defense

Moving through the ranks of military activity including infrastructure, wars, our commander in chief and the nucleur arms race.

Five Days at the Podium: The Shortest White House Press Secretary Tenure in Memory
Katie Zacharia did not move to Washington. She had not even packed. Five days after President Trump handed her the job of White House press secretary in an Oval Office meeting, she was standing on the South Lawn while Marine One idled behind her, listening to the president of the United States tell reporters that he had advised her to “reconsider” her career choice. “Honestly, if I were you, I’d reconsider,” Trump said, recounting the conversation. “Katie, do you need this? I don’t think you need this.” Hours later, the White House confirmed she was “transitioning into a new role.” She had started on Monday. It was Friday. Anthony Scaramucci’s eleven-day record, the benchmark of Trump-world humiliation for nearly a decade, had been cut in half.
By Jin4 days ago in The Swamp
When a Society Stops Replacing Itself: The Consequences of Declining Birthrates and the Path Toward Recovery. AI-Generated.
Introduction: The Consequences of a Changing Population In Part One, we examined the changes that reshaped American family formation across more than sixty years. From the expansion of contraception and changing marriage laws to rising living expenses, declining religious participation, increasing chronic illness, digital socialization, changing relationships between men and women, and the growing complexity of raising children, numerous developments have contributed to the conditions surrounding modern reproduction.
By Peter Thwing - Host of the FST Podcast6 days ago in The Swamp
Saudi Arabia Paid Billions for Protection. Then a Missile Hit Aramco’s Headquarters.
On the night of October 13, 2026, a ballistic missile struck an administrative building in Saudi Aramco’s headquarters compound. The fire began on the ninth floor of the south wing and spread between the sixth and tenth floors. Reuters, citing three people familiar with the matter, said the top three floors were severely damaged. That area includes the office of CEO Amin Nasser. Parts of the ceilings collapsed. Doors and windows were blown out. The fire burned until the early hours of October 14.
By Jin11 days ago in The Swamp
Japan Just Changed One Word. That Word Could Reshape Asia’s Balance of Power.
I. What a Single Word Means On October 7, 2026, Kyodo News published an exclusive. Several people familiar with the matter said the Japanese government is considering adding language about “discussing the introduction of nuclear-powered submarines by the Self-Defense Forces” to the three security documents it plans to revise this year.
By Jin14 days ago in The Swamp
The Night the Sirens Didn’t Sound: Saudi Arabia’s $83 Billion Air Defense Failed When It Mattered Most
On the afternoon of October 10, 2026, explosions were heard near Terminal 3 of King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh. Travelers scattered. The confirmed toll: 12 dead and 309 injured. The dead included citizens of Saudi Arabia, Bangladesh, the United States, Egypt, Jordan, Palestine, Syria, and Sudan. It was the third attack on the airport in a week. On October 6–8, the same airport and Abha International Airport in southwestern Saudi Arabia had already been hit twice. Four people died, dozens were injured, and a Saudi Arabian Airlines passenger plane caught fire on the tarmac.
By Jin15 days ago in The Swamp
Trump Put Taiwan’s Weapons on the Bargaining Table
1. The signature that never came In May 2026, Donald Trump returned to Washington after meeting Chinese President Xi Jinping.
By Jin20 days ago in The Swamp
I Remember Y2K. I Think We’re Doing It Again With AI.
I think about Y2K a lot lately. I remember people genuinely panicking as 1999 came to an end. Computers supposedly was not going to understand that the year had changed from 1999 to 2000. Systems would crash! Banks could fail! Everything connected to a computer might suddenly stop working!
By Cadma22 days ago in The Swamp
G7 released 100 million barrels of oil. Diesel is still the problem.
The first 20 days are diesel. The next four months are a political countdown. One line in the G7 statement is easy to miss: during the first 20 days, the group will release diesel reserves in a concentrated way.
By Jin23 days ago in The Swamp
Spain Is Moving Closer to China. What It Reveals About Europe’s Strategic Divide
Barcelona offers the first clue Barcelona spent five days in September doing something that would have been unusual in an earlier phase of Europe-China relations.
By Jin24 days ago in The Swamp
The 6:1 Ratio: Inside the Cabinet Room Where Praise Replaced Policy
One in Six I January 29, 2026. The White House Cabinet Room. The cameras were already in place. Reporters had been allowed into a space that would normally be used for closed-door discussions of sensitive matters. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said to the camera: "What happened in Afghanistan, the war in Ukraine, under President Trump, they would never happen. The tragedy of October 7 in Israel would never have happened either."
By Jin24 days ago in The Swamp
The US Left Iraq After 23 Years. Here’s What It Left Behind.
The last US troops left Iraq on a Wednesday. The date was September 30, 2026. The military presence that began with the March 2003 invasion had lasted 23 years.
By Jin24 days ago in The Swamp
Europe Is Building the Weapon It Once Called Illegal
I In 1987, the United States launched a Section 301 investigation into the European Community. In 1989, based on that investigation, Washington imposed retaliatory tariffs on the EC. In December 1998, the United States again invoked Section 301 to impose unilateral sanctions totaling $520 million on imports from the EU, including handbags and cashmere wool products.
By Jin27 days ago in The Swamp