio USS Gerald R. Ford USS Bainbridge USS Mahan USS Winston S. Churchill USS Stockdale USS Thomas Hudner USS Lake Erie USS Gettysburg

I'm delighted to say that I got to talk to @kschake.bsky.social for my new podcast. We discuss Trump, George Washington, WWII and the general difficulty of maintaining a powerful military that doesn't threaten democracy. Check it out: youtu.be/3lKRNRyaTqE

"What matters is that the defense secretary created the climate in which Adm. Bradley made the decision to conduct the second strike. Whether or not Mr. Hegseth gave this order, he set the tone. This is how leadership always works in practice.” Bill Galston

Alliances are built on trust and attraction, otherwise known as soft power, and they are the most effective tools that democracies have in their struggle with autocracies.” Steven Kotkin in @foreignaffairs.com

A very special relationship

New free to read link. as.ft.com/r/cc471e39-d...