David Burbach 🇺🇸🌹
@dburbach.bsky.social
Prof. National Security and International Relations. Space security, civil-military relations. Cats, science, photography for fun. Providence RI; Oregon at heart! Personal views ONLY; no govt resources used. Assoc Ed @TNSR.org
Pinned
David Burbach 🇺🇸🌹
@dburbach.bsky.social
· Oct 19
My pinned tweet through Presidents of both parties: Sen. Leahy reminds an appointee that federal employees swear an oath to the Constitution, not of personal loyalty to any one man or woman.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=GlSI...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=GlSI...
Reposted by David Burbach 🇺🇸🌹
So like, this is extremely close to explicitly saying Germans shouldn’t be ashamed of the Third Reich, right?
February 15, 2026 at 10:47 PM
So like, this is extremely close to explicitly saying Germans shouldn’t be ashamed of the Third Reich, right?
It was so damn frustrating trying, and mostly failing, to explain this to a couple of very earnest and very not-online Boomer academic liberals. To they extent we made progress they were inclined to cut Platner slack and blame it on the military-industrial complex for breaking him
I am Graham Platner's age. I too was in the post 9/11 military. I also grew up in a small town in the Northeast US. I am also a college dropout with PTSD. And I am telling you: anyone from my demographic who had a Nazi tattoo for 15 years is either a Nazi or too dumb to be an effective US senator.
February 16, 2026 at 12:22 AM
It was so damn frustrating trying, and mostly failing, to explain this to a couple of very earnest and very not-online Boomer academic liberals. To they extent we made progress they were inclined to cut Platner slack and blame it on the military-industrial complex for breaking him
By no means a bider but I can do ok when they are right nearby and not in flight
February 16, 2026 at 12:12 AM
By no means a bider but I can do ok when they are right nearby and not in flight
Reposted by David Burbach 🇺🇸🌹
douglas adams was our most accurate futurist
We are at an airport restaurant. A robot just drove up to us with our food, said, "Hi! Here I am!" and then drove away with our food.
February 15, 2026 at 10:10 PM
douglas adams was our most accurate futurist
Not gonna call out by name, but yes the whipped topping is for beers
February 16, 2026 at 12:00 AM
Not gonna call out by name, but yes the whipped topping is for beers
From the Crew 12 launch Friday morning
February 15, 2026 at 1:39 PM
From the Crew 12 launch Friday morning
It concerns me that one of the two issues in the DOD vs Anthropic fight is "use for domestic surveillance", with other articles being clear it's about use to track US citizens. Why is this a DOD requirement? @wyden.senate.gov
www.axios.com/2026/02/15/c...
www.axios.com/2026/02/15/c...
Exclusive: Pentagon threatens to cut off Anthropic in AI safeguards dispute
Anthropic has not agreed to the Pentagon's terms and defense officials are getting fed up after months of difficult negotiations.
www.axios.com
February 15, 2026 at 1:10 PM
It concerns me that one of the two issues in the DOD vs Anthropic fight is "use for domestic surveillance", with other articles being clear it's about use to track US citizens. Why is this a DOD requirement? @wyden.senate.gov
www.axios.com/2026/02/15/c...
www.axios.com/2026/02/15/c...
Artemis II, waiting to launch for a flight around the Moon with four crewmembers in early March (from the Banana Creek viewing area)
February 15, 2026 at 2:41 AM
Artemis II, waiting to launch for a flight around the Moon with four crewmembers in early March (from the Banana Creek viewing area)
Reposted by David Burbach 🇺🇸🌹
Absolutely insane that our elites are not screaming about this. We have a generation of leaders who have completely failed to internalize the values of democracy. People of no conviction whatsoever. Truly the iron cage.
Utterly unacceptable in a democracy. In a sane world, House Republicans would be drafting impeachment articles today and Senate Republicans would be preparing for a trial to convict and remove him from office
February 14, 2026 at 8:54 PM
Absolutely insane that our elites are not screaming about this. We have a generation of leaders who have completely failed to internalize the values of democracy. People of no conviction whatsoever. Truly the iron cage.
