Mark Hertling
@markhertling.bsky.social
Former soldier. Student of leadership & national security; Professor, author (“If I Don’t Return: A Father’s Wartime Journal”), speaker. Always looking for civility & new adventures.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/mark-hertling-dba-57987066
https://www.linkedin.com/in/mark-hertling-dba-57987066
My latest on Venezuela and “end state” in @thebulwark.com
One Month Later, There’s Still No Plan for Venezuela
The Trump administration is the dog that caught the Caracas.
www.thebulwark.com
February 3, 2026 at 2:20 PM
My latest on Venezuela and “end state” in @thebulwark.com
Writing this piece caused me to reflect on a history of protest songs, and Springsteen’s may be the most unique. My latest in @thebulwark.com
On Springsteen's new song, "Streets of Minneapolis," here's @markhertling.bsky.social:
"This is a song about the values we are testing. It asks what we are willing to preserve when authority, fear, and politics collide—when the lines between security and coercion, order and justice, begin to blur."
"This is a song about the values we are testing. It asks what we are willing to preserve when authority, fear, and politics collide—when the lines between security and coercion, order and justice, begin to blur."
Bruce Springsteen and What Protest Songs Sound Like to Soldiers
What the rock icon’s new song about Minneapolis asks of us.
www.thebulwark.com
January 29, 2026 at 9:18 PM
Writing this piece caused me to reflect on a history of protest songs, and Springsteen’s may be the most unique. My latest in @thebulwark.com
Reposted by Mark Hertling
Donald Trump did not discover Greenland.
NATO’s Been Talking About Greenland for Years
The island matters a lot—not as territory to acquire but as a linchpin of deterrence.
lnk.thebulwark.com
January 28, 2026 at 7:00 AM
Donald Trump did not discover Greenland.
A piece I did last Friday in @thebulwark.com, before the shooting in Minneapolis.
NATO has spent the past two decades rediscovering something many Americans filed away after the Cold War. Needless to say, Trump did not suddenly discover the strategic importance of Greenland.
New from @markhertling.bsky.social: lnk.thebulwark.com/49F9URM
New from @markhertling.bsky.social: lnk.thebulwark.com/49F9URM
NATO’s Been Talking About Greenland for Years
The island matters a lot—not as territory to acquire but as a linchpin of deterrence.
lnk.thebulwark.com
January 26, 2026 at 3:42 PM
A piece I did last Friday in @thebulwark.com, before the shooting in Minneapolis.
Reposted by Mark Hertling
"This is not policing and it is not military service. It is something dangerously undefined."
Another must-read from @markhertling.bsky.social www.thebulwark.com/i/185791165/...
Another must-read from @markhertling.bsky.social www.thebulwark.com/i/185791165/...
Honor Pretti and Good. End the Occupation.
Now is the time to think big and be bold.
www.thebulwark.com
January 26, 2026 at 2:38 PM
"This is not policing and it is not military service. It is something dangerously undefined."
Another must-read from @markhertling.bsky.social www.thebulwark.com/i/185791165/...
Another must-read from @markhertling.bsky.social www.thebulwark.com/i/185791165/...
Truth. Two articles that address what we all saw, and how it must stop.
"The way to honor Alex Pretti isn’t simply to insist on the truth about him. It’s to end the lawless occupation that took his life" - @billkristolbulwark.bsky.social in today's Morning Shots, also featuring @markhertling.bsky.social: lnk.thebulwark.com/49UULdP
Honor Pretti and Good. End the Occupation.
Now is the time to think big and be bold.
lnk.thebulwark.com
January 26, 2026 at 3:41 PM
Truth. Two articles that address what we all saw, and how it must stop.
Reposted by Mark Hertling
“I don't believe him”: Michael responds to Trump's claim of having a “framework of a future deal” on Greenland
January 22, 2026 at 1:56 AM
“I don't believe him”: Michael responds to Trump's claim of having a “framework of a future deal” on Greenland
The Exec MBA students at Crummer Graduate School of Business at Rollins College had the opportunity to listen to @cnbc.com analyst, NewEdge Wealth advisor & Crummer. alum Cameron Dawson, give great economic & market advice.
