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Dr. James Holmes: The Naval Diplomat

PHILIPPINE SEA (Feb. 28, 2022) Aviation Boatswain's Mate (Equipment) 3rd Class Anatalia Zamora, from Midland, Texas, runs to a safe distance before an F/A-18E Super Hornet assigned to the "Tophatters" of Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 14 launches from the flight deck of the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72). The Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike Group is on a scheduled deployment in the U.S. 7th Fleet area of operations to enhance interoperability through alliances and partnerships while serving as a ready-response force in support of a free and open Indo-Pacific region. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Michael Singley) 220228-N-MM912-1137

Dr. James Holmes: The Naval Diplomat - 19FortyFive

Stubbs Demonstrates Effectiveness of Force Design for U.S. Navy

Over at the Atlantic Council, former director of U.S. Navy strategy and operational concepts Bruce Stubbs probes “Ten Challenges to Implementing Force Design 2030.” Force...

2 days ago
From Twitter: Another Russian T-72 attempted to break the record for the "longest turret flight." To achieve such a result, the AFU needed slightly less than $1,000, compared to the tank's cost of 3-4 million dollars. From Twitter: Another Russian T-72 attempted to break the record for the "longest turret flight." To achieve such a result, the AFU needed slightly less than $1,000, compared to the tank's cost of 3-4 million dollars.

Dr. James Holmes: The Naval Diplomat - 19FortyFive

The Battle in Ukraine Reflects a Tone of 1953

It’s starting to feel like 1953 again, this time in Ukraine. That year is when the Koreas and their allies agreed on an armistice,...

November 22, 2023
PHILIPPINE SEA (Sept. 19, 2016) The Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Benfold (DDG 65) fires a standard missile (SM 2) at a target drone as part of a surface-to-air-missile exercise (SAMEX) during Valiant Shield 2016. Valiant Shield is a biennial, U.S. only, field-training exercise with a focus on integration of joint training among U.S. forces. This is the sixth exercise in the Valiant Shield series that began in 2006. Benfold is on patrol with Carrier Strike Group Five (CSG 5) in the Philippine Sea supporting security and stability in the Indo-Asia-Pacific region. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Andrew Schneider/Released)160919-N-XQ474-126 PHILIPPINE SEA (Sept. 19, 2016) The Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Benfold (DDG 65) fires a standard missile (SM 2) at a target drone as part of a surface-to-air-missile exercise (SAMEX) during Valiant Shield 2016. Valiant Shield is a biennial, U.S. only, field-training exercise with a focus on integration of joint training among U.S. forces. This is the sixth exercise in the Valiant Shield series that began in 2006. Benfold is on patrol with Carrier Strike Group Five (CSG 5) in the Philippine Sea supporting security and stability in the Indo-Asia-Pacific region. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Andrew Schneider/Released)160919-N-XQ474-126

Dr. James Holmes: The Naval Diplomat - 19FortyFive

What Would Teddy Roosevelt Say About Russia, Hamas, and China?

I think Theodore Roosevelt would be dismayed at the state of global order today. It seems to be in retreat, or rather under concerted...

October 27, 2023
U.S. Soldiers assigned to the 65th Field Artillery Brigade fire a High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) during a joint live-fire exercise with the Kuwait Land Forces, Jan. 8, 2019, near Camp Buehring, Kuwait. The U.S. and Kuwaiti forces train together frequently to maintain a high level of combat readiness and to maintain effective communication between the two forces. (U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Bill Boecker) U.S. Soldiers assigned to the 65th Field Artillery Brigade fire a High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) during a joint live-fire exercise with the Kuwait Land Forces, Jan. 8, 2019, near Camp Buehring, Kuwait. The U.S. and Kuwaiti forces train together frequently to maintain a high level of combat readiness and to maintain effective communication between the two forces. (U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Bill Boecker)

Dr. James Holmes: The Naval Diplomat - 19FortyFive

How the U.S. Army Can Talk to the Navy About War with China

A friend serving in the U.S. Army asks: how can army leaders get their message about the army’s role in Pacific strategy to “resonate”...

October 23, 2023

Smart Bombs
Syria Election

Smart Bombs: Military, Defense and National Security

Is Crystal Meth the Next Syrian Narco-Weapon?

Illicit narcotics reportedly fueled Hamas terrorists as they slaughtered Israeli civilians on Oct. 7. Israeli forces apparently found captagon pills stuffed inside the pockets...

November 17, 2023
J-20 Stealth Fighter. Image Credit: Industry Handout. J-20 Stealth Fighter. Image Credit: Industry Handout.

Smart Bombs: Military, Defense and National Security

China Can Beat the U.S. in an Air War

For 20 years, the Chinese People’s Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) has striven to reach parity with the United States Air Force. A recent...

