Tag: Pete Hegseth

Trump Claims Venezuelan Airspace Is Closed in Latest Illegal, ‘Dangerous Escalation’

Tina Marie (Ms. Cat)

Policy experts and advocates on Saturday denounced President Donald Trump’s claim that he had ordered the airspace above and around Venezuela “to be closed in its entirety”—an authority the US president does not have but that one analyst said signaled a “scorched earth” policy in the South American country and that others warned could portend imminent airstrikes.

Trump Claims Venezuelan Airspace Is Closed in Latest Illegal, ‘Dangerous Escalation’

Hopefully, when I wake up from my catnap, Venezuela is still there—and not renamed ‘Trump Tower South.’ /s

A Narrow Pacific Waterway is at the Heart of U.S. Plans to Choke China’s Vast Navy +

Tina Marie (Ms. Cat)

Reuters reprint: A Narrow Pacific Waterway is at the Heart of U.S. Plans to Choke China’s Vast Navy

Until recently, locals say, this smallest and least populous province of the Philippines was a peaceful backwater. But geography dictates that it is now on the frontline of the great power competition between the United States and China for dominance in the Asia-Pacific region. The islands sit on the southern edge of the Bashi Channel, a major shipping lane between the Philippines and Taiwan that connects the South China Sea with the Western Pacific.

This year’s exercises revealed how the U.S. and its Philippine ally intend to use ground-based anti-ship missiles as part of efforts to deny the Chinese navy access to the Western Pacific by making this waterway impassable in a conflict, Reuters reporting shows. These missiles could also be used to attack a Chinese fleet attempting to invade Taiwan or mount a blockade against the democratically governed island.

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Recent Chinese maneuvers show how access to the Bashi Channel is critical for Beijing’s plans in the Pacific. In June, a powerful Chinese navy aircraft carrier battle group used this passage to enter the Western Pacific before launching an extended series of exercises south of Japan, according to Japanese military tracking data.

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From Clausewitz to Caracas: What Book Am I Reading Right Now?

Tina Marie (Ms. Cat)

What book are you reading right now?

I was supposed to be reading Clausewitz and the People’s War. Instead, I got completely derailed when I discovered Joseph Stalin’s opinion that Clausewitz was outdated—and promptly lost hours investigating that controversial claim.

Reading will have to wait for another day, as I’m too exhausted. My real focus right now is finishing the Venezuela article I started before this detour. I need to get it done fast; before the infamous Kegseth (whose ego needs $2B to stoke) orders the U.S. Military to launch a decapitation strike on the country.

So, while Clausewitz and the People’s War waits on the shelf, the focus is purely on Caracas. Wish me luck in beating Kegseth to the punch. Once that article is finally filed, maybe I’ll finally have the mental space to get back to my reading.

The Pentagon’s IPO for War: Now With 100% More Cowbell

Tina Marie (Ms. Cat)

The Pentagon’s acquisition system is being overhauled into a “Warfighting Acquisition System,” turbocharging weapons production, slashing bureaucracy, and empowering officials to deliver arms at “wartime speed.” Portfolio Acquisition Executives now wield sweeping authority, startups are courted like prom queens, and the defense industrial base is being rebranded as Silicon Valley with missiles.

So much for the “peace president”—Trump’s arsenal of freedom looks more like an IPO for war, where venture capital meets missile launchers and bureaucrats cosplay as battlefield commanders.

Forging the Arsenal of Freedom

Related:

FoRGED Act Documentation