This is a very nuanced piece about veterans, military service and war. Gets at serious issues without being cliche about them. www.newyorker.com/news/the-pol...

The Complications of Graham Platner’s Veteran Identity

How much of Graham Platner’s behavior should be read through the lens of what combat did to him, and how much of it is simply who he is, independent of war?

newyorker.com

I'm all for staying open to ideas from unconventional sources, but this is a truly crazy way to make strategy. www.cnn.com/2026/08/03/p...

Exclusive: US military asks troops for ‘creative and unconventional’ ideas to punish Iran | CNN Politics

The request from a senior officer at the US military command carrying out President Donald Trump’s war with Iran came in an email: We need ideas.

cnn.com

I appreciate @kschake.bsky.social's efforts to shed light on these vital issues, but I am less sanguine Politicization operates through multiple mechanisms not captured by analyzing the credentials or past partisan commentary of senior officers replacing those who have been fired. 1/

Kori Schake@kschake.bsky.social · 4mo ago

Mostly not — we found just 2 concerning appointments, beyond the obvious attempt to undercut the deservingness of minority and female officers.

Adding that there are many current and former professional officers in the U.S. military who are also very concerned about civilian-led efforts to promote partisanship in the ranks.

Risa Brooks@risabrooks12.bsky.social · 4mo ago

As someone who studies politicization of democratic militaries this statement on X is a five- alarm fire. It creates an undeniable permission structure for overt partisan behavior by mil. It's part of a concerted effort by civilian leaders to turn the U.S. military into a partisan aligned force.

As someone who studies politicization of democratic militaries this statement on X is a five- alarm fire. It creates an undeniable permission structure for overt partisan behavior by mil. It's part of a concerted effort by civilian leaders to turn the U.S. military into a partisan aligned force.

Waitman Wade Beorn, PhD, FRHistS@waitmanwbeorn.com · 4mo ago

🧵 A masterclass in creating a dysfunctional command climate. Also, just existing in the military is dangerous business. And it's why we take safety so seriously. And when the SecDef reaches down and cancels a subordinate's investigation out of hand, brother, bad things are happening.

A very thoughtful piece from @bradduplessis.bsky.social

I served as Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Force Education and Training for three years before the office was disestablished last year. I owned the policy on professional military education for all five services. I have listened to Secretary Hegseth's announcement. I have thoughts. 🧵

This is the logical endpoint of the Pentagon‘s current “lethality“ fixation - destroying things is the point. It also reflects its civilian leaders’ disregard, if not open contempt, for strategic thinking and the skills & intellectual preparation that support it.

James@gravitysra1nbow.bsky.social · 5mo ago

We bombed them. To do what? So we can bomb them. To do what? To facilitate strikes. To do what? To enable kinetic operations. To do what? To shape the battlefield. To do what? So we can bomb them.

Last week in class we talked about the possibility of an imminent war w/Iran. Most of my undergrads barely had it on their radar. I talked abt the GWOT wars & the lessons (not) learned. By the end of the class they were also pretty dismayed and many were filled w/ dread.

Cav(R), Gentleman Rogue@combatcavscout.bsky.social · 5mo ago

Quite possibly selection bias, but not a single GWOT veteran I still keep in touch with has expressed any sort of support or praise for the war. The general consensus is dread and dismay.

Really important questions.

Brian Kerg@briankerg.bsky.social · 6mo ago

I think about this a lot. How does the military come back from this kind of norm erosion? Increasingly you see officers empowered to shout partisan screeds from the heart of the digital town square. Tomorrow always comes, but how do we repair the professional norm and win back trust?

"Is [Hegseth] itching to get the U.S. military into the streets, to back up ICE’s undertrained civilians with professional soldiers and heavier hardware?" If T invokes Insurrection Act & sends mil to MN, as some allies have been pushing, what might happen?1/ www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2026/0...

Pete Hegseth Should Stay Out of Minneapolis

By inserting himself into the situation in Minnesota, the secretary of defense is only making things worse.

theatlantic.com

I increasingly wonder if US civ-mil is now operating in full Huntingtonian mode: civilians dictate political goals & mil leaders advise on technical/tactical options to implement them while siloed off from the political implications or wisdom of that advice. www.washingtonpost.com/national-sec...

Pentagon readies 1,500 soldiers to possibly deploy to Minnesota, officials say

Troops with the Army’s 11th Airborne Division in Alaska are preparing after President Donald Trump’s Insurrection Act threat, according to defense officials.

washingtonpost.com

Mandatory reading for everyone across the DoD (and across the country, for that matter). Whether someone agrees or disagrees with it is beside the point. Things are far more likely to get worse before they get better. The fundamental question will then be whether or not we can ever recover.