November 10, 2023
Israel's Merkava IV tank. Image Credit: Creative Commons. Israel's Merkava IV tank. Image Credit: Creative Commons.

Smart Bombs: Military, Defense and National Security

The Hypocrisy of America and the UN on Criticism of Israel’s Urban Warfare

War is hell, and urban combat even more so. Still, the juxtaposition of the international sympathy for efforts to defeat the Islamic State with...

November 9, 2023
Hamas soldiers. Image Credit: Israeli government. Hamas soldiers. Image Credit: Israeli government.

Smart Bombs: Military, Defense and National Security

Hamas Might Have Already Won the War

A month after Hamas launched its deadly raid into southern Israel, Gaza now looks like a wasteland. More than 10,000 Palestinians have been killed,...

November 8, 2023

Trillions
Dollars. Image: Creative Commons.

Trillions - 19FortyFive

U.S. Imposes Sanctions on Myanmar’s State Oil and Gas Enterprise

In a significant move, the United States has imposed sanctions on the Myanma Oil and Gas Enterprise (Moge), marking the first time the U.S....

November 3, 2023
Former Vice President of the United States Joe Biden speaking with attendees at the 2020 Iowa State Education Association (ISEA) Legislative Conference at the Sheraton West Des Moines Hotel in West Des Moines, Iowa. By Gage Skidmore. Former Vice President of the United States Joe Biden speaking with attendees at the 2020 Iowa State Education Association (ISEA) Legislative Conference at the Sheraton West Des Moines Hotel in West Des Moines, Iowa. By Gage Skidmore.

Trillions - 19FortyFive

Joe Biden Drained America’s Oil Reserves and War Is Raging in the Middle East

The Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR) is the emergency stockpile of petroleum for the United States, maintained by the United States Department of Energy (DOE),...

October 17, 2023
Former Vice President of the United States Joe Biden speaking with attendees at the 2020 Iowa State Education Association (ISEA) Legislative Conference at the Sheraton West Des Moines Hotel in West Des Moines, Iowa. By Gage Skidmore. Former Vice President of the United States Joe Biden speaking with attendees at the 2020 Iowa State Education Association (ISEA) Legislative Conference at the Sheraton West Des Moines Hotel in West Des Moines, Iowa. By Gage Skidmore.

Trillions - 19FortyFive

Bad News: Next Year’s Social Security Increase Will Be Tiny

While Social Security continues to be an important lifeline for seniors, the program is likely to face a severe financial shortfall in the coming...

October 13, 2023
Donald Trump Donald Trump

Trillions - 19FortyFive

Trump Was Just Hit with a Bad Financial Defeat

The Forbes 400, an annual ranking of America’s top 400 wealthiest individuals, was released Tuesday without a familiar name. Donald Trump, commonly understood to...

October 5, 2023

The Embassy
Merkava Tank from Israel. Image Credit: IDF.

The Embassy

Putin’s Alignment in Middle East Should Signal to Israel It’s Time for a Change of Allegiance

In the ongoing Israel-Hamas war, Russia is – predictably – backing Hamas. Prior to the gruesome Hamas attack on October 7, Russian President Vladimir...

3 days ago
Former Vice President of the United States Joe Biden speaking with supporters at a community event at Sun City MacDonald Ranch in Henderson, Nevada. By Gage Skidmore. Former Vice President of the United States Joe Biden speaking with supporters at a community event at Sun City MacDonald Ranch in Henderson, Nevada. By Gage Skidmore.

The Embassy

Joe Biden Labeling Xi a Dictator Was Right

Video of Secretary of State Antony Blinken grimacing is trending after President Joe Biden called Chinese leader Xi Jinping a dictator during a press...

November 17, 2023
President Joe Biden delivers a keynote address at the National Association of Counties Annual Legislative Conference, Tuesday, February 14, 2023, at the Washington Hilton in Washington, D.C. (Official White House Photo by Adam Schultz) President Joe Biden delivers a keynote address at the National Association of Counties Annual Legislative Conference, Tuesday, February 14, 2023, at the Washington Hilton in Washington, D.C. (Official White House Photo by Adam Schultz)

The Embassy

The U.S. Pivot to Asia Faces More Obstacles

In the early 2010s, then-U.S. President Barack Obama articulated the need for Washington’s foreign policy focus to ‘pivot to Asia’. In 2011, his Secretary...

November 14, 2023
Hamas soldiers. Image Credit: Israeli government. Hamas soldiers. Image Credit: Israeli government.

The Embassy

How to Stop a Mass Movement

Hope. That is what the longshoreman-philosopher Eric Hoffer identified as the propellant for mass movements like Hamas, or for the Chinese and Soviet Communist...

