@thedailybeast Those tailored outfits don’t pay for themselves!
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Stephen Rodriguez
6.4K posts
Stephen Rodriguez
@steverod78
Investor @DCVC / Founder @One_Defense / Commission Director @AtlanticCouncil / Life Member @CFR_org
Washington, DC Katılım Mart 2011
349 Takip Edilen1.1K Takipçiler
EXCLUSIVE | Trump’s former top Border Patrol officer, Gregory Bovino, chose to quit rather than face multiple investigations into his conduct, according to a DHS insider.
trib.al/2swG8C3
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🤯📈Holy shit y’all. Ukraine has arrived.
Read more about @getswarmer IPO ft. interview with cofounder and US CEO Alex Fink in @tectonicdefense👇
tectonicdefense.com/swarmer-goes-p…
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Great news...and SHAME on the folks who drove these great Americans out of the building in the first place! 🇺🇸
Justin Logan@JustinTLogan
Very happy to see that justice, though delayed, has been done here. And congrats to Dan and ODNI. nytimes.com/2026/03/16/us/…
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Man City when another club gets fined before they do
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Hear me out: I have the funniest possible idea for how Lindsey Graham could help end the war.
New York Post@nypost
Trump briefed that Iran's new supreme leader Mojtaba Khamenei is probably gay - and president has priceless reaction trib.al/MugVpH6
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@DataRepublican @CynicalPublius As someone who knows a lot of these folks personally, it would be great to have a debate on service college reform. Probably too late for this now, but I’d genuinely be interested in a thoughtful discussion. 🇺🇸
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Hello Mr. Evans,
Today, War on the Rocks published a "rebuttal" which disclosed the real-life identity of @CynicalPublius . What the article did not mention: you had already posted his name on Bluesky before the WOTR piece published. The WOTR article cited his being “already known” as justification for printing his name. The person who made him “already known” was you. You manufactured the predicate for your own publication’s decision.
You then blocked me. And then called me out. Repeatedly. You engaged me, mentioned me, tagged me — even said publicly that you were looking forward to what I had written about War on the Rocks.
Blocking someone on a platform and then continuing to publicly engage them is not what a person who wants to be left alone does. It is what a person who wants the attention without the accountability does.
You're framing your own just desserts as a “mass witch hunt” initiated by a Hello post I addressed to Brad Duplessis, your contributor, who named Cynical Publius in his debut WOTR piece without disclosing that Anderson’s recommendations for War College reform included eliminating the kind of permanent civilian faculty position Duplessis holds.
You are being dunked on because of what you did to Cynical Publius, not because of anything I wrote. Blaming the letter for the blowback is like blaming the smoke alarm for the fire.
Cynical Publius wrote that military institutions had drifted from their original professional mission toward ideological conformity and required reform. You responded by publishing his name. The question your letter to me does not answer — and the question a lot of people are now asking — is why an outlet that once existed to challenge that kind of institutional behavior became the one enforcing it.
You yourself provide answers to that question.
You launched War on the Rocks because you understood something true: the United States had spent two decades losing wars it shouldn't have lost.
Twelve years later, when a pseudonymous retired Army officer argues that the War Colleges have drifted from warfighting competence toward ideological conformity, the platform you built publishes his name in the opening sentence.
That is not an accident of character. It is how institutions stop being able to learn. Armies that cannot receive criticism cannot conduct honest after-action review. Institutions that cannot correct what they're getting wrong keep losing — and keep being surprised that they're losing, because the people tasked with explaining the failures are the same people defending the institutions that produced them.
In short: Mr. Evans, you have been captured by the foreign policy expert class has presided over Afghanistan, Iraq, and Libya. And you don't even realize it.
Wake up.
And be on the lookout for a Substack article where I explain your history more thoroughly.
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What I look forward to most about the upcoming @DataRepublican dossier on @WarOnTheRocks is learning about what happened to all their children.
