Dead Carl
@deadcarl.bsky.social
www.deadcarl.com
Writer on Clausewitz, international relations, and German history. Words in American Purpose.
Kiran Pfitzner
Writer on Clausewitz, international relations, and German history. Words in American Purpose.
Kiran Pfitzner
Pinned
Dead Carl
@deadcarl.bsky.social
· Nov 14
The Myth of Military Logic
How "military necessity" became the key-stone of militarism
www.deadcarl.com
Since there's a lot of us migrating, I figured I should make a thread of some of the better things I've written as an introduction (and of course, self promotion:
Reposted by Dead Carl
“It will be quite enough to receive the evils which come upon us from time to time, without anticipating them by imagination.”
St. Francis de Sales
St. Francis de Sales
Also just have some moral courage. Nothing in the world is certain. Sometimes you get betrayed. You can’t orient your priorities around a pathological fear of betrayal. You have to have the self-trust that you can cope with an adversarial situation to be able to undertake bold action.
I am not v interested in continuing the “the Democrats will betray us on #$ISSUE the moment they get into power” B/S because a. There’s no way to falsify it and b. It’s fundamentally rooted in a nihilistic doomerism that nobody believes anything, we’re all gonna get betrayed, nothing matters anyways
February 19, 2026 at 6:03 AM
“It will be quite enough to receive the evils which come upon us from time to time, without anticipating them by imagination.”
St. Francis de Sales
St. Francis de Sales
Reposted by Dead Carl
Malcolm Gladwell has the ethos of an anti-vaxxer; he's no better than Andrew Wakefield, leaving errors, half-truths, and outright lies behind him wherever he goes.
February 19, 2026 at 1:07 AM
Malcolm Gladwell has the ethos of an anti-vaxxer; he's no better than Andrew Wakefield, leaving errors, half-truths, and outright lies behind him wherever he goes.
Reposted by Dead Carl
I recently received “The Bomber Mafia” as a birthday gift (heh). It was bad, so bad that I believe it cannot be read as a reliable account of strategic bombing in World War II. In so many ways, it demonstrates the worst tendencies of the “pop history” genre. My review (and latest)⬇️
Strategic Bombing and the Pop History Problem
Reviewing Malcom Gladwell’s “The Bomber Mafia”
secretaryrofdefenserock.substack.com
February 18, 2026 at 10:04 PM
I recently received “The Bomber Mafia” as a birthday gift (heh). It was bad, so bad that I believe it cannot be read as a reliable account of strategic bombing in World War II. In so many ways, it demonstrates the worst tendencies of the “pop history” genre. My review (and latest)⬇️
Reposted by Dead Carl
The watchword is *partisan*, especially when the GOP is aligned against the rule of law, the Constitution, and the country’s international obligations.
Hegseth hasn’t made the military political, nor has the president.
The recent obscenity at Fort Bragg was them making the military *partisan*.
Hegseth hasn’t made the military political, nor has the president.
The recent obscenity at Fort Bragg was them making the military *partisan*.
February 18, 2026 at 11:08 PM
The watchword is *partisan*, especially when the GOP is aligned against the rule of law, the Constitution, and the country’s international obligations.
Hegseth hasn’t made the military political, nor has the president.
The recent obscenity at Fort Bragg was them making the military *partisan*.
Hegseth hasn’t made the military political, nor has the president.
The recent obscenity at Fort Bragg was them making the military *partisan*.
Reposted by Dead Carl
The military is explicitly political.
You cannot reduce this feature - it is a creation of the state, the legislature arms and equips it, the executive commands it.
There is no “apolitical military”; there is no “aphysics bird” or “abiology cancer.”
Politics is inherent in every shred of it.
You cannot reduce this feature - it is a creation of the state, the legislature arms and equips it, the executive commands it.
There is no “apolitical military”; there is no “aphysics bird” or “abiology cancer.”
Politics is inherent in every shred of it.