November 6, 2023

Coronavirus
Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Dr. Anthony S. Fauci addresses his remarks and urges citizens to continue to follow the President’s coronavirus guidelines during a coronavirus (COVID-19) briefing Wednesday, April 22, 2020, in the James S. Brady White House Press Briefing Room of the White House. (Official White House Photo by Shealah Craighead)

Coronavirus Chaos

What is Anthony Fauci’s Connection to China?

Senator Tom Cotton (R-AR) has reignited concerns about the relationship between Dr. Anthony Fauci, former Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious...

October 1, 2023
Image Credit: Creative Commons. Image Credit: Creative Commons.

Coronavirus Chaos

Anthony Fauci Doesn’t Expect Mask Mandates to Return

Anthony Fauci, the former head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, does not believe that federal mask mandates will return even...

September 13, 2023
Katie Machado, RN, UCSF Nurse Practitioner Student, collects a nasal sample from a local resident at the Parque Ninos Unidos site. Image Credit: Creative Commons. Katie Machado, RN, UCSF Nurse Practitioner Student, collects a nasal sample from a local resident at the Parque Ninos Unidos site. Image Credit: Creative Commons.

Coronavirus Chaos

The COVID-19 Fear Machine Is Making a Comeback

There has been just enough distance and peace from COVID-19 restrictions and paranoia to let the horrible memories of those terrible two years fade...

August 23, 2023
Putin. Image Credit: Creative Commons. Putin. Image Credit: Creative Commons.

Coronavirus Chaos

Russia Says America Started COVID-19 Pandemic and Plotting a Sequel

Kirillov didn't just suggest that the United States was responsible for the Covid-19 pandemic but also claimed that the Office of Pandemic Preparedness and...

August 16, 2023

Politics News
Donald Trump speaking to supporters at an immigration policy speech at the Phoenix Convention Center in Phoenix, Arizona. Image Credit by Gage Skidmore.

Politics

Criminal Defense Attorney Discusses Pitfalls of Trump’s Cases

In 2024, Donald Trump will face as many as four criminal trials – while at the same time running for president, in a contest...

November 13, 2023
Former Vice President of the United States Joe Biden speaking with attendees at the 2020 Iowa State Education Association (ISEA) Legislative Conference at the Sheraton West Des Moines Hotel in West Des Moines, Iowa. By Gage Skidmore. Former Vice President of the United States Joe Biden speaking with attendees at the 2020 Iowa State Education Association (ISEA) Legislative Conference at the Sheraton West Des Moines Hotel in West Des Moines, Iowa. By Gage Skidmore.

Politics

House Republicans, White House on Government Shutdown Collision Course

House Republicans and the White House once again are on a government-shutdown collision course. The government could shutter on Nov. 18 without a resolution. ...

November 11, 2023
By Gage Skidmore: Donald Trump speaking at CPAC 2011 in Washington, D.C. By Gage Skidmore: Donald Trump speaking at CPAC 2011 in Washington, D.C.

Politics

Top GOP House Member Hits Engoron With Ethics Complaint

A top Republican congresswoman has hit New York Justice Arthur F. Engoron with an ethics complaint due to alleged politicking for the Democratic Party...

November 11, 2023
Donald Trump - Image by Gage Skidmore Donald Trump - Image by Gage Skidmore

Politics

Trump Suggests He Would Prosecute Opponents

It’s believed strongly by former President Donald Trump, and many of his supporters, that the four separate criminal prosecutions of him are politically motivated,...

November 10, 2023

Hermit Kingdom
North Korean Military. Image Credit: Creative Commons.

Hermit Kingdom

Russia’s Leadership Thinks North Korea Is a Great Place to Vacation

If Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has anything to say about it, sunny North Korea may soon become the next hot tourist destination for...

October 20, 2023
North Korean Type 88 Rifle. Image Credit: Creative Commons. North Korean Type 88 Rifle. Image Credit: Creative Commons.

Hermit Kingdom

North Korea’s Special Forces Are Trained Killers

While it is a small, underdeveloped nation by nearly every metric, it nonetheless possesses one of the largest standing armies in the world, counting...

September 28, 2023
North Korean Special Forces. Image Credit: Creative Commons. North Korean Special Forces. Image Credit: Creative Commons.

Hermit Kingdom

North Korea’s Chemical and Biological Weapons Are the Stuff of Nightmares

While analysts mostly focus on the threat of North Korea’s nuclear capabilities, Pyongyang’s arsenal of chemical and Biological weapons is also a worry. 

September 27, 2023
Image of North Korean Leader Kim Jong Un. Image Credit: North Korean State Media. Image of North Korean Leader Kim Jong Un. Image Credit: North Korean State Media.

Hermit Kingdom

North Korea and China Aren’t the Allies You Think They Are

We have a habit of thinking of China and North Korea as allies. Indeed, China’s Mao Zedong once described the two as being “as...

September 26, 2023