They launched with an article by the Carlyle Group insider, can’t find his articles anymore
Then big money sponsors like BoozeAllen 🧐
Then they launched a massive deal with West Point to launch a Modern War Institute, but mentions of the link between the two have disappeared
They had frequent articles by USNA faculty, most of them have been removed from the site
They started a podcast with a die hard never Trumper… that moved to a think tank
They had a second publication, @TXNatSecReview, based out of the most radical military studies school on the planet - University of Texas Austin, which recently gave a PhD to West Point Communist Spenser Rapone - but the two websites are no longer is linked.
It seems they launch lots of social experiments then drop them.
I’m not saying there aren’t legitimate reasons for all these divestitures… just, as a publisher, looking forward to learning what happened and some lessons learned.
John Ʌ Konrad V@johnkonrad
Wow, just wow The most absolutely bonkers and TDS infused podcast on national security I have heard ever I am so absolutely fed up with the war on the rocks crowd that I cannot even begin to explain it This episode literally ends with zach claiming that the Trump class battleship is not a lethal platform. 🤯 Then he somehow twisted that to say he’s tired of being called an academic who doesn’t focus on lethality. These people, and I’m not just talking about Zach, but the entire war on the rocks establishment, are the living epitome of Rumsfeld saying “we don’t know what we don’t know” Every marine I’ve talked to wants gunfire support, but they don’t even talk about the absolute massive amount of lethal steel that could be put on shore by this battleship But that’s not even what made me pull off to the side of the road on a 6 Hour Drive back from DC to write this. Nor is the fact that Chris Prebble says we can’t put 70,000 people in a shipyard but completely neglect the fact we have well over TWICE the population in this nation we had when we last built battleships Nor is the fact that they have not talked to one person who has actually built a more techologically advanced ship this size or bigger on time and on budget. (E.g. me) What drives me absolutely batshit is that war on the rocks either get the logistical considerations completely wrong or, more often than not like here, just wave them off and pretend they do not exist Dear Zack WE DO NOT HAVE OILERS WE DO NOT HAVE AMMO SHIPS We can’t even steal tankers and use them because the entire world has a shortage of oil tankers right now. WE NEED HULL SPACE TO CARRY MAGAZINE DEPTH AND FUEL why is this so motherfucking difficult for the think tank crowd to wrap their heads around? And Preble is yelling at the Admirals for not speaking up against BBs???? How dislocated from what goes on in the Pentagon do you have to be to make that assessment Chris? I am really trying hard to think of a single admiral who did not kick and scream about this idea when it first started circulating around the Pentagon two years ago @JerryHendrixII can give you a list of admirals, active & retired, who spoke in direct opposition to this. What changed? THE FACT WE CANNOT RELOAD VLS CELLS OR REFUEL ENOUGH CARRIER STRIKE GROUPS AT SEA And I know this podcast is aware of the problem because Melanie mentions following @mercoglianos who has done more than any single person on the entire planet to highlight the oiler problem Not to mention the fact that choke points are lighting up around the world, and it wasn’t a carrier strike group that was able to protect ships going through the Red Sea It was destroyers and frigates with missiles and deck guns that ran out of ammo and fuel so they had to retreat In his defense, Zach does make an attempt to defend the arsenal ship aspect of this, but makes zero mention of that French frigate shot down $20,000 drones with deck guns No mention of the fact that a ship of any size can carry a lot more artillery projectiles than you can ever put in VLS cells for. Zero mention of the fact that even if you had 300 VSL cells on an arsenal ship it it’s still not enough artillery for a Marine Corps beach landing….. something you are going to have to do to secure a choke point in a a real war Combing VLS with deck guns solves that problem and MUCH BIGGER FUEL TANKS gives you more energy density OVER TIME Guys, please for the love of God stop making assumptions. The assumption that admirals did not push back on this is the craziest assumption I have heard in a long line of bad assumptions this past year. They fought it tooth and nail They fought untill really smart logistics people briefed them on why this is the only solution to secure these choke points And until people with real experience building ships more complicated than an aircraft carrier explained how this can be done “Admirals rolled over for trump” GMAFB
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Stephen Rodriguez retweetledi
Apple spent a decade gluing batteries into $2,499 MacBook Pros. Then it shipped a $599 laptop you can take apart in six minutes.
