An Unimportant Officer

Army will look for false accusations, consider 'credibility' in misconduct cases The Army made some changes to how it investigates misconduct, adding a new fact-finding process called a “credibility assessment.”

This dismaying regulation change will continue to drive women out of the military, harming readiness, retention, and recruitment.

taskandpurpose.com/news/army-15...

The vulnerability of the Straight of Hormuz, and movement of one-fifth of the world’s oil and gas, seems like reason enough to supercharge the energy transition, electrify heat and transport, strip generation of fossil fuels and mitigate its relevance.

Now, that’s understandable, the west coast needs defending, but it isn’t NATO reinforcing expenditure.

It also helps keep the Russian Navy from the east coast. I would contest the US pays proportionately more. Most European nations pay almost all their Defence budgets into the NATO JOA, whereas US west coast, Pacific costs aren’t NATO. 3.4% is more likely 1.2% attributable to NATO collective defence.

Coldstream Guards colours presented.

The kettle drummers of the Household Cavalry Mounted Band in golden State Uniforms.

The King’s Troop Royal Horse Artillery join the parade.

The massed bands of the Foot Guards.

Now that’s what I call a Birthday Parade! Flamboyant costumes, banging tunes, swords, plumes, horses, solid silver drums, colours flying…. The Household Division keepin’ it real for over 270 years.

…Creating an inclusive, cohesive society is just as important a capability programme for serious Defence leaders as the next tank or cyber enabled thingamabob (unless the thingamabob is hunting down disinformation).

Nodded to in the Strategic Defence Review, but division is a national security risk. Yes there will always be disagreement on aims and approaches, but creating deliberate division, spreading disinformation or not taking down misinformation when identified is toxic to democracy…

To be in public office right now is to constantly ask yourself: How do I make sure I'm standing on the right side of history?

There's a simple answer.

The wrong side of history will always tell you to be afraid - the right side of history will always expect you to be brave.

I know the Conservatives need a story to separate them from Reform, but considering if it was not for the ECHR forcing change I would not have been able to serve my country for twenty years, I’ll not be voting for a party with leaving it in their manifesto.

Reactionaries hate universities because they create open-minded liberated people open.substack.com/pub/iandunt/...

Or did the near constant media focus on him force the PM to respond? The media are not passive observers, every report changes the environment. Not a reason to not report clearly, but there’s a feel of self-fulfilling reporting about current coverage.

Anyone who thinks it wise to relax the pressure on Net Zero initiatives and incentives just hasn’t realised how far ahead China already is, from EVs to global lead in solar PV installation. Taking our foot off the metaphorical throttle would just hand our industry to others for a generation.

China is the world’s largest single greenhouse gas emitter.

But now, for the first time, there’s been a shift: The country’s greenhouse gas emissions have actually fallen even as energy demand went up. Learn more: voxdotcom.visitlink.me/9HROrY

Modern stability ops and reconstruction will need tools and funding for fibre optic clean up. We may even need to be able to ‘breach’ cable strewn fields as a deliberate activity like breaching minefields.

I think the militaries will be planning in the background assuming no US commitment. Clearly politicians will amend their narrative as required to bring useful allies to the table, but the planners will be planning with no support as an assumption.

Clearly US guarantees would be invaluable, but trust takes a long time to build and if the allies, or enemy, don’t believe commitments will be honoured then they must plan to be able to go it alone. The situation doesn’t disappear if one ally steps back, it will still need the others to act.

Or use it as the way to boost your own industry so that you never have to buy American again.

While speaking to the West Point graduating class, Trump said, "No one wanted to join the military under Biden".

Everyone in that graduating class started their training during the Biden administration.

Donald Trump is an idiot.

Lady Hale, formerly the Nation’s most senior Judge, makes an important point. In the rush to act, well meaning and disingenuous alike, people make overly cautious or overly bold changes based on a highly technical and limited judgement, both doing harm. After every ruling ask has anything changed.

Yet the countries that routinely come top of the happiest countries lists (typically the Scandinavians) would see her policies pretty unambitious.

Millions of dollars training perfectly competent people to do difficult jobs wasted. Especially as the chance of it being overturned, again, or reversed by a future Administration seem high.

Having tried to understand some of my US friends who genuinely believe AOC is some form of extremist, I just don’t see it. Much of what she appears to represent seems like relatively settled stuff in Europe, where life carries on with more public services, support, culture and history every day.

‘Operation Caged Bird’ takes flight after Naval Academy removes hundreds of books from its library - WTOP News A bookstore and a retired navy commander launch Operation Caged Bird — and no, it’s not a movie plot.

“You can’t handle the truth!”
Amazing that US Naval Academy graduates are teaming up with an Annapolis indie bookstore to enable Midshipmen access to books their library banned. Junior leaders who might’ve walked past these books on the shelves could end up owning copies.
wtop.com/maryland/202...

Europe’s best cities in 2025, revealed One city steals the crown, yet again

‘London’s magnetic appeal continues to draw a global audience, from students and entrepreneurs to tourists and corporate titans,’ One thing I’ve noticed recently is more of us running us down, but when someone actually compares us we’re still pretty great.

A Commander’s Case for Women, Peace, and Security The program makes the military more effective. The secretary of defense thinks it’s “woke.”

"At first, our intelligence analysts didn’t fully understand the dynamics. We couldn’t figure out why women were now involved in this al Qaeda network of death." Women helped answer it. Which is to say, involving women saved American and Iraqi lives.

It’s almost as if DEI (in the US) has grown to actually improve our capabilities…

Anyone throwing the TLA DEI about doesn’t understand how inclusive workplaces & services are regulated in Britain. I’d advise all new councillors to actually read the Equality Act, including their Public Sector Equality Duty, that they have no power to change, and sort the bins.

If those talking down the energy transition and Net Zero adaptation were Victorians there wouldn’t have been an Industrial Revolution. Some proper modern day Luddites talking with confidence on science and engineering they don’t understand.

As an ally, I can’t fathom why you’re letting this happen, it’s basics. Private soldiers can’t do this and they don’t know much, he has Top Secret briefings daily. At what point do we have to walk away? Some will go ahead, but they don’t understand how many US int facilities are in allies territory.

Job cuts delay Pentagon plans to expand work to prevent sex assaults and suicides

Senior officials say personnel cuts across the Defense Dept. will delay plans to hire at least 1,000 more civilians to help prevent sexual assault, suicides and behavior problems within the military.

But officials insist the programs aimed at addressing sexual misconduct so far aren’t affected: