My thoughts on the Quantico meeting

Tone deaf, and illegal.

For a former National Guard major, the chance to lecture hundreds of generals and admirals summoned for the occasion proved irresistible, writes @eliotacohen.bsky.social:

The USS George Washington quietly steamed out of Tokyo Bay on Tuesday to resume its annual patrol of the western Pacific after an extended mid-deployment stop at Yokosuka Naval Base. (from @alexmwilson.bsky.social)

“Adjusted per DHS directive” “U.S. District Judge MARY McELROY, a Trump appointee, said the administration’s abrupt decision to repurpose the funds from those states — just days before the Sept. 30 end of the current fiscal year — seemed to be plainly illegal.” www.politico.com/news/2025/09...

Federal judge, appointed by Reagan, in 161-page opinion today in deportation matter: "There’s the issue of masks... To us, masks are associated with cowardly desperados and the despised Ku Klux Klan. In all our history we have never tolerated an armed masked secret police"

A government watchdog said that the military needs to do a better job at preventing gambling issues for service members. trib.al/t3PQoKH

Guarantee every flag officer in that room is thinking that if this excitable little guy worked for them, they wouldn't trust him to run a range.

About 25% of women in the military & 6% of men experienced sexual harassment in the past year. 7% of women experienced "unwanted sexual contact" Fewer than a third reported it. Of those who did, 60% say they experienced retaliation.* It's tragic that this situation will almost certainly worsen.

Mumbling that the military needs to handle "the enemy from within" is chilling. This is why people are making comparisons to fascist movements of the 20th century.

yeah, this is hegseth straightforwardly announcing that it is free play time for bigots in the ranks. and together with his comments on standards, he clearly wants to purge as many women, black and brown people as he can from the armed services. a white man's military.

WTF.

ICYMI: Here’s our latest salvo of RESOURCES, TIPS, and MARKETS for writers of military- and war-themed fiction, non-fiction, poetry, scholarship, and more! Bullet list in thread, 1 of 3 www.aimingcircle.com/2025/09/a-ro...

"Trump’s order is what happens when you have a government of podcasters.” What does Trump's "antifa" executive order actually do?

Jameson Govoni is a co-founder of a hangover prevention company who had almost no public presence until his armed contractors arrived in the Middle East. Now, he is at the center of a highly controversial Israeli and US-backed food distribution scheme in Gaza that experts say has been a disaster.

Here's what we know about the Pentagon's orders to send troops to Portland. 200 Oregon National Guard members, federalized under Title 10, on a 60-day mission. taskandpurpose.com/news/nationa...

After 84 years, the Japanese bullet that was once lodged in the heart of sailor Dean Darrow was returned to the Pearl Harbor National Memorial Museum.

this meeting could have just been a signal chat with Jeffrey Goldberg

Even the US Army's official history portrays Wounded Knee as a massacre in which "soldiers also employed artillery despite the presence of numerous noncombatants... including women and children..." theintercept.com/2024/11/28/a...

Flotilla volunteer @tgmarc.bsky.social and human rights lawyer Diana Buttu spoke to @jordanuhl.com on Israel’s aid blockade and continued bombardment on Gaza.

In 1990, Soviet/Georgian painter and sculptor and painter Zurab Tsereteli presented this bronze sculpture to the United Nations to commemorate the signing of the unprecedented 1987 INF Treaty. Titled “Good Defeats Evil,” it sits in a garden outside the UN headquarters building in New York City.

"Too harrowing for comfortable watching in the living room and hardly the stuff that would inspire a fun night out at the movies, The Messenger seems better suited for stage drama than cinematic entertainment." From Jan 16, 2015. acolytesofwar.com/2015/01/16/d...

JUST SAYING: "The popular myth surrounding the launch of Sputnik is that it was a total surprise and demonstrated that the Soviet space program was pulling ahead of America’s. But the opposite scenario is much closer to the truth" defense360.csis.org/bad-idea-dec... spacenews.com/air-force-se...

This is how I described the Palantir t-shirt design in the piece, but someone very correctly pointed out that it also closely resembles the Lumon logo from Severance lol

!! Excellent! “Counting U.S.-led buys on the list … the total comes to about €6.8 billion, around 8 percent of Berlin’s plan, with the rest overwhelmingly going to European industry.” www.politico.eu/article/germ...