The MacBook Neo teardown numbers are wild. Eight screws to open. Eighteen screws hold the battery, zero glue, zero tape. The USB-C ports, speakers, and headphone jack are all modular, meaning each one swaps individually. The speakers come out with four screws. An Australian repair channel disassembled most of the machine in under six minutes using standard Torx bits you can buy at any hardware store.
For context, the 2019 MacBook Pro scored 2 out of 10 on iFixit’s repairability scale. The 16-inch Pro got a 1 out of 10. Soldered RAM, soldered storage, glued battery, proprietary pentalobe screws, keyboard riveted to the top case. Apple’s own Self Service Repair program required you to rent a 79-pound repair kit shipped in two Pelican cases just to swap a battery.
The timing explains everything. The EU Right to Repair Directive takes effect July 31, 2026. Member states are transposing it into national law right now. Manufacturers must offer repair beyond warranty, provide spare parts within 5 to 10 working days for seven years, and publish repair manuals. In the US, over a quarter of Americans already live in states with enforceable Right to Repair laws. Oregon banned parts pairing. California’s act is in effect.
Apple read the regulatory calendar and realized the cheapest laptop in the lineup would face the most scrutiny. Millions of students and first-time buyers will own it. The volume will be enormous. And regulators love consumer-protection cases involving the most affordable products in a company’s portfolio.
So they built the Neo as the compliance flagship. Standard screws, modular ports, no adhesive, a battery that lifts out. Meanwhile the $1,099 MacBook Air still has soldered storage and a riveted keyboard. The $2,499 Pro still scores poorly on independent repairability scales.
The $599 laptop is the most repairable MacBook in over a decade. Apple always knew how to build a repairable laptop. They just needed a reason that showed up on a regulatory deadline.
MacRumors.com@MacRumors
MacBook Neo Teardown: Modular Ports, Glue-Less Battery, Zero Tape macrumors.com/2026/03/12/mac…
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Stephen Rodriguez retweetledi
.@steverod78 outlining the future of the Army at @tectonicdefense
With Sam Spencer-Pittman, Army FUZE, Casey Perley, Executive Director AAL, and BG Anthony Gibbs, CPE Mission Autonomy
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@Julie_Bush_ @barratt_dewey @PeteModi @tectonicdefense I’m on the morning of the first day. See you then.
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War doesn't wait. Speed is 𝘵𝘩𝘦 strategic advantage.
Thrilled to join David Rothzeid, @PeteModi, Devin Bohanan, and Lt. Col. Tim Trimailo at the @tectonicdefense summit to discuss what’s actually accelerating fielding today.
Join us on Thursday, 2:45PM–3:15PM.
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@tectonicdefense @barratt_dewey Best kept secret between Israel and the USA 🇺🇸
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Fresh off raising $5.3M in January, R2Wireless announced that it’s tacked on another $5M in a new round led by Origin Ventures, with participation from Spring Rock Capital, Corner Ventures, and Exitfund, bringing total funding to $13M.
tectonicdefense.com/exclusive-r2-w…
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Corey Lewandowski looks to have been comfortably in the middle of the money flowing through Noem’s controversial $240 million ad campaign. bloomberg.com/news/features/…
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*throwing more money at the problem* #zeroinnovation
The Spectator Index@spectatorindex
BREAKING: Trump says the largest US military firms agreed to quadruple production of 'exquisite class' weaponry
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Stephen Rodriguez retweetledi
This is an ASTONISHING level of corruption.
