This is critical. So many of the recent pieces from US think tankers calling to appease China by abandoning Taiwan don't account for the rest of the countries in the region that will be placed at great risk by such a move and a subsequent Chinese invasion. They will act in their own defense.

I've been attacked:

"Hey when it's time to wake up, why do #Marines scream 'REVEILLE REVEILLE REVEILLE!' like their lives depend on it?" Because apparently it does:

Ok here's the thing about the carrier debate. Both sides are right and both sides are wrong (thread).

Hard copies of "Orchestrating Power" are in the wild! I hear those that pre-ordered should be getting them soon. You only have a month left to pre-order and get your copies before the official release date: www.cornellpress.cornell.edu/book/9781501...

Is this a recommendation for a ... US pressure campaign in the Fourth Island Chain? I'm all about studying our adversary but this might not be the right takeaway. Oh no next someone will call for gray zone tactics by our American Liberation Army Maritime Militia!

My latest in @warontherocks.bsky.social, discussing the debate around the MEF Information Group (MIG). I critique some of the ways this discussion was previously framed, and recommend a more sound approach for assessing the #MIG's utility. #WriteFightWin warontherocks.com/2025/11/thin...

In other #election news... I'm absolutely honored to be a new board member for @milwritersguild.bsky.social! I'm looking forward to developing the community of writers across the defense ecosystem. Congrats to the other new leaders, I'm eager to get after it alongside you. #WriteFightWin

This weekend's read is Dean Chen’s excellent "US-China Rivalry and Taiwan's Mainland Policy: Security, Nationalism, and the 1992 Consensus."

My running list of fellowships and other opportunities has been updated, including a veteran fellowship recently highlighted by Jason Galui - the Stand-To Veteran Leadership Program at the Bush Presidential Center. nathankfinney.com/fellowships-...

My latest for @usniproceedings.bsky.social: "Han Kuang 41 demonstrated a forceful commitment by Taiwan to realistic and complex defense training. The threat of a Chinese invasion looms large, but Taiwan is showing heightened resolve, capability, and a will to protect its sovereignty."

If the author reviewed the oath he took when he commissioned, and that he likely retook upon each promotion, he would see a powerful riposte to his entire argument.

Victory in Los Angeles Day, 27 Oct 2025:

Baseball Imprisoning me All that I see Absolute horror I cannot live I cannot die Trapped in myself Baseball my holding cell

That is not dead which can eternal lie, and with strange aeons even Baseball may die.

The Wheel of Baseball turns, and Ages come and pass, leaving memories that become legend. Legend fades to myth, and even myth is long forgotten when the Age that gave it birth comes again.

A phenomenal reflection that will resonate with many veterans. Many of my Marines were repeatedly fired upon but did not return fire due to loss of PID, and the ensuing risk of hitting noncombatants. They did the right thing, but will never rate a combat action ribbon, and that became a burden.

Make this the 'road to war' for the next major US-Japan wargame: www.bloomberg.com/news/article...

The recent spat of articles from US think tankers arguing to give away Taiwan like it's an American bargaining chip consistently fail to account for Taiwanese agency. People tend to fight for their existence and when you bomb them their resolve tends to rise significantly.

Experts review Why Taiwan Matters, and other new and noteworthy books. usni.org/magazines/p...

A comprehensive strategy for maritime statecraft. This is the strategy pursued by the prior SECNAV. For the first time, the authors offer an open discussion on its logic and path forward in @cimsec.bsky.social, authored by @hunterstires.bsky.social and Steve Brock: cimsec.org/maritime-sta...

You really can't hide much of anything in the barracks. Marines see, Marines talk, and serious stuff has a way of making it's way to the commander. And if there is any chance that something is amiss, the CO will almost certainly direct an investigation to shake out the facts.

This. If someone commits a violation that meets criteria for ADSEP, then giving someone the boot is an immediate action drill. It can take time to meet other pre-separation requirements arising from statute, and legal processes if the commander pursues NJP or court martial.

The Marine Corps responded quite vigorously to that particular infraction: www.politico.com/story/2012/0...

Quite the opposite: www.propublica.org/article/vasi...

On the contrary: www.propublica.org/article/vasi...

These policies are very much enforced: www.propublica.org/article/vasi...