Hey, you! Do you worry about executive abuse of military authority, but need a framework to analyze it? Well stop *worrying.* My new article on "executive shirking" is out from Perspectives on Politics. Thanks to everyone who gave me feedback on this one! #civmilbluesky

Sharing this recent podcast by me on how civil-military relations (ideally) should work in liberal democracies. See here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=wsma...

It's easy to see this speech as just weirdly performative, but there's a lot more—and a lot worse—going on here. The meeting & speeches are part of a larger project aimed at promoting the military leadership’s partisan alignment with the administration. How? 1/

Aaron Rupar@atrupar.com · 10mo ago

Hegseth: "If the words I'm speaking today are making your heart sink, they you should do the honorable thing and resign."

The reason for military rules of engagement and adhering to laws of armed combat is not “political correctness,” it’s better strategy, serves long-term national interest, and is a way to make an awful part of the human experience a little less awful, based on lessons learned from centuries of blood.

The public’s capacity to hold the military & its civilian ldrs accountable is a core principle of democratic control of the military. If Pentagon reporters can’t do their jobs, citizens won‘t have info they need to do their part Which may be the point here. www.washingtonpost.com/business/202...

Pentagon demands journalists pledge to not obtain unauthorized material

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is imposing strict new rules that would severely limit the ability of journalists to report on the Pentagon.

washingtonpost.com

I imagined that sooner or later we might see these kind of tensions emerging in the open. Wouldn‘t surprise me if there are growing and active efforts by pol ldrs to exploit such divisions in the ranks to break down nonpartisanship & lay groundwork for norms of partisan alignment to take hold

My take is that senior officers are completely unprepared for this moment. When demo is healthy, there is little tension btw adhering to civilian control & serving democracy Faced w/ the manifest clash in principles these missions present, they are doing what's familiar--following orders.1/

Clay Copper@claycopper.bsky.social · 12mo ago

What's a MAJ supposed to do when they watch GOFOs and COLs do nothing and say nothing about what went down with LA, the parade, Bragg, and criticism of MoH recipients? There's no top cover, no leadership, no hard convos. Just abdication and servility from the top creating difficulties on down.

We are very alarmed.

Steve Saideman@smsaideman.bsky.social · 12mo ago

Are there any civ-mil scholars who are not alarmed by this? Anyone?

Sending the Guard to police DC citizens politicizes the military--just like using it and active duty troops against protesters and in immigration and counter cartel missions does. This is no accident. It's part of a broader effort to transform the military into a partisan force.

Risa Brooks@risabrooks12.bsky.social · 12mo ago

NYT reporting today that the admin. is planning to use the U.S. military ag/ cartels. This has actually been in the works for awhile as I argued in this Foreign Affairs piece from April. It's part of what I see as an effort to politicize the military and transform it into a partisan force. 1/

NYT reporting today that the admin. is planning to use the U.S. military ag/ cartels. This has actually been in the works for awhile as I argued in this Foreign Affairs piece from April. It's part of what I see as an effort to politicize the military and transform it into a partisan force. 1/

Some thoughts about the military parade in my hometown of Washington DC today -- specifically, the route. Military parades in DC are quite rare. But when they happen, they have always begun, symbolically and geographically, at the Capitol and moved outward. 1/

Instructing soldiers not to hoot and clap like they are at a political rally when a president gives a speech is civil-military relations 101. Any officer should know this without even thinking about it.

Dan Lamothe@danlamothe.bsky.social · last yr.

“We’re treating it as a teachable moment,” said a senior Army official. “It was not a great look.” Tonight, a deep dive on how the Army has been embroiled in -- and strained by -- this moment's partisan politics. www.washingtonpost.com/national-sec...

This is such a thoughtful piece.

Heidi Urben@heidiurben.bsky.social · last yr.

Thanks to @defenseone.bsky.social for publishing my latest on the military’s norm of nonpartisanship and why Army leaders must uphold and teach this, now more than ever. www.defenseone.com/ideas/2025/0...

Learning more is not making it better. Shout out to @risabrooks12.bsky.social for insightful commentary. www.military.com/daily-news/2...

Jess Blankshain@profjessblankshain.bsky.social · last yr.

To clarify, I'm not worried because this tells us something about the political views of "The Troops." I'm alarmed because of how many times/places professional norms had to break down for this to happen.

Really important story - army officials asked soldiers to identify themselves if they don't agree with Trump's politics that way he'd get only supportive soldiers in uniform during his political rally on base. Heavier soldiers were also barred from participating.

Bragg Soldiers Who Cheered Trump's Political Attacks While in Uniform Were Checked for Allegiance, Appearance

As Trump viciously attacked his perceived political foes, he whipped up boos from the gathered troops directed at California leaders, including Gov. Gavin Newsom.

military.com

Yesterday was rough for U.S. civ-mil relations watchers. Most recent violations of the military's nonpartisan ethic have been instigated by civilian side (politicians). Clapping at Bragg came from breakdown on mil side. Let's hope mil leaders take it as a wake-up call & get their house in order.