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I also hated Snowden for years, but there’s a lot to that story that many who hate him don’t actually know. He didn’t just expose a ton of random SAPs, etc, he exposed specific, very illegal, comm collection programs the NSA directed all over, including millions of untargeted Americans and other foreign nationals (as in they collected all their shit as “collateral damage” or “just in case we need it later”). The program was proven to be used for personal gain (agents spying on ex’s and things like that). It was so damning and illegal that congress actually forced change and restricted our intelligence gathering on Joe Blow, which is a good thing. So that’s just to say I can understand the logic of the action, while also not condoning the mishandling of classified/the method of whistleblowing Snowden took. He did a wrong action to expose incredibly wrong and illegal govt actions vs. millions. So perhaps this is a case of two wrongs make a right, the right being pardon because of the proven govt corruption and illegal shit that was at least attempted to be solved only because of his actions. Would I pardon him? I don’t know, but I can see why someone might. And that’s why this topic does not move the needle for me on Vivek or any other candidate who may say the same.

Job well done to Obama for ordering the UBL DA, despite a lot of pressure to approve an air strike. Tough call, but it went better. Job well done to Trump for the Baghdadi DA. That thing was spicy and a lot of GO advisors wanted an air strike. See- it’s easy to give credit when you care more about the mission than partisanship. Biden 100% failed in every aspect of the Kabul evacuation; Miley & Austin would have resigned if they had any honor.

A Russia that is incapable/unwilling to invade their neighbors and a China that is deterred from making similar attempts would be good outcomes, from a NATO/US/"west" perspective. A sovereign, western aligned Ukraine (hopefully with a little less corruption) would be good too, I suppose. They are both a main actor and a pawn, at the same time, it seems. Ukraine isn't a particularly vital US partner, but stopping Russia from "flipping the table" of European security is rather important to the US, since that group has a huge chunk of the global economy, influence, and US allies.

Nothing to be done for her except stopping for 20 seconds, two of you grabbing her and throwing her in the back. dead or alive. I get it. People do crazy shit when under life/death stress. The giant sign of what kind of people they are is that they still posted it because they don't even realize how low they sank as human beings in a moment in time. Very telling.

Based on USAF's track record of implementing any form of technology advancement in a timely manner, I think we will be fine for another few decades. That being said, if they want to start using AI to replace Finance and MPF...I would be on board.

The direct foreign exploitation of intel was worth 10 billion alone. We are getting a brigade/division worth of casualty prevention in any future conflict based solely off knowing their playbook, dissecting equipment, and seeing the shortcomings of a lot of our own. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Credit to Obama for following through and ordering Neptune Spear, BTW Biden advised Obama not to conduct the UBL raid.

Post retirement job opportunities? A buddy in the business world says the same thing about hiring companies like McKinsey (he worked there before his current gig). Basically McKinsey hires from the big business schools. Guys work for McKinsey until a company snatches them up. Then these guys hire McKinsey to consult on something that could likely be solved by those who already work for that company. One big self licking ice cream cone.

It never ceases to amaze me how much money the RAND corp has made producing toilet paper for the govt. Not necessarily saying their analysis is bad, but leadership does nothing beyond take their reports and wipe their asses with it. I mean if you’re going to consistently ignore their findings and recs, then why even hire them in the first place?

Hey bro, I really appreciate when you reply because I enjoy reading your viewpoint. I 100% get that you do not have time/desire to get into an internet back & forth... that's me a lot if times too! My downvote was purely out of principal: you do it a bunch without commenting what exactly you disagree with, so I must reciprocate. But don't take it wrong. Free drinks to any forum participants I meet IRL 🇺🇸

I’ve worked quite a bit with AI and proposed solutions on this very topic. I think copilots jobs are safe for a long, long time if the current state is any indication of where the technology is.

The RAND corporation is currently under a $50 million contract to study this issue and issue a 75 page report, hopefully by the end of FY29.

That's messed up. And that dude was apparently so unashamed of their ignoring that woman that he posted the video online of him being a coward.

I also like that he’s in his 30s with a family. Even if we’re in different circles of society, or don’t completely agree on everything, I would love to see someone who actually is living in the stage of life with kids at home. I’m sick of some 75+ yr old who is so out of touch with the American family (regardless of which party) but acts like they know what you need.

That’s so irrelevant right now (the argument robots are taking all the pilot jobs). I was one of the “last” manned fighter pilots in 2009, reality is the last manned fighter pilot hasn’t been born.

I’m actually glad trump isn’t going to the debate, now I can actually watch it to help inform my opinion of the primary candidates. But of course in dbag fashion he’s going on tucker at the same time, which also makes tucker complicit in the dbaggery. I really hope people see through that bullshit and watch the debate - you can always watch Tucker’s trump interview later…don’t give trump the satisfaction of a winning a ratings war.

He has my vote by a landslide at this point.

What's your stated end goal in regards to the Russian occupation of Ukraine?

Or Covid lol.

I found this guys stuff as well. This was an interesting one from a stand point of developing tactics literally from nothing in an information deficit on knowing what capes the other side really had. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

If General Chang ran for Congress.

I just took a high-level briefing on this- Take rates are WAY up this year compared to last. The percentages are actually pretty staggering. We are well on our way to solving this crisis.

He wasn't wearing a reflective belt. Listen to Jungle, those things can save you from all sortsa childhood trauma... purple nurples... hell yeah.

You’re right. The Afghanistan withdrawal was beautifully executed. Couldn’t have gone any smoother.