January 16, 2026 at 9:18 PM
The Exec MBA students at Crummer Graduate School of Business at Rollins College had the opportunity to listen to @cnbc.com analyst, NewEdge Wealth advisor & Crummer. alum Cameron Dawson, give great economic & market advice.
The Insurrection Act: "What was once a fire extinguisher behind glass—clearly labeled “break only in emergency” to quell violence—now looks like a bottle of lighter fluid."
My latest in @thebulwark.com
My latest in @thebulwark.com
Within living memory, when presidents invoked the Insurrection Act, they did so in circumstances that were extraordinary and in line with how the drastic act was intended to be used.
No such circumstances exist right now.
NEW from @markhertling.bsky.social: lnk.thebulwark.com/45zGbHF
No such circumstances exist right now.
NEW from @markhertling.bsky.social: lnk.thebulwark.com/45zGbHF
January 15, 2026 at 10:11 PM
The Insurrection Act: "What was once a fire extinguisher behind glass—clearly labeled “break only in emergency” to quell violence—now looks like a bottle of lighter fluid."
My latest in @thebulwark.com
My latest in @thebulwark.com
Discussing the Insurrection Act on the @thebulwark.com
"As a commander, one of the first things you want to reinforce are your rules of engagement and your constraints....It seems to me, as I've watched over the last few weeks ICE officials doing their job, there are no constraints."
@markhertling.bsky.social joins Ben Parker:
@markhertling.bsky.social joins Ben Parker:
January 15, 2026 at 10:10 PM
Discussing the Insurrection Act on the @thebulwark.com
Reposted by Mark Hertling
Always read @markhertling.bsky.social 👇
"Disbelief gives way to alarm. Greenland is covered by NATO’s Article 5. An armed attack on it would legally constitute an attack on Denmark, potentially triggering collective defense obligations among alliance members.…In other words, the U.S. would be attacking the very alliance it helped design."
The Best Military ‘Option’ for Greenland: Let It Be
Attacking an ally with special forces would be the wrong tool for the wrong mission.
www.thebulwark.com
January 15, 2026 at 1:59 AM
Always read @markhertling.bsky.social 👇
Greenland. My latest in @thebulwark.com
Asking the world’s most elite special operations force to brainstorm ways to “attack” an island three times the size of Texas populated by roughly 56,000 people, most of whom already host and love American troops, is lunacy.
NEW from @markhertling.bsky.social: lnk.thebulwark.com/3LuoB0O
NEW from @markhertling.bsky.social: lnk.thebulwark.com/3LuoB0O
The Best Military ‘Option’ for Greenland: Let It Be
Attacking an ally with special forces would be the wrong tool for the wrong mission.
lnk.thebulwark.com
January 14, 2026 at 9:43 PM
Greenland. My latest in @thebulwark.com
Reposted by Mark Hertling
Bombing the regime’s enforcers does nothing to address Iran’s economic collapse, and it risks reinforcing the Iranian hardliners’ core narrative. Bombing Iran should be a last resort.
NEW from @markhertling.bsky.social: lnk.thebulwark.com/4sBBV44
NEW from @markhertling.bsky.social: lnk.thebulwark.com/4sBBV44
January 13, 2026 at 6:15 PM
Bombing the regime’s enforcers does nothing to address Iran’s economic collapse, and it risks reinforcing the Iranian hardliners’ core narrative. Bombing Iran should be a last resort.
NEW from @markhertling.bsky.social: lnk.thebulwark.com/4sBBV44
NEW from @markhertling.bsky.social: lnk.thebulwark.com/4sBBV44
Update: Senator Kelly bringing lawsuit against Sec Hegseth, SecNavy, and DoD.
"Mark Kelly’s legal counsel has called it an unprecedented and dangerous overreach. From my professional military perspective, based on four decades of experience, I agree." ICYMI @markhertling.bsky.social: lnk.thebulwark.com/3LzZI3H
Why Mark Kelly’s Case Matters
The action against him is unwarranted and could chill legitimate—and invaluable—public speech by veterans.
lnk.thebulwark.com
January 12, 2026 at 8:44 PM
Update: Senator Kelly bringing lawsuit against Sec Hegseth, SecNavy, and DoD.
Reposted by Mark Hertling
"Visibility became a marker of courage: This is my job. This is my country. I stand behind what I do." That was in post-war Iraq.
