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Dr Emma Salisbury

@salisbot.bsky.social

Naval Iconoclast, Military-Industrial Expert Foreign Policy Research Institute, Royal Navy Strategic Studies Centre, War on the Rocks

6,509 Followers  |  680 Following  |  1,749 Posts  |  Joined: 23.06.2023
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Posts by Dr Emma Salisbury (@salisbot.bsky.social)

Had some friends ask if they need to watch the last two World Wars to catch up before this one, but I told them they can probably stick to the Gulf War spin-off series if they're short on time

02.03.2026 21:36 β€” πŸ‘ 66    πŸ” 3    πŸ’¬ 3    πŸ“Œ 0

IFF but both Fs stand for foe

02.03.2026 12:49 β€” πŸ‘ 17    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 3    πŸ“Œ 0
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Iran War: U.S. Military Confirms 3 F-15 Jets Were Shot Down By β€˜Friendly Fire’ (Live) The U.S.-Israel war against Iran escalated on Monday as Tehran expanded its retaliatory strikes targeting U.S.-allied countries in the Middle East, including Kuwait and Saudi Arabia.

However badly your day is going, it is not going as badly as the day of the Kuwaiti military top brass

www.forbes.com/sites/siladi...

02.03.2026 12:19 β€” πŸ‘ 62    πŸ” 10    πŸ’¬ 5    πŸ“Œ 5
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Friends don't let friends experience a geopolitical crisis without sending personalised memes

02.03.2026 07:31 β€” πŸ‘ 46    πŸ” 1    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
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If you can spot all the ways in which this list from CENTCOM dealt me psychic damage, you win a small prize

01.03.2026 21:21 β€” πŸ‘ 29    πŸ” 1    πŸ’¬ 8    πŸ“Œ 1

CENTCOM: INDOPACOM must lay down their weapons

01.03.2026 19:39 β€” πŸ‘ 51    πŸ” 8    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 0
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For the nerds

28.02.2026 08:32 β€” πŸ‘ 1118    πŸ” 145    πŸ’¬ 11    πŸ“Œ 5
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As a professional military strategist, I just wanted to make sure everyone has a full understanding of the American strategy in Iran, thank you for your attention to this matter

28.02.2026 08:27 β€” πŸ‘ 6143    πŸ” 1819    πŸ’¬ 156    πŸ“Œ 94

For an administration that is trying so hard to change the Department of Defense to the Department of War, it's amazing how reluctant they are to say "war."

Department of Major Combat Operations won't fit on the sign, I guess.

28.02.2026 08:03 β€” πŸ‘ 104    πŸ” 23    πŸ’¬ 5    πŸ“Œ 1
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The first US strikes on Tehran look to be TLAMs launched from USN ships in the Gulf.

28.02.2026 07:55 β€” πŸ‘ 53    πŸ” 14    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 2

He wants his Warmonger badge

27.02.2026 15:25 β€” πŸ‘ 16    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0

Innovation is not the preserve of the great powers, and lowers the cost of entry to fighting them

26.02.2026 19:31 β€” πŸ‘ 45    πŸ” 11    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 1

If you want to read something that runs the full gamut from misguided to just plain incorrect, boy do I have a recommendation for you

26.02.2026 17:53 β€” πŸ‘ 78    πŸ” 9    πŸ’¬ 5    πŸ“Œ 2

A better cosplay if I cause a senior officer to yell "GODDAMNIT"

26.02.2026 15:49 β€” πŸ‘ 4    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
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a group of men in military uniforms are walking on a tarmac ALT: a group of men in military uniforms are walking on a tarmac

Royal Navy: "No photography will be permitted on your visit to the aircraft carrier."

Me: *sadly packing away my Maverick cosplay*

26.02.2026 14:10 β€” πŸ‘ 42    πŸ” 1    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 0

Hearing that the US Fifth Fleet is dispersing out of Bahrain.

Here we go again (derogatory)

25.02.2026 20:35 β€” πŸ‘ 44    πŸ” 5    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 1
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a lego batman says no i don t wanna do that ALT: a lego batman says no i don t wanna do that

I am aware that I should catch up on the SOTU speech because it's, like, my job, but ughhh

25.02.2026 15:58 β€” πŸ‘ 30    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 5    πŸ“Œ 0

That went very well for him, right? (No spoilers)

24.02.2026 20:53 β€” πŸ‘ 4    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0

I mean, he's technically correct

24.02.2026 20:38 β€” πŸ‘ 37    πŸ” 3    πŸ’¬ 6    πŸ“Œ 0
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a black and white photo of a man in a tuxedo asking , `` you rang ? '' ALT: a black and white photo of a man in a tuxedo asking , `` you rang ? ''
23.02.2026 12:11 β€” πŸ‘ 1    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 0

We're always told that people get more conservative as they get older, but the longer I spend in this timeline the more I wonder whether we should just eat the rich.

21.02.2026 08:34 β€” πŸ‘ 66    πŸ” 5    πŸ’¬ 9    πŸ“Œ 0
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a little girl is making a funny face while sitting at a table with potted plants . ALT: a little girl is making a funny face while sitting at a table with potted plants .

"Will bombing Iran be a distraction from the child sex trafficking or the economic suicide?"

20.02.2026 19:09 β€” πŸ‘ 35    πŸ” 9    πŸ’¬ 3    πŸ“Œ 0
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Ford carrier group arrives in Mediterranean, bringing more potential strike options against Iran The arrival of the Gerald R. Ford Carrier Strike Group in the Mediterranean Sea brings a naval firepower boost as the U.S. amasses airstrike capabilities in the Middle East amid rising tensions with I...

My first outing in Stars and Stripes, talking about US strike options in Iran:

www.stripes.com/branches/nav...

20.02.2026 14:54 β€” πŸ‘ 11    πŸ” 1    πŸ’¬ 3    πŸ“Œ 0

This this this, it's the best

19.02.2026 22:31 β€” πŸ‘ 35    πŸ” 5    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 0

I have been asked to clarify that this is not meant to be offensive to weasels as a species, merely as a comment on their strategic acumen when stuffed in a bag, thank you for your attention to this matter

19.02.2026 21:13 β€” πŸ‘ 56    πŸ” 1    πŸ’¬ 3    πŸ“Œ 0

I've done a lot of interviews about this now - every journalist asks me what's going to happen.

I tell them that if this were literally any other administration, I'd be able to make a confident prediction, but the US is currently run by the functional equivalent of several weasels in a bag so 😬

19.02.2026 21:02 β€” πŸ‘ 54    πŸ” 12    πŸ’¬ 4    πŸ“Œ 1

Sadly no, but that does make things easier!

19.02.2026 19:04 β€” πŸ‘ 1    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
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a little girl is laughing with her fist in the air while wearing a vest and tie . ALT: a little girl is laughing with her fist in the air while wearing a vest and tie .

I am visiting an aircraft carrier next month and I am being exactly as chill as you'd expect about it because I am a **professional**

19.02.2026 18:42 β€” πŸ‘ 64    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 2    πŸ“Œ 0
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a cartoon dog is sitting at a table with a cup of coffee surrounded by fire . ALT: a cartoon dog is sitting at a table with a cup of coffee surrounded by fire .

Multiple press interviews today about US carrier deployments in the Middle East, love being an expert on scary shit

19.02.2026 16:45 β€” πŸ‘ 35    πŸ” 2    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 0

What we ban here in Europe is mainly stuff in the neo-Nazi realm so this sounds an awful lot like VΓΆlkischer Beobachter dot gov

19.02.2026 09:15 β€” πŸ‘ 34    πŸ” 10    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0