Mirabai Venkatesh’s Post

A thoughtful article. I do not agree with all of it, but it serves as a useful starting point for a necessary national discussion. For a variety of different reasons, the US military no longer enjoys the same amount of public support that it has enjoyed historically. That is not entirely their fault, but they are far from blameless. Military leaders point the finger at politicians for all their problems, while failing to admit responsibility for their own blunders. There is zero accountability within the upper echelons of DoD. How can you spend billions on a new class of warships, only to find out they don't work and have to be scrapped---- and nobody gets punished for this colossal waste of taxpayer money? We need to downsize the federal government in general, and we need a leaner, flatter, nimbler military as part of that. The status quo is no longer acceptable to the American people. https://lnkd.in/gcfYXtn6

Canada has traditionally been regarded & acted as a Peacemaker in the World Conflicts, for many years. Even its National Police Force, the R.C.M.P., also personally serve, abroad, as active Peacemakers. Do none of these peace making activities count to NATO ? Personally, I definitely choose active peace-making over increasing & contributing to more Weapons of War, Deaths & Destruction.

Prophetic, as #MattGaetz embodied the #DonaldTrump 's vision of an eventual budget paralysis of the US government through the House blockage. International partners of the #USA in Europe, Asia and the Middle east may expect a restoration of a fair order in their political struggles: "When a majority of House Republicans opposed a successful push by right-wing rebels to oust Speaker Kevin McCarthy last week, many warned that a leaderless House would be paralyzed to respond to a domestic or international crisis. [...] The United States already provides Israel more than $3 billion in military assistance every year, but the House would need to elect a new speaker should more funds be needed." #USA #House #GOP #SlimMajority #Uncertainty #ChaosRisk https://lnkd.in/eBpaf772

#Trump-proofing #NATO: The #US Senate has passed a bipartisan provision to the 2024 #NDAA bill that would not allow the President to withdraw from NATO without congressional approval by a 2/3 majority. If the President tries to withdraw from NATO without Senate approval, the amendment would limit funding for withdrawal. The final NDAA now depends on negotiations w/ the #GOP-controlled House. https://lnkd.in/ebk-Wfc9

Appreciated the chance to speak about the #NATO Summit and the #Russia-#Ukraine War with Henry Bonsu on Times Radio. [Segment starts at 1:46.] We discussed: - Britain’s role in establishing NATO and global security architecture (and support for Ukraine); - NATO as a defensive alliance based on democratic values, and its growth by attraction; - new allied support to Ukraine, including Patriot air defense systems and F-16s;  - the institutionalization of Ukraine assistance within NATO, and the benefits of the new network of 22 bilateral security agreements;  - limitations on Ukraine’s use of weapons;  - ground, sea and air domains in the Russia-Ukraine war;  - Ukraine’s success at sea and prospects for increasing success in the air.  To brutally summarize: The recent summit, celebrating NATO's 75th anniversary, highlights the enduring strength of an alliance based on values of democracy, solidarity and collective self-defense. The alliance has responded well to today's most critical security challenge--Russia's aggression against Ukraine--but much more remains to be done. #NATOSummit NATO European Union Delegation to the United States United States Department of Defense Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) JHU SAIS Philip Merrill Center for Strategic Studies Henry Bonsu SAIS Europe and Eurasia Club https://lnkd.in/eUZr_v8x

Bingo. Me too. And next year, you lot are going to wish you'd never heard of my tribe. Better start looking for other jobs. To be "American" requires this (it is definitional): The unfettered and unrestricted support of EVERY democratic nation in the midst of military threat--all equally, none more nor less than any other. Israel neither more nor less than Ukraine, and vice versa. But ALWAYS continuously and persistently until opposing forces are defeated--whether #geopoliticalrisk threat actors like Russia, China, or Iran--or #terrorists like Hamas, Hezbollah, ISIS, et. al. Period. No exceptions. No matter the cost, no matter the risk, and no matter the duration. Those of us who best know how to defend this nation will keep you quite safe--but it's hard to do with jackasses in government. These populists aren't Republicans--they're not even truly Americans: they're ignoramuses. Out they go. #nationalsecurity #globalsecurity #congressionalduty #democracyfirst #freedomfirst #bindingresponsibility #Americanvalues #tobeAmerican

I strongly recommend senior military officers and those interested in civil-military relations read LTG(R) Caslen's article: "Retired Flag Officers and Public Political Criticism." I wholeheartedly agree with him. We need to look at the impacts on the military profession when general and flag officers engage in political discourse in public, especially in the media. The article can be found at: https://lnkd.in/eD9CvVRk

Military operations: Importance of executive-legislative harmony in pursuing national security interests

The Return of the Presidential Putsch https://lnkd.in/gcxXggB3 When faced with the next executive power grab globally, the United States and other like-minded democracies should consistently call a spade a spade, and work quickly in concert with other regional actors for strong coordinated action to reverse such events. In addition, the United States should rapidly deploy all the legislative coup restrictions that currently apply to military coups abroad, including the suspension of economic and security assistance. A failure to do so will only incentivize future aspiring autocrats to forego self-rule in favor of self-coup.

Louis Brugel's article explores the shift in European defense strategy, driven by crises like Russia's invasion of Ukraine and doubts about U.S. commitment to NATO. European countries are increasing spending and considering collective defense approaches. This article highlights that, despite growing public support, the EU's ability to form a cohesive defense strategy remains uncertain due to varying national interests, political ideologies, and institutional constraints. 👉 Read the full version here https://lnkd.in/eWY8gngT #EuropeanDefense #Geopolitics #EUElections2024 #SecurityPolicy #NATO #RussiaUkraineConflict #EuropeanPolitics #DefenseChallenges #EUFuture