Frank O'Donnell

From 2022 when Biden's NPR was released - comparing selected hardware changes between Obama-Trump 1-Biden.

USDP confirms no NPR and says "I think the [nuclear] declaratory policy and so forth from the first Trump term was very good" subscriber.politicopro.com/article/2026...

U.S. Troops Killed in Kuwait Had No Warning of Deadly Drone Attack A single Iranian suicide drone hit a commercial port in Kuwait, killing at least six servicemembers.

U.S. troops working at a tactical operations center at a commercial port in Kuwait on Sunday had no warning that a deadly Iranian drone was headed straight toward them.

Smart play from Colby would be to lay out the multiverse theory

Military officials question fortifications at site where U.S. troops were killed in Iranian strike The first American service members to die in the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran were killed in an apparent Iranian drone attack on a makeshift office space in Kuwait, sources told CBS News.

On the 6 US troops who died at Shuaiba port in Kuwait: Troops asked for more drone defeat capabilities, none came. It was recommended that the makeshift tactical operations center not be used because it was hard to defend and concentrated too many troops in one place. www.cbsnews.com/news/iran-st...

Polish sources have the final sentence as "As our own autonomous capabilities grow, we will also strive to prepare Poland in the future for the most autonomous actions *possible* in this matter."

In any case, this is proper nuclear hedging talk.

www.polskieradio.pl/399/7975/Art...

Conceptualizing and Measuring Geopolitical Alignments A vast literature examines how geopolitical alignments influence militarized conflict, trade, investment, aid, and other outcomes in international relations. Yet, considerable ambiguity remains regard...

Conceptualizing and Measuring Geopolitical Alignments - www.annualreviews.org/content/jour...

U.S. troops killed amid Iranian counterattack, fueling air defense fears U.S. forces say they have hit 1,000 targets over the past two days in a race to take out Iran’s ability to threaten American personnel and allies across the Middle East.

"There is anxiety among senior leaders that fighting will extend for weeks, stressing limited U.S. air defense stockpiles. 'There is concern about this lasting more than a few days. I don’t think people have fully absorbed what that has done with stockpiles.'"
www.washingtonpost.com/national-sec...

“In 2010, Darrah was accused of stealing cash from drivers he stopped while working as a Brockton patrol officer, including from an intoxicated man who was being taken to a detox center from his home. … In February 2011, he pleaded guilty to extortion and larceny charges.”

Volume 5, Number 3, Winter 2025​ Editor’s Introduction Rahul Mukherji Guest Editor’s Introduction: Domestic Change and Foreign Policy in Contemporary India Rohan Mukherjee RESEARCH Provincializing India’s Foreign Policy: Unpacking ...

Honored to have contributed to this excellent collection edited by @rohanmukherjee.bsky.social of papers looking at how domestic changes have shaped India's foreign policy over time but especially the last decade. I focused on the regional origins of India's FP

www.ippjournal.org/volume-5-num...

Security Studies Law, Ethics, and Nuclear Weapons. Volume 34, Issue 5 of Security Studies

What role should law and ethics play in nuclear deterrence today? A special issue of Security Studies brings together insights from a two-year project & workshops on nuclear law, ethics, & policy, highlighting questions for the future of nuclear politics.
www.tandfonline.com/toc/fsst20/3...

CSBA report on the "inadequacy of Western munition stocks" and how the "U.S. military has encountered difficulties meeting its PGM demands in nearly every campaign since their adoption".
csbaonline.org/uploads/docu...
It then goes through multiple scenarios to detail how bad it gets.

“Annihilate their Navy’ ≠ ‘war,’ duh”

U.S. May Relocate South Korea's THAAD, Patriot Systems to Middle East U.S. May Relocate South Koreas THAAD, Patriot Systems to Middle East Experts warn prolonged conflict may strain South Koreas defenses against North Korea

U.S. May Relocate South Korea's THAAD, Patriot Systems to Middle East; Experts warn prolonged conflict may strain South Korea's defenses against North Korea www.chosun.com/english/nati...

French President Emmanuel Macron has just given a truly remarkable speech on France's nuclear policy at a moment of great anxiety in Europe. I wanted to offer an early comment. Welcome to the age of 'Dissuasion Avancée' in Europe.

New post: panda.substack.com/p/dissuasion...

There was a plan!

"On how long the war might last, the president said, “I don’t want to see it go on too long. I always thought it would be four weeks. And we’re a little ahead of schedule.”

Real Schlieffen Plan vibes here - edition.cnn.com/2026/03/02/p...

Macron says France will increase size of its nuclear arsenal France will increase the size of its nuclear arsenal and strengthen its deterrent, with an increasing risk of conflicts globally crossing the nuclear threshold, President Emmanuel Macron said on Monday.

Macron says France will increase size of its nuclear arsenal reut.rs/4bnAEpJ

To sum up the gist of Macron's nuclear speech: he is offering to forward-deploy the air leg of French nuclear forces to the territory of European allies. Decision-making will remain with the French president, and the arrangement will exist outside of NATO.

He call this "forward deterrence."

1970s ad: GUESS WHO'S BUILDING NUCLEAR POWER PLANTS. The Shah of Iran is sitting on top of one of the largest reservoirs of oil in the world. Yet he's building two nuclear plants and planning two more to provide electricity for his country. He knows the oil is running out - and time with it. But he wouldn't build the plants now if he doubted their safety. He'd wait. As many Americans want to do. The Shah knows that nuclear energy is not only economical, it has enjoyed a remarkable 30-year safety record. A record that was good enough for the citizens of Plymouth, Massachusetts, too. They've approved their second nuclear plant by a vote of almost 4 to 1. Which shows you don't have to go as far as Iran for an endorsement of nuclear power. NUCLEAR ENERGY. TODAY'S ANSWER.

Fun ad from the 70s

UK Hosts Senior NATO Leaders to discuss Nuclear Deterrence NATO officials discussed the Alliance's approach to nuclear deterrence and Euro-Atlantic security in flagship meeting on 27 February.

While waiting for Macron’s speech on French nuke role, and following uncertainty about US commitment to defend NATO, UK convene NATO officials to discuss the future of nuclear deterrence in Europe. www.gov.uk/government/n...

Hell of a chart, this, from @financialtimes.com. Spot the JCPOA.

on.ft.com/4kSuQYO

Arches National Park, with some of the examples of the kind of profoundly weird rock formations in Utah that Bill Watterson said inspired his Spaceman Spiff alien landscapes in “Calvin and Hobbes” -

First Nations rock markings, Arches National Park -

More Canyonlands -

Canyonlands National Park -

The drive to Moab gave strong Springsteen “Nebraska” album cover vibes -

Bryce Canyon National Park -