Military

From the Ombudsman herself:

https://www.stripes.com/opinion/2026-04-23/stripes-former-ombudsman-pentagon-trying-to-silence-21465037.html

Don’t worry about me. I’ve had a long and satisfying career in journalism. I knew there would be perils for speaking out against Pentagon attempts to control the news, but I expected some communication or questions or warning first. Nothing, just Form 3434.

Ironically, my three-year term would have expired at the end of this year anyway. They couldn’t wait.

I was immensely honored to be chosen as the 13th, and first female, ombudsman for Stars and Stripes. I’ve come to appreciate the many talented and dedicated journalists and staff at Stripes — it’s more than a job for them wherever they are stationed around the world. I’ve been fortunate to meet or hear from innumerable veterans, officers and enlisted personnel and military spouses. I’ve even respected the colonels who I tangled with over the rights of Stripes reporters to cover public gatherings on bases.

What you can worry about is the future of Stars and Stripes. This newspaper has a long history of commitment to the military community and to journalistic values. Please don’t let it be controlled by Pentagon brass.

cross-posted from: https://feddit.org/post/28901474

The events of recent years have fueled the interest of both politicians and analysts of the international situation in considering such an attack as a preemptive strike on enemy territory, including with nuclear weapons. Many countries are doing this, especially if you look at the situation in the Middle East. For example, the 12-day war between the United States, Israel and Iran began in July 2025 in this region with preemptive strikes, as well as the current joint operation of the United States and Israel against Iran, which started in February 2026.

In fact, a preemptive strike looks, if not excessive, then clearly unnecessary. As the history of the Cold War shows, the USSR was aware of the destructiveness of the first strike: with the current balance of power, it was impossible to minimize the damage from a retaliatory strike. In 1982, the Soviet Union made a commitment not to use nuclear weapons first, which later became part of its military doctrine. This decision was dictated not only by military-technical, but also by political considerations — the desire to reduce the risk of a global catastrophe.

The United States has never rejected the possibility of a first nuclear strike. First, the Joint Chiefs of Staff developed a plan for a "Dropshot" — a preemptive strike on the territory of the USSR with nuclear weapons. Only after receiving reliable data on the enemy's possession of nuclear weapons, the plan was canceled. Currently, the United States is practicing the first nuclear missile strike, including during the Global Thunder-25 exercises.

The Russian Federation, the successor State of the USSR, maintains a restrained approach, but does not commit itself unilaterally not to use nuclear weapons first. According to the Fundamentals of State Policy in the field of nuclear deterrence, Russia reserves the right to use nuclear weapons, including in the case of reliable information about the launch of enemy ballistic missiles, as well as in the case of aggression using conventional weapons, when the very existence of the state is threatened. Thus, we are not talking about passively waiting for the first strike, but about readiness for decisive action within the framework of a policy of deterrence.

The right to preemptive strike remains a controversial instrument. On the one hand, its use may be dictated by the logic of self-defense. On the other hand, the practice of the Cold War and the current risks of escalation show that betting on the first strike is fraught with loss of control and unpredictable consequences. Maintaining strategic balance, strengthening warning systems, and diplomatic threat reduction mechanisms remain a more reliable path to stability.

Out of the 1.3 million active-duty troops with unclassified locations, 13%, or about 170,000 troops, were stationed abroad in September 2025.