Top Air Force leaders won’t mandate duty hours for PT amid fitness push trib.al/gKH8MBY

“It can be hard to believe that your own talents and strengths are genuine,” @isabelfattal.bsky.social writes. In the Wonder Reader, explore stories on how to be honest with yourself—and, by extension, with other people: https://theatln.tc/pWSMRkUR

Every week on my patreon, I write about maps and about the process of drawing maps for books. I'm hoping to get membership up over 500 subscribers, and we're close! It's free, so if you're curious, go read some articles. If you like it, please consider subscribing! patreon.com/SurprisedEel

During action in the hotly embattled area called the Iron Triangle, Pvt. Charles R. Johnson is credited with saving the lives of at least 10 soldiers

Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid urged the U.S. to follow a policy of "realism and rationality."

A West Point professor has filed a lawsuit against the school, arguing it violates the First Amendment by banning professors' opinions in the classroom.

This is why I told a guy talking about "when drones are attacking with CS you won't want that extra step" (re beards and pro-masks), "I don't give a shit about CS" Also "Semper Fi" (I wasn't a Marine, but we're much the same, under the skin. "This, We'll Defend" taskandpurpose.com/news/marine-...

“[F]ocusing exclusively on technology in Israel’s committing of genocide in Gaza, or any war ..., could risk a major mistake: absolving the perpetrators’ responsibility for crimes they commit using technology.”

The reason that the safeties on the SFOD-D dudes’ carbines were in the “fire” position was because they’d cleared the guns, lowered the bolts on empty chambers, and dropped the hammers, then reinserted the mags on an inert gun. It’s called “cruiser ready” and is absolutely safe, but…

China’s Aircraft Carrier Capability Just Made A Stunning Leap Forward www.twz.com/air/chinas-a...

Between SpaceX and Starlink, Elon Musk has a stranglehold on space access. He can turn off the internet on a whim. Add on a fleet of space-based weapons and the doom clock jumps to midnight.

A lawsuit alleges the U.S. Military Academy at West Point is banning opinions by professors in the classroom and some books and courses in a crackdown that violates the First Amendment.

🗓️ Tomorrow, 9/23, 12 PM ET! Join us for our writing workshop w/ Ben Weakley in partnership w Cohen Veterans! In this creative writing workshop, we use the written & spoken word to find healing & self-discovery together in a welcoming, safe community. Register: missionbelonging.org/event/creati...

Serious question: What is the specific fear about shooting down Russian aircraft that violate NATO airspace? There's danger of a spiral to nukes, though that's always unavoidably a factor. I'm not necessarily advocating it, still thinking through, but what, specifically, do people worry will happen?

Last month, Trump signed an executive order instructing federal prosecutors to pursue criminal charges against anyone who torches the Old Glory. Aaron Boehmer writes on symbolic action and American symbols.

The Army Career Tracker website, which was launched in 2011, will go offline Nov. 14. The sponsorship functions will transition to a different platform.

Exclusive: President Trump declined to approve more than $400M in military aid to Taiwan this summer. Sources said the package would have been “more lethal” than past rounds of aid to Taiwan, including munitions and autonomous drones.

Five people protesting Israel’s war in Gaza were jailed after police said they refused to stop blocking traffic outside MacDill Air Force Base. The group held large banners that read “Free Palestine” and “Veterans Against Genocide.”

Trump talking about Bagram in connection with the Lop Nur Chinese nuclear testing facility is not new. This talking point emerged from the incoherent “we should have hung onto Bagram” narrative that began during the Kabul evacuation—Trump first brought it up the following spring.

War poetry for our times: newversenews.blogspot.com/2021/07/a-ve...

Would love to know whether the “Pokémon Go” Pokémon described as forlornly guarding their abandoned gyms at Bagram Airfield in the aftermath of the 2021 pullout are still there four years later www.stripes.com/theaters/mid...

Here’s what we’re reading today: Ukrainian drone strikes have increased internet blackouts across Russia, costing Moscow $557.1mn per hour in disruptions to businesses and public services. This comes as Russia’s war economy strains under energy attacks and Western sanctions.

Frightening incident at the Naval Academy last night, hope the midshipman and law enforcement officer who were injured both recover quickly. www.nytimes.com/2025/09/11/u...

"Meanwhile, new reporting indicates that the boat might have been turning around before getting hit...[a]nd a senior Venezuelan official now says the 11 dead weren’t even Tren de Aragua."

On Lawfare Daily, Dan Byman sits down with Mark Cancian to assess the impact and implications of a Chinese blockade of Taiwan. www.lawfaremedia.org/article/lawf...