. Vice President JD Vance “No more undefined missions, no more open-ended conflicts. We’re returning to a strategy grounded in realism and protecting our core national interests.”

An interesting tidbit from the latest Institute for the Study of War readout: “Ukrainian Air Force Spokesperson Colonel Yurii Ihnat stated on May 24 that Ukrainian forces are struggling to use Patriot air defense systems to down modified Russian Iskander-M ballistic missiles due to recent

The collapse of the Kursk salient does not mark the end of the second axis of battle. Russia appears to be readying a right hook. Could be a feint, or it could be the real thing. The uptick in glide bombing and drone attacks are a bad signal; Russian production rates are rising

Relevant? I think so…the hypothetical collapse of Ukraine would increase pressure on NATO’s Eastern and Southern Flanks, which in the long term might spur Euro-rearming, but in the short term would demand more resources from us. Yet China-Taiwan remains US strategic priority #1

« Eh bien, voilà au moins qui n’est pas banal! » -Joseph Gallieni as Military Governor of Paris, on the 600 taxis requisitioned for service ferrying 6,000 French troops to the front, in a legendary episode to strike von Kluck’s army at the Battle of the Marne, 1914.

It’s been a season of setbacks. The thought to quit is always there. But it’s the courage to fight again, to continue, to just keep standing when you’ve done all else. Victory started when you didn’t surrender. One day this too shall be history. Let it record right was done.

Not to be too pedantic (I’m a Reaganite), nor to lecture someone who was there (I wasn’t born yet), but there’s an important difference here. Reagan didn’t *collapse* the Soviet Union, he fostered an environment where it *disintegrated*. Important difference. Using Gorbachev’s

Credit to Secretary Rutte for this historic stance. President Trump has led our European partners towards the biggest increase in NATO defense commitments of the modern era. A stronger alliance starts with deeper, more robust Euro military capabilities. Major win for all 🇺🇸🇪🇺

This week marks the debut of a new format for my Distant Shores Substack: smaller sections, broken into three main categories: Homeland, which will focus on national security and politics here in the U.S. Friendly Shores, which will focus on commentary and analysis pertaining

One of the best synopsis you will hear on the subject of deindustrialization👇

Important points:

I’m no expert on trade, but it would seem to me that the best strategy for calibrating pressure against the CCP would consist, at least in part, on fast tracking trade agreements among the QUAD. Indeed, a trade deal(s) between the US, India, Japan, & Australia could make QUAD-T.

If you want to know what Trump 2.0 means for US Defense Interests in the Indo-Pacific, then watch this speech. 📺 🇺🇸👇

For those of you who have followed or supported Elbridge Colby (now Under Secretary of Defense Elbridge Colby) this is the core of his landmark text: The Strategy of Denial. Not dominance of China. Not destabilization. Deterrence via denial defense unto a “decent peace.”

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If you think the future of US-West Asia relationships rests on oil, it’s time to update the paradigm. AI has changed geopolitics already. “Compute not crude” is the new demand/supply Mohammed Soliman 🎯