DHS handed a $143 MILLION no-bid contract to a company that was 8 days old, with no headquarters, no website, no prior federal work, and an address linked to a residence of a political operative.
That company then subcontracted with a firm whose CEO is married to Noem's former Assistant Secretary — the same official who ran the DHS office that awarded the contract.
And what did taxpayers get for $143 million of their money? Ads featuring Kristi Noem on horseback in front of Mount Rushmore.
It was long past time for Noem to go. To whoever comes next: we will watch every contract and dollar, and we intend to hold you accountable for all of it.
Acyn@Acyn
Neguse: Where is this company headquartered? Noem: I don’t know. Neguse: I don’t know either. We can’t find it. We did find an address that’s registered to a political operative. This company that received 143 million dollars was incorporated 8 days before this contract went out. You want the American people to believe that this is all above board, that $143 million of taxpayer money just happened to go to this one company that doesn't have a headquarters, doesn't have a website, has never done work for the federal government before and is registered apparently or attached to a residence from a political operative, and of course one of the subcontractors of that contract, as you know, is a political firm that's tied to, to you back when you were governor of South Dakota?
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The full on proxy war has gone to the next level - this feels like 1914
OSINTdefender@sentdefender
In addition to intelligence support and targeting data provided to Iran by Russia, the United States has also received intelligence suggesting that China may be preparing to join the ongoing conflict in the Middle East, providing Iran with financial assistance, spare parts and missile components, three people familiar with the matter told CNN. China relies heavily on Iranian oil and has reportedly been pressuring Tehran to allow safe passage for vessels through the Strait of Hormuz.
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America Lost An Infamous Wargame To Iran.
That’s Why We’re Winning Now. dailywire.com/news/america-l…
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I've known Cameron for 36 years and when he locks in on something, get out of the way.
I asked him if he's excited to have founded a unicorn (as first check alongside @Lux_Capital, I am 😃).
He characteristically pivoted to a product update he's excited about and a customer they just partnered with.
When you meet the @Nominal_io team, you see how special this culture is. They lead with their heart. @CameronLMcCord is intense about the mission and generous with the people around him.
Now it is increasingly clear that he's building a generational company.
All systems Nominal 🚀
Cameron McCord@CameronLMcCord
Ambition is timeless. Tools are not. Today we are announcing an $80M acceleration round at a $1B valuation led by @foundersfund, with participation from @sequoia @generalcatalyst @Lux_Capital @RedGlass @lightspeedvp Avenir, and @Haystack. In the last year, we grew revenue 7x, added some of the world’s most serious hardware enterprises, and built over twice the new product surface area than in our prior two years combined. The most ambitious and fastest-moving hardware teams choose Nominal, from aerospace to energy, and automotive to defense, because it helps them learn faster and scale more efficiently. Our mission is to bring that advantage to every team building in the physical world. For those not yet using Nominal, we hope to have the opportunity to earn your trust and work hard for you and your company soon. All systems Nominal. 🚀 Thank you @business and @EdLudlow for sharing out story. And @traestephens and @zebulgar for doubling down. Read more about our announcement here: bloomberg.com/news/articles/…
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She asked me to repeat my name three times. This is where we landed.
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Stephen Rodriguez retweetledi
🎖️One of our own is getting the Medal of Honor. MAJ Nicholas Dockery, West Point Class of 2011, was just approved by Congress for the nation’s highest combat valor award.
The short version: Oct. 2, 2012, Afghanistan. Ambushed by Taliban. Nick moves through open ground repeatedly to rally his troops, uses his body to shield a soldier from a grenade, then goes searching for a missing man, finds him being dragged away unconscious by two enemy fighters, charges them, kills them both, performs CPR, then climbs onto an open rooftop to signal gunships and get his guys out alive. Two Silver Stars. White House Fellow. MacArthur Leadership Award. AND Nininger Award in 2017.
Go read the full story. Congratulations, Nick. The Long Gray Line is proud. 🫡 Beat Navy.
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