Reposted by David Burbach 🇺🇸🌹
Completely inappropriate, and dangerous. That is a personal opinion but directly informed by my academic expertise (and not speaking for the US govt, obviously)
Utterly unacceptable in a democracy. In a sane world, House Republicans would be drafting impeachment articles today and Senate Republicans would be preparing for a trial to convict and remove him from office
February 14, 2026 at 9:03 PM
Completely inappropriate, and dangerous. That is a personal opinion but directly informed by my academic expertise (and not speaking for the US govt, obviously)
This is idiotic to anyone who has read the political since literature, this is fundamental since at least 35 years ago in Zaller. Voter opinion follows same-party electeds!
A critique I hear of me sometimes is that I don’t believe in changing public opinion.
What I would say is that I don’t really think *working politicians* should be focused on changing opinion, that’s the job for everyone else — go out and persuade someone!
What I would say is that I don’t really think *working politicians* should be focused on changing opinion, that’s the job for everyone else — go out and persuade someone!
"Democratic politicians urgently need to adopt the GOP view of public opinion—that it’s movable, and it’s their job to move it." newrepublic.com/article/2058...
February 14, 2026 at 8:02 PM
This is idiotic to anyone who has read the political since literature, this is fundamental since at least 35 years ago in Zaller. Voter opinion follows same-party electeds!
Also true that ODNI as Intel integrator does not have the same firewall against domestic surveillance and analysis as CIA. That was one of the *reasons* for creating it among other post 9/11 mistakes.
This is not ACTUALLY true on paper.
HSI has charged voter fraud, & CISA (part of DHS) does have a role in election security -- remember Trump fired Chris Krebs for declaring the 2020 election sound.
Not excusing the presser. But it's important to know WHAT TOOLS Noem might use to steal election.
HSI has charged voter fraud, & CISA (part of DHS) does have a role in election security -- remember Trump fired Chris Krebs for declaring the 2020 election sound.
Not excusing the presser. But it's important to know WHAT TOOLS Noem might use to steal election.
Just as ICE and CBP have no legitimate role in "election security" neither does the head of DHS. The mere existence of this press conference should be a scandal, much less this tone-deaf comment.
February 14, 2026 at 5:54 PM
Also true that ODNI as Intel integrator does not have the same firewall against domestic surveillance and analysis as CIA. That was one of the *reasons* for creating it among other post 9/11 mistakes.
Reposted by David Burbach 🇺🇸🌹
I could go on. The tone is less aggrieved than Vance at the same body last year, but if anything the message has been sharpened. The US wants to compel Europe to put aside liberalism and take up a politics of ethnic exclusivity and "Western" supremacy. "And Europe's gonna pay for it"
February 14, 2026 at 5:49 PM
I could go on. The tone is less aggrieved than Vance at the same body last year, but if anything the message has been sharpened. The US wants to compel Europe to put aside liberalism and take up a politics of ethnic exclusivity and "Western" supremacy. "And Europe's gonna pay for it"
Id like to apologize to John McCain for scoffing at his League of Democracies idea -- both too idealistic but also hypocritical on actual members -- because id fight for that League long before i'd fight for the North Aryan Tribal Organization
Dismissing "the purported sins of past generations" in general terms in the context of Europe is quite something, especially when there were attempts at "civilizational erasure" on European soil within the last century.
February 14, 2026 at 5:49 PM
Id like to apologize to John McCain for scoffing at his League of Democracies idea -- both too idealistic but also hypocritical on actual members -- because id fight for that League long before i'd fight for the North Aryan Tribal Organization
Reposted by David Burbach 🇺🇸🌹
Again, the unifying 🧵 about this WH’s foreign policy is not realism or neo-royalism. It’s the extension of sexual assault/predation to IR. If they think you’re their macho pal, they’ll respect your sovereignty. If they don’t, they’ll try to violate you & humiliate you. Epstein-ism, if you like.
One of the most distinctive aspects of this WH’s foreign policy is to combine an extremely ecumenical Westphalianism about broad regime type (which I’m fine with TBF) with an extremely precise set of ideological preferences about who should win elections in the Western Hemisphere & Western Europe.
February 14, 2026 at 3:41 PM
Again, the unifying 🧵 about this WH’s foreign policy is not realism or neo-royalism. It’s the extension of sexual assault/predation to IR. If they think you’re their macho pal, they’ll respect your sovereignty. If they don’t, they’ll try to violate you & humiliate you. Epstein-ism, if you like.