"The message heard across the force is unmistakably clear: Your career may depend not on how well you serve, but on whom you once served under."
America’s Generals Shouldn’t Face Political Loyalty Tests
Keeping politics out of the military is what keeps the military out of politics.
lnk.thebulwark.com
February 18, 2026 at 11:08 PM
The military is explicitly political.
You cannot reduce this feature - it is a creation of the state, the legislature arms and equips it, the executive commands it.
There is no “apolitical military”; there is no “aphysics bird” or “abiology cancer.”
Politics is inherent in every shred of it.
You cannot reduce this feature - it is a creation of the state, the legislature arms and equips it, the executive commands it.
There is no “apolitical military”; there is no “aphysics bird” or “abiology cancer.”
Politics is inherent in every shred of it.
What better birthday gift is there than a reason for content (laudatory)
I recently received “The Bomber Mafia” as a birthday gift (heh). It was bad, so bad that I believe it cannot be read as a reliable account of strategic bombing in World War II. In so many ways, it demonstrates the worst tendencies of the “pop history” genre. My review (and latest)⬇️
Strategic Bombing and the Pop History Problem
Reviewing Malcom Gladwell’s “The Bomber Mafia”
secretaryrofdefenserock.substack.com
February 18, 2026 at 11:10 PM
What better birthday gift is there than a reason for content (laudatory)
This seems an odd complaint with TLJ. It’s pretty clear the First Order is large and the resistance is larger but scattered (that’s who they call for help to on the salt planet and get ignored by). Snoke is personally trying to kill the leadership, which is pretty typically Star Wars.
I know a lot of folks love TLJ, and I wish I did, but I think it made this problem worse - "the entire first order chases the entire resistance" simply does not match the scale of star wars, and it's deeply jarring
they had one last chance to rectify this with RoS, and it could not have gone worse
they had one last chance to rectify this with RoS, and it could not have gone worse
I am on an island about TLJ because I don't like it but for reasons that have nothing to do with most of the backlash
I think - and I trace this back to TFA, but it feels more acute in TLJ - it makes the universe feel small, like the entire conflict is between a couple hundred people
I think - and I trace this back to TFA, but it feels more acute in TLJ - it makes the universe feel small, like the entire conflict is between a couple hundred people
February 18, 2026 at 9:32 PM
This seems an odd complaint with TLJ. It’s pretty clear the First Order is large and the resistance is larger but scattered (that’s who they call for help to on the salt planet and get ignored by). Snoke is personally trying to kill the leadership, which is pretty typically Star Wars.
Reposted by Dead Carl
He also wants the death penalty for apostasy. And for parents to be able to enforce it upon their children.
(He made the mistake of answering Sam Harris’ questions on this)
(He made the mistake of answering Sam Harris’ questions on this)
I just want to point out that’s Doug Wilson speaking at the Pentagon. Doug Wilson wants: the 19th amendment repealed, non-Christian religions outlawed, the death penalty for homosexuality, women barred from working or holding office, blasphemy laws, and one party theocratic rule.
February 18, 2026 at 9:19 PM
He also wants the death penalty for apostasy. And for parents to be able to enforce it upon their children.
(He made the mistake of answering Sam Harris’ questions on this)
(He made the mistake of answering Sam Harris’ questions on this)
"We can only pity the officer who imbibes purely these pedantic platitudes and must face an opponent whose thinking has been whetted by critical analysis of actual strategic problems."
From my latest: open.substack.com/pub/deadcarl...
From my latest: open.substack.com/pub/deadcarl...
Clausewitz on the Very Bad Ideas to Reform the War Colleges
An Opportunity to Expose Errors and Discuss How One Can Gain Experience From Books
open.substack.com
February 18, 2026 at 7:39 PM
"We can only pity the officer who imbibes purely these pedantic platitudes and must face an opponent whose thinking has been whetted by critical analysis of actual strategic problems."
From my latest: open.substack.com/pub/deadcarl...
