J.D. Simkins

Iran has launched at least 154 projectiles at the Gulf since the ceasefire was announced, the Strait remains closed, and Israel is striking in Lebanon. The US may be the only party adhering to the fragile ceasefire -- at least for now. Open question of whether it holds at all.

This would break the Marine Corps

Scot McCloughan's wife right now

Personally would have gone with a term other than "consummated" but roll tide

All those conversations about refusing illegal orders seem more relevant by the day

Casually floating the prospect of genocide

The founders of illegal Russian media operation Tenet Media weren't just allowed back in the country. They're invited to the White House Easter egg roll! x.com/TheLaurenChen/…

Pretty sure Gunther has also tweeted 95 million times in 2026

"This was no longer about dazzling sensors of disabling optics. This was about destruction." Ripping a story with no credit and using blatant AI story cadences in the process was certainly a choice

Grateful the U.S. airman was rescued. But no service member should be in harm’s way like this in a reckless and unnecessary war. This episode raises serious questions. A rescue in a remote part of Iran, not a heavily defended core like Isfahan, still involved a failed first attempt, damaged aircraft, and the reported loss of two transport planes and two helicopters, at least based on what we know so far. If this is what it takes to extract one crew member, what does that say about a broader ground incursion? These are risks that escalate quickly, and the costs would not end here.

Worth recalling that for decades Iran always saw value in talks, even if the goal was to buy time. That they don’t even feel a need to meet right now speaks volumes about their confidence.

Trump seeks to double ship request totals with 2027 defense budget, via @rileyceder The proposed $1.5 trillion defense budget would include $65.8 billion in shipbuilding capital to manufacture 18 battle force ships and 16 non-battle force ships navytimes.com/news/pentagon-…

US F-15 fighter jet shot down over Iran, US official tells Reuters defensenews.com/news/your-mili…

no matter what’s going on in the world. this is very, very, very freaking awesome

Middle recruit with a full fist tilt, drill style, even when taking a knee. Peak 1st Phase photo right here (📸Cpl. Jordy Morales)

A broker for Pete Hegseth, the US defence secretary, attempted to make a big investment in major defence companies in the weeks leading up to the US-Israeli attack on Iran, according to three people familiar with the matter. ft.com/content/744ea8…

Limited missions, big risks: What a US ground fight in Iran could become, via @eveksampson Thank you @NicoleGrajewski @dan_grazier @Joe_m_costa for the discussion militarytimes.com/news/your-mili…

The Japanese destroyer JS Chokai is now capable of launching U.S. Tomahawk cruise missiles, making it the first Japanese warship that can strike targets beyond 1,000 kilometers defensenews.com/global/asia-pa…

A war with Iran was an obvious scenario for CENTCOM and Iran's ballistic missile and OWA UAS capabilities are well-known. The lack of underground command posts and hardened shelters—or even concrete barriers between tents, which were common at bases in Iraq and Afghanistan—at bases well within range of Iranian missiles and drones suggests a deeper problem about how the US military draws lessons. How many senior officers and DoD officials have traveled through these bases and didn't ask about this? Are our bases in INDOPACOM similarly vulnerable? Congress should ask our defense leaders some hard questions.

Passive defenses — bunkers, hardened shelters, dispersal — aren't glamorous. The Pentagon has underfunded them for decades. Now, with U.S. troops under fire in the Middle East, DoD is scrambling to find vendors who can ship prefabricated shelters within 30 days. 🧵