Reposted by David Burbach 🇺🇸🌹
Unfortunate for civilian students at these schools, too. Having mil folks in my undergrad and grad classes was valuable
DOD own goaling itself all the way to obscurity - critical thinking is woke, AI can do all our thinking for us
Just so profoundly mind numbing, in addition to everything else
Just so profoundly mind numbing, in addition to everything else
February 13, 2026 at 6:19 PM
Unfortunate for civilian students at these schools, too. Having mil folks in my undergrad and grad classes was valuable
Reposted by David Burbach 🇺🇸🌹
I realize media doesn’t think it’s a big deal that Trump, Vance & Hegseth continue to give partisan political speeches to troops, evidenced by the fact that they are never asked about it nor are members of Congress, but it is one of the most dangerous things happening right now.
February 14, 2026 at 12:51 PM
I realize media doesn’t think it’s a big deal that Trump, Vance & Hegseth continue to give partisan political speeches to troops, evidenced by the fact that they are never asked about it nor are members of Congress, but it is one of the most dangerous things happening right now.
America as a beacon of fear not freedom, the last best hope of authoritarians.
February 14, 2026 at 11:47 AM
America as a beacon of fear not freedom, the last best hope of authoritarians.
Video of the launch, including my aiming error. I was prioritizing dslr stills and phone was on a rickety tripod on rickety bleachers that I had to lean way forward to even try to adjust. Still, pretty damn embarrassing
February 14, 2026 at 12:50 AM
Video of the launch, including my aiming error. I was prioritizing dslr stills and phone was on a rickety tripod on rickety bleachers that I had to lean way forward to even try to adjust. Still, pretty damn embarrassing
Jellyfish or nebula after Falcon9 staging this morning
February 14, 2026 at 12:47 AM
Jellyfish or nebula after Falcon9 staging this morning
Space Force has largely contracted out its officer PME to Johns Hopkins, and Hopkins is on the 'likely to be barred from receiving DOD education money' list, so that could be interesting
New: Military officers could soon find dozens of top colleges and universities across the US (list in replies) abruptly off limits for tuition assistance as part of Hegseth’s campaign against schools he describes as being biased against the US military
www.cnn.com/2026/02/13/p...
www.cnn.com/2026/02/13/p...
Pentagon may bar tuition aid for top universities in Hegseth’s crackdown on ‘biased’ schools | CNN Politics
Military officers could soon find dozens of top colleges and universities across the United States abruptly off limits for tuition assistance as part of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s campaign again...
www.cnn.com
February 14, 2026 at 12:15 AM
Space Force has largely contracted out its officer PME to Johns Hopkins, and Hopkins is on the 'likely to be barred from receiving DOD education money' list, so that could be interesting
Reposted by David Burbach 🇺🇸🌹
Guessing Hegseth doesn’t understand how dependent his agency is on certain cyber and design programs at the schools identified. Good luck with that as you put our services at a distinct disadvantage and in danger in relation to, say, China. What a dumb deluded f$ck.
February 13, 2026 at 6:05 PM
Guessing Hegseth doesn’t understand how dependent his agency is on certain cyber and design programs at the schools identified. Good luck with that as you put our services at a distinct disadvantage and in danger in relation to, say, China. What a dumb deluded f$ck.
Reposted by David Burbach 🇺🇸🌹
I totally agree. That damn radical, James Doolittle, got the first doctorate in aeronautics in the United States from MIT. A hotbed of Leftist thought from its beginnings.
February 13, 2026 at 6:39 PM
I totally agree. That damn radical, James Doolittle, got the first doctorate in aeronautics in the United States from MIT. A hotbed of Leftist thought from its beginnings.
It was hugely helpful for us security studies graduate students at MIT to have a robust group of military fellows all the time. Not to mention in technicsl fields. Buzz Aldrin was sent to MIT to study/invent orbital rendezvous math
DOD own goaling itself all the way to obscurity - critical thinking is woke, AI can do all our thinking for us
Just so profoundly mind numbing, in addition to everything else
Just so profoundly mind numbing, in addition to everything else
February 13, 2026 at 11:50 PM
It was hugely helpful for us security studies graduate students at MIT to have a robust group of military fellows all the time. Not to mention in technicsl fields. Buzz Aldrin was sent to MIT to study/invent orbital rendezvous math