I don't agree with the premise that the US is somehow forcing the Ukrainians to fight for us. I'd point to Afghanistan as an example of the fact that we can't force anyone to fight for their own land if they don't fundamentally want to as a society. I'd also argue that stopping the Russian advance greatly benefits everyone who doesn't want to be tortured in a basement.. By all accounts, life under Russian occupation really sucks, that's why they are fighting against them. If we stop sending a few percentage points of our defense budget, putin gets rewarded, aggression is normalized (risk of China becoming more encouraged to act on their dozens of border disputes) and many more Ukrainians die. They will fight to the last inch of Ukraine whether we help them or not, I'd rather see Russia lose.

Concur with the idea of cutting them off and then beating them in logistical support for a better position for a tenuous settlement to a likely frozen conflict, I hope they can but judging from what the Russians have built to defend their positions in occupied Ukraine, I am dubious it could be done or done at an acceptable cost in blood and treasure, but if the people of Ukraine and their government decide it is in their interest to continue to fight, then fight on. My tin foil hat side is suspicious that Ukraine is in a damned if you do damned if you don't position vis a vis their aid from the US / some Europeans. We want them to continue to fight so we tell them to not sue for peace or they risk being cut off, they'll need aid to recover, deter and probably have to have to fight the Russians again when they likely will try round 2 so no matter what they have to fight, or is that too cynical. Kofffman and Zeihan have been good to listen to on commutes, they concur with an isolate Crimea strategy and roll up Michael Kofman, Author at War on the Rocks https://youtu.be/Hrv7HzUXhcE

Its sad when political ideology clouds common sense, for pennies on the dollar and no American lives we have humbled the Russian military for a long time to come.

I swear, I think if China invaded California half of these guys would say we shouldn't respond because governor Newsome is corrupt...

Corruption is a major problem in Ukraine. Check. Some people may be pressured to keep aid flowing in order to keep some Ukrainians quiet about certain American financial/political issues. Check At the end of the day, Ukraine is still fighting against an unjustified invasion by one of our "competitors," and stopping that sort of thing is in our interests and the interests of basic justice.

Good evening, fellow members. Major Osman here, and I've had the privilege of working closely with General Chang as his Aide-de-Camp. It's quite alarming to see the lack of decorum and respect for a dedicated officer of the General's stature on this platform. While I understand the nature of a forum is to allow for open discussions, I'd urge everyone to engage with facts and respect rather than unwarranted attacks. General Chang has dedicated his life to the service of this nation and has firsthand experience in many of the situations and decisions being debated here. Labeling him as a 'troll' or 'keyboard warrior' not only undermines the essence of constructive dialogue but also demonstrates a lack of understanding of the man's qualifications and experiences. I've been with him on the field, in strategy meetings, and during crisis situations. I've seen him advocate for the best interests of the force at every level, making tough calls when needed. His 'quals' are beyond reproach. If you have genuine concerns or seek clarity on specific issues, I urge you to approach them constructively. We're all part of the same team, with the same ultimate objective: the security and betterment of our nation. Instead of sowing discord with disparaging remarks, let's engage in meaningful dialogue that uplifts and educates. Remember, it's easy to critique from the sidelines, but understanding the gravity and nuance of decisions taken at the top echelons requires a deeper perspective. Respectfully, Major Osman

i asked the question. we've spent over 100 billion supporting ukraine. to what end? how much more? what's the strategic goal? is this the next 20 year "war"?

Did you read the article? The entire basis for the article was the author claimed to have obtained a single document describing how Russia spent 6 days making posts on Facebook. You claim I repeated the things in this article. There is absolutely nothing in that article that were claimed to be said by the GRU propagandists that I repeated. At least your consistent in completely fabricating lies and falsehood, attributing them to me, then swatting at your straw men. Anyway, I rarely read an article without checking the author for bias. I was surprised to see this when I clicked on her name. Again, same author, same news outlet, that you're using to complain to me about Russia's use of Facebook. You gotta see this: Really? YOU essentially provided me this quote to make my counter-argument. It's bewildering that you cannot realize how absolutely easy you're making this for me. Some were recent, they said, and involved posts from the summer that advanced anti-Russia narratives citing the Kremlin’s “imperialist” war in Ukraine and warning of the conflict’s direct impact on Central Asian countries. Significantly, they found that the pretend personas — employing tactics used by countries such as Russia and China — did not gain much traction. The Pentagon employs people who create fake online accounts to advance "imperialist" war by Russia narratives? You don't say... 😄 So again, Your Author, from Your Source is here denouncing the US DoD for engaging in the exact same thing you're accusing me of. We're up to what? A dozen times or so where I point out a glaring hypocrisy in your argument and you pretend it doesn't exist? Don't you realize that for every reference you provide as evidence of wrong-doing, I can do the same? Pro tip: You really need to make sure your side of the issue isn't engaged in lies in deceit, when you whine about the other side engaging in... lies and deceit... in exactly the same way. I'm clueless? You just gave me a headline that completely discredited your own position. Sorry, I don't think that's how logic works. Have fun in your pool full of piss or whatever weird analogy you're making. I have no idea. Moving on.... That's a lot of people we've lost in the course of 100 years of conflict. Think about it. WWI, WWII, Korea, Vietnam, IRQ, AFG, SYR, LBY, etc, etc, etc. 100 years. vs 18 months. Fortunately, not one US service member has died for our friends and allies, the Ukrainians. We pay them to die for our benefit. That's what Patton meant, right? No bastard ever won a war by dying for his country. He won it by making some other poor dumb bastard die for his country.