Today's Morning Shots, featuring @markhertling.bsky.social and @billkristolbulwark.bsky.social: lnk.thebulwark.com/49wOyob
Today's Morning Shots, featuring @markhertling.bsky.social and @billkristolbulwark.bsky.social: lnk.thebulwark.com/49wOyob
Take the Masks Off
ICE won’t even match the courage and professionalism of the Iraqi Police.
lnk.thebulwark.com
January 12, 2026 at 2:50 PM
"Visibility became a marker of courage: This is my job. This is my country. I stand behind what I do." That was in post-war Iraq.
Today's Morning Shots, featuring @markhertling.bsky.social and @billkristolbulwark.bsky.social: lnk.thebulwark.com/49wOyob
Today's Morning Shots, featuring @markhertling.bsky.social and @billkristolbulwark.bsky.social: lnk.thebulwark.com/49wOyob
Wrote this in Sept 2025. Revisited today, just to check the status. All of the situations are still “tenuous,” none of the areas are settled.
Just checking in: in addition to not settling seven wars, Donald Trump has started a new one, so that's how that's going. @markhertling.bsky.social from the archives: lnk.thebulwark.com/4pCOzNB
No, Trump Hasn’t ‘Settled Seven Wars’
And he should be called out on that claim every time he makes it.
lnk.thebulwark.com
January 12, 2026 at 8:41 PM
Wrote this in Sept 2025. Revisited today, just to check the status. All of the situations are still “tenuous,” none of the areas are settled.
@samsteindc.bsky.social and I previewed something new we’re starting at @thebulwark.com. We’re calling it the “command post” and each week I’ll address what’s going on in the military. We’re taking questions to drive the discussion.
In Venezuela, @markhertling.bsky.social will be looking out for "some type of plan." Because we sure don't have one yet. Hertling talks that and more with @samsteindc.bsky.social:
January 8, 2026 at 6:21 PM
@samsteindc.bsky.social and I previewed something new we’re starting at @thebulwark.com. We’re calling it the “command post” and each week I’ll address what’s going on in the military. We’re taking questions to drive the discussion.
A prediction:
Given the administration officials who the President pointed to Saturday don’t seem to want to be “in charge” of Venezuela, soon POTUS will appoint a four-star general and an “envoy”to run the country.
They will have some major challenges.
Given the administration officials who the President pointed to Saturday don’t seem to want to be “in charge” of Venezuela, soon POTUS will appoint a four-star general and an “envoy”to run the country.
They will have some major challenges.
January 7, 2026 at 1:19 PM
A prediction:
Given the administration officials who the President pointed to Saturday don’t seem to want to be “in charge” of Venezuela, soon POTUS will appoint a four-star general and an “envoy”to run the country.
They will have some major challenges.
Given the administration officials who the President pointed to Saturday don’t seem to want to be “in charge” of Venezuela, soon POTUS will appoint a four-star general and an “envoy”to run the country.
They will have some major challenges.
My latest in @thebulwark.com
Why Mark Kelly’s Case Matters
The action against him is unwarranted and could chill legitimate—and invaluable—public speech by veterans.
www.thebulwark.com
January 6, 2026 at 12:41 PM
My latest in @thebulwark.com
Reposted by Mark Hertling
NEW: "Mark Kelly did not urge service members to defy lawful authority.…He articulated a general legal truth—one that every commissioned officer has been taught, and one that even Sec. Hegseth has publicly acknowledged in the past."
Read @markhertling.bsky.social
www.thebulwark.com/p/why-mark-k...
Read @markhertling.bsky.social
www.thebulwark.com/p/why-mark-k...
Why Mark Kelly’s Case Matters
The action against him is unwarranted and could chill legitimate—and invaluable—public speech by veterans.
www.thebulwark.com
January 6, 2026 at 5:24 AM
NEW: "Mark Kelly did not urge service members to defy lawful authority.…He articulated a general legal truth—one that every commissioned officer has been taught, and one that even Sec. Hegseth has publicly acknowledged in the past."
Read @markhertling.bsky.social
www.thebulwark.com/p/why-mark-k...
Read @markhertling.bsky.social
www.thebulwark.com/p/why-mark-k...