Since military tattoo discourse has become a thing, it's always good to go to the source. BLUF: Marines don't get Nazi tattoos. If they do, they become - dare I say it - ex-Marines: www.marines.mil/portals/1/Do...

"Hey look honey it's that time we didn't go to Sicily!"

I’m pleased to share my latest article, coauthored with @SteveVBrock in @CIMSEC, laying out the Maritime Statecraft strategy we designed and have been driving forward since 2022 under the leadership of Secretary of the Navy Carlos Del Toro. 1/4 cimsec.org/maritime-sta...

Sylvester Stallone stacking bodies at Gettysburg:

Today I'm diving into Misato Matsuoka's excellent "Hegemony and the US-Japan Alliance." This book's key research question is: Why and how has the US-Japan #alliance adapted in the post-Cold War period despite both domestic and international critiques of its original military rationale?

Another point on the board for freedom on the Peninsula today: www.politico.com/news/2025/10...

For #Taiwan watchers, an interesting development in #KMT politics with the election of the new chair. Victory came at a razor thin margin in this heated campaign that was characterized by claims of #CCP intervention, even by strong voices within the #KMT: www.taipeitimes.com/News/front/a...

From time to time, @gravitysra1nbow.bsky.social drops his list of Defense People, and I log in and see I've got several hundred new followers. So here's a brief run down of what I work on. First, I moonlight with the @atlanticcouncil.bsky.social: www.atlanticcouncil.org/programs/sco...

Please cease following me and follow these people instead. I don't know what idiot put me on a list, but I can assure you that it was a stupid decision and you'll regret it.

#BOOM! #RedLightning! Your favorite comm squadron, MWCS-38, broke squelch with @taskandpurpose.com. Below is their write up of our development and hosting of the inaugural #USMC service-wide Comms Super Squad competition, #Thunderstruck: taskandpurpose.com/news/marine-...

The #MIG debate has broken squelch at @warontherocks.bsky.social. The authors make a strong case for the importance of using information to generate effects. But they don't demonstrate why the MIG, specifically, helps the Marine Corps do that: warontherocks.com/2025/10/blin...

#BOOM! #RedLightning! The official write-up on #Thunderstruck, the inaugural service-wide Comms Super Squad Competition, is the number one story on the official #USMC home page. Super proud of my squadron for putting this thing together. Story link is in the comments:

Request for #AfghanEvac help. One of my interpreters is in bureaucratic limbo with his SIV to enter the US. I'm running the traps on that. Where he needs help: Organizations that fund the execution of leaving the country - medical exams, visas to get his family to Pakistan, etc. Any ideas?

Spending my Saturday with @heguisen.bsky.social excellent #GhostNation. The author demonstrates that #Taiwan is an independent and #sovereign nation, the product of an intergenerational anti-colonial #struggle, and its continued self-rule is vital to the #US and the world. #PME #ReadFightWin

Taking a look at "The #Derecognition of States," by Gëzim Visoka. Visoka demonstrates that derecognition is, quite simply, bad for everyone. It undermines international norms, deepens conflicts, and fosters global disorder. #PME #ReadFightWin

Enjoying a Saturday with this banger. Lots of goodness, but really handing it to the #BoilingMoat for outlining the strategic logic of the defense of #Taiwan pursuant to #US interests. Useful for reframing the appeasement nonsense that appeared in the WSJ the other day.

Given the track record of Russian airborne ops in Ukraine, there's nobody else we'd want China to learn from...

Army taking point on littoral maneuver what's going on?! www.navalnews.com/naval-news/2...

We are so back: www.atlanticcouncil.org/in-depth-res...

I had a great time discussing the role of #OperationalPlanners and the Marine Corps University's School of Advanced Warfighting on @thestrategybridge.bsky.social podcast with @prbeckman.bsky.social: open.spotify.com/episode/5fYA...

In the latest @thestrategybridge.bsky.social Podcast, our host @prbeckman.bsky.social sits down for a conversation with @briankerg.bsky.social about the School of Advanced Warfighting and the training of operational planners. thestrategybridge.org/the-podcast

A modern reboot of "Once an Eagle," where Courtney Massengale is a terminally online edge-lord:

There's no bling quite like a piece of copper sheathing from the USS #Constitution. I snagged one by placing in this year's CNO Naval History Essay contest. The article is forthcoming in @usniproceedings.bsky.social. It, and those from the rest of the winners, will be worth your time! #WriteFightWin