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Taren Sylvester

@tcdsylvester.bsky.social

Rants about sports with forays into civil-military relations, LGBTQ+ mil personnel policy, & history of mil mobilization | former CNAS | they/them | views my own

44 Posts171 Follower327 Folgt
Brian Finucane@bcfinucane.bsky.social · 5mo ago

✋ Former USG war crimes lawyer here. Apropos of SecDef's remarks this morning: Denial of quarter—even the declaration of no quarter—is a war crime. And recognized as such by the US Government. From DoD's Manual for Military Commissions.

(1) The accused declared, ordered, or otherwise indicated that there shall be no survivors or surrender accepted; (2) The accused thereby intended to threaten an adversary or to conduct hostilities such that there would be no survivors or surrender accepted; (3) It was foreseeable that circumstances would be such that a practicable and reasonable ability to accept surrender would exist; (4) The accused was in a position of effective command or control over the subordinate forces to which the declaration or order was directed; and (5) The conduct took place in the context of and was associated with hostilities.
Oona Hathaway@oonahathaway.bsky.social · 5mo ago

Declaring that no quarter will be given unequivocally violates international humanitarian law. Indeed, ordering that no quarter will be given, threatening an adversary therewith or conducting hostilities on this basis is prohibited and constitutes a war crime.

Matt Novak@paleofuture.bsky.social · 5mo ago

Hegseth: "We will keep pushing, keep advancing. No quarter, no mercy for our enemies." No quarter is the refusal to take prisoners and instead just execute everyone. It's been considered a war crime for over a century.

Jason Reifler@jasonreifler.bsky.social · 5mo ago

A lot of my academic focuses on public attitudes about foreign policy and the use of force. The just initiated bombing of Iran lacks many of the components that build and sustain domestic support for military action.

Adil Haque@adhaque.bsky.social · 5mo ago

"Whatever happens, though, one thing is clear – that this use of force by the US and Israel is manifestly illegal. It is as plain a violation of the prohibition on the use of force in Article 2(4) of the UN Charter as one could possibly have." @ejiltalk.bsky.social www.ejiltalk.org/the-american...

The American-Israeli Strikes on Iran are (Again) Manifestly Illegal

After weeks of threats, the United States, joined by Israel, has launched military strikes against Iran. It remains to be seen whether these strikes will be fairly limited, or are the opening of an ex...

ejiltalk.org

Lindsay P Cohn@lindsaypcohn.bsky.social · 5mo ago

The US mil knows we can’t “win” Iran any more than we could “win” Iraq or AFG. Neither can ISR, which has the airpower to do damage but not the capability/capacity to occupy To the extent KSA and UAE get involved, it’s likely to counter ISR influence and keep a seat at the table on Iran’s future

Taren Sylvester@tcdsylvester.bsky.social · 5mo ago

This goes in both directions. Active duty military fellows at civilian natsec think tanks/unis provide expertise critical to producing research, writing, & educations that are accurate, reasonable, and actionable. My time in think tank land was immeasurably improved by our military fellows

Michael Flynn@flynnpolsci.bsky.social · 5mo ago

It’s worth noting that the last major US war in the Middle East led to a big increase in demand for relationships with civilian educational institutions because some people thought it wise to develop a deeper upstanding the relevant issues and environments. I fear we’re seeing the opposite now.

Micah@rincewind.run · 6mo ago

with the Olympics coming up, I cannot recommend enough just picking random sports and getting really into them at a moment's notice did I know anything about women's foil before the last Olympics? I did not did I become the world's biggest Lee Kiefer fan immediately? absolutely I did

Taren Sylvester@tcdsylvester.bsky.social · 10mo ago

What the poll doesn’t address is while Americans overwhelmingly desire a ‘politically neutral’ military, many see any action or inaction taken by the military under an opposing presidential administration as inherently partisan. This must be part of any future reckoning abt the role of the military

Jen Rubin@jenrubin.bsky.social · 10mo ago

Trump is melting down cause what he is doing is really unpopular and so is he: www.reuters.com/world/us/mos...

Taren Sylvester@tcdsylvester.bsky.social · 10mo ago

Really excellent breakdown of the Insurrection Act I would add that previous instances of its invocation against the wishes of a state governor was to *enforce a Supreme Court decision*. Most recently this was, as the article mentions, implementing school integration in AL

The Chamberlain Network@chamberlainvets.bsky.social · 10mo ago

The Insurrection Act gives presidents sweeping power to deploy the military against Americans. It hasn’t been updated in 150+ years. Joseph Nunn breaks down what you need to know about the dangerously broad, outdated, and largely unchecked power it grants. www.brennancenter.org/our-work/res...

Taren Sylvester@tcdsylvester.bsky.social · 10mo ago

While we're all, justifiably, reeling from today's speeches, let's also note that today is the Day for Truth & Reconciliation across North America. Take a moment to recognize and grapple with America's legacy of oppression against Indigenous people, especially children, and the military's role in it

Army Returns Remains of 9 Indigenous Children Who Died at Boarding School over a Century Ago

The children attended the former Carlisle Indian Industrial School, where thousands of Indigenous children were taken from their families and forced to assimilate to white society as a matter of U.S. ...

military.com

Taren Sylvester@tcdsylvester.bsky.social · 10mo ago

To reiterate: none of the combat arms standards he's mentioning are new. This has been the standard for A DECADE since combat MOSs were opened* to all service members. *Note: women have always served in combat whether they were "allowed to," recognized, or paid for it. War doesn't discriminate.

Politico@politico.com · 10mo ago

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth — decrying “fat generals and admirals” — outlined new rules for the “highest male standard” for fitness in combat roles. “If that means no women qualify for some combat jobs, so be it,” he told hundreds of military leaders ordered to gather at Quantico for his speech.

Amy Maxmen, PhD@amymaxmen.bsky.social · 10mo ago

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.

Aaron Rupar@atrupar.com · 10mo ago

Hegseth: "We are overhauling an inspector general process that has been weaponized, putting complainers and poor performers in the driver seat. We are doing the same with the equal opportunity policies. No more frivolous complaints, no more anonymous complains ... no more walking on eggshells."