From my latest: open.substack.com/pub/deadcarl...
From a follow-up to The Argument, poll. Whether or not you find the polling or the interpretation convincing, I think it’s clear that no one was saying trans rights should be abandoned.
It’s a problem when people are immediately accused of being crypto-reactionaries.
It’s a problem when people are immediately accused of being crypto-reactionaries.
February 18, 2026 at 7:11 PM
From a follow-up to The Argument, poll. Whether or not you find the polling or the interpretation convincing, I think it’s clear that no one was saying trans rights should be abandoned.
It’s a problem when people are immediately accused of being crypto-reactionaries.
It’s a problem when people are immediately accused of being crypto-reactionaries.
Reposted by Dead Carl
Reposted by Dead Carl
i really love @alexiscoe.bsky.social's biography of washington because she gets at exactly this: the fact that "george washington" is a character created by george washington, a man so consumed with presenting himself as an example of republican virtue that he became one
The Uncanny Artifice of George Washington
I got a number of fascinating replies to yesterday’s post about the...
talkingpointsmemo.com
February 18, 2026 at 4:29 PM
i really love @alexiscoe.bsky.social's biography of washington because she gets at exactly this: the fact that "george washington" is a character created by george washington, a man so consumed with presenting himself as an example of republican virtue that he became one
Sometimes this website needs some FDR posting. Maybe an extension that periodically plays some speeches to keep people from despair.
“Success may not come with rushing speed, but we shall return again and again; and we know that by Thy grace, and by the righteousness of our cause, our sons will triumph.
They will be sore tried, by night and by day, without rest-until the victory is won.”
They will be sore tried, by night and by day, without rest-until the victory is won.”
Also just have some moral courage. Nothing in the world is certain. Sometimes you get betrayed. You can’t orient your priorities around a pathological fear of betrayal. You have to have the self-trust that you can cope with an adversarial situation to be able to undertake bold action.
February 18, 2026 at 5:50 PM
Sometimes this website needs some FDR posting. Maybe an extension that periodically plays some speeches to keep people from despair.
Reposted by Dead Carl
I've deployed a truly excessive number of Clausewitz quotations to address that terrible article on the war colleges.
At the same time, these quotes (mainly from book II) illustrate how Clausewitz saw theory as a tool for learning how to learn from experience.
open.substack.com/pub/deadcarl...
At the same time, these quotes (mainly from book II) illustrate how Clausewitz saw theory as a tool for learning how to learn from experience.
open.substack.com/pub/deadcarl...
Clausewitz on the Very Bad Ideas to Reform the War Colleges
An Opportunity to Expose Errors and Discuss How One Can Gain Experience From Books
open.substack.com
February 18, 2026 at 2:22 AM
I've deployed a truly excessive number of Clausewitz quotations to address that terrible article on the war colleges.
At the same time, these quotes (mainly from book II) illustrate how Clausewitz saw theory as a tool for learning how to learn from experience.
open.substack.com/pub/deadcarl...
At the same time, these quotes (mainly from book II) illustrate how Clausewitz saw theory as a tool for learning how to learn from experience.
open.substack.com/pub/deadcarl...
Reposted by Dead Carl
If Hegseth wants to be part of the warrior ethos, he’s got to walk the walk
open.substack.com/pub/deadcarl...
open.substack.com/pub/deadcarl...
February 18, 2026 at 5:22 AM
If Hegseth wants to be part of the warrior ethos, he’s got to walk the walk
open.substack.com/pub/deadcarl...
open.substack.com/pub/deadcarl...
Reposted by Dead Carl
You can’t do the Mishima talk and then balk at the Mishima walk.
February 18, 2026 at 5:22 AM
You can’t do the Mishima talk and then balk at the Mishima walk.
“Success may not come with rushing speed, but we shall return again and again; and we know that by Thy grace, and by the righteousness of our cause, our sons will triumph.
They will be sore tried, by night and by day, without rest-until the victory is won.”
They will be sore tried, by night and by day, without rest-until the victory is won.”
Also just have some moral courage. Nothing in the world is certain. Sometimes you get betrayed. You can’t orient your priorities around a pathological fear of betrayal. You have to have the self-trust that you can cope with an adversarial situation to be able to undertake bold action.
I am not v interested in continuing the “the Democrats will betray us on #$ISSUE the moment they get into power” B/S because a. There’s no way to falsify it and b. It’s fundamentally rooted in a nihilistic doomerism that nobody believes anything, we’re all gonna get betrayed, nothing matters anyways
February 18, 2026 at 5:30 AM
“Success may not come with rushing speed, but we shall return again and again; and we know that by Thy grace, and by the righteousness of our cause, our sons will triumph.
They will be sore tried, by night and by day, without rest-until the victory is won.”
They will be sore tried, by night and by day, without rest-until the victory is won.”
Reposted by Dead Carl
I am a simple girl begging people who make covid their entire personality to learn some basic facts about the disease instead of mainlining Taylor Lorenz‘s feed
February 18, 2026 at 4:55 AM
I am a simple girl begging people who make covid their entire personality to learn some basic facts about the disease instead of mainlining Taylor Lorenz‘s feed
If Hegseth wants to be part of the warrior ethos, he’s got to walk the walk
open.substack.com/pub/deadcarl...
open.substack.com/pub/deadcarl...
February 18, 2026 at 5:22 AM
If Hegseth wants to be part of the warrior ethos, he’s got to walk the walk
open.substack.com/pub/deadcarl...
open.substack.com/pub/deadcarl...
*getting burned as a heretic by the church because I blamed my crop failure on capitalism, which they presumed to be a pagan deity* this too is capitalism
*getting burnt as a Cathar by the church in the Albigensian crusade* this is capitalism's fault
People joke about how certain internet DMs the villain is always capitalism, but also if everyone's running characters that are plucky underdogs against the system it's kind of hard for the villain to not be capitalism.
February 18, 2026 at 5:20 AM
*getting burned as a heretic by the church because I blamed my crop failure on capitalism, which they presumed to be a pagan deity* this too is capitalism
Also just have some moral courage. Nothing in the world is certain. Sometimes you get betrayed. You can’t orient your priorities around a pathological fear of betrayal. You have to have the self-trust that you can cope with an adversarial situation to be able to undertake bold action.
I am not v interested in continuing the “the Democrats will betray us on #$ISSUE the moment they get into power” B/S because a. There’s no way to falsify it and b. It’s fundamentally rooted in a nihilistic doomerism that nobody believes anything, we’re all gonna get betrayed, nothing matters anyways
February 18, 2026 at 3:34 AM
Also just have some moral courage. Nothing in the world is certain. Sometimes you get betrayed. You can’t orient your priorities around a pathological fear of betrayal. You have to have the self-trust that you can cope with an adversarial situation to be able to undertake bold action.
Reposted by Dead Carl
I am not v interested in continuing the “the Democrats will betray us on #$ISSUE the moment they get into power” B/S because a. There’s no way to falsify it and b. It’s fundamentally rooted in a nihilistic doomerism that nobody believes anything, we’re all gonna get betrayed, nothing matters anyways
February 18, 2026 at 3:21 AM
I am not v interested in continuing the “the Democrats will betray us on #$ISSUE the moment they get into power” B/S because a. There’s no way to falsify it and b. It’s fundamentally rooted in a nihilistic doomerism that nobody believes anything, we’re all gonna get betrayed, nothing matters anyways
Reposted by Dead Carl
Woke 2.0 means assigning anyone at DoD who says "Warfighter" - and not under active duress while doing so - to be a gate guard at Kwajalein.
February 17, 2026 at 11:59 PM
Woke 2.0 means assigning anyone at DoD who says "Warfighter" - and not under active duress while doing so - to be a gate guard at Kwajalein.