Security Dilemmas
@securitydilemmas.bsky.social
I'm Richard Purcell, Louisiana native, proud UNC alum, former Capitol Hill staffer, SAIS grad, and (hopefully) keen observer of foreign policy and national security. Nukes are my specialty.
Pinned
Nuclear Damage Limitation in an Era of Great Power Competition
Editor’s note: This is the second piece in a two-part series examining the role of damage limitation strategy in U.S. nuclear war planning. Read part one here. With the apparent reemergence …
globalsecurityreview.com
This is the second part of my article in Global Security Review about damage limitation in the modern world:
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In a display of staggering naiveté, Trump said on Sunday, “Russia wants to see Ukraine succeed.” wapo.st/3N5e24y
Opinion | Trump and Zelensky talk peace while Putin wages war
Ukraine peace won’t come until the Russian dictator realizes he can’t win militarily.
wapo.st
December 29, 2025 at 5:52 PM
In a display of staggering naiveté, Trump said on Sunday, “Russia wants to see Ukraine succeed.” wapo.st/3N5e24y
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NORAD Santa tracker is Woke
December 25, 2025 at 2:28 AM
NORAD Santa tracker is Woke
Sounds like China is opting for a launch-on-warning capability. The U.S. has had one for decades. Both would contribute to instability during a crisis.
December 25, 2025 at 3:24 AM
Sounds like China is opting for a launch-on-warning capability. The U.S. has had one for decades. Both would contribute to instability during a crisis.
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*sighs heavily*
I wonder how quickly (assuming we do) we will upload warheads to the ICBM &/or SSBN forces after New START expires.
And if our government will tell us or if we’ll have to find out through OSINT or leak or Russia.
I wonder how quickly (assuming we do) we will upload warheads to the ICBM &/or SSBN forces after New START expires.
And if our government will tell us or if we’ll have to find out through OSINT or leak or Russia.
December 24, 2025 at 6:15 PM
*sighs heavily*
I wonder how quickly (assuming we do) we will upload warheads to the ICBM &/or SSBN forces after New START expires.
And if our government will tell us or if we’ll have to find out through OSINT or leak or Russia.
I wonder how quickly (assuming we do) we will upload warheads to the ICBM &/or SSBN forces after New START expires.
And if our government will tell us or if we’ll have to find out through OSINT or leak or Russia.
Reposted by Security Dilemmas
So an invitation to China and Russia to do whatever?
The White House has ordered US military forces to focus almost exclusively on enforcing the "quarantine" of Venezuela, an American official tells Reuters.
December 24, 2025 at 7:46 PM
So an invitation to China and Russia to do whatever?
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In remembering the Maginot Line, the image of overconfident security is easy to grasp. The problem is that it has little to do with what really happened in 1940, writes historian Alan Allport.
U.S. Strategists Keep Getting France’s Defeat Wrong
Myths about the Maginot Line are strangely persistent.
foreignpolicy.com
December 20, 2025 at 8:30 PM
In remembering the Maginot Line, the image of overconfident security is easy to grasp. The problem is that it has little to do with what really happened in 1940, writes historian Alan Allport.
Reposted by Security Dilemmas
All the Americans shot in the water during World War II after their boats were sunk, were viewed as enemy combatant by the Japanese and Germans, who killed them. There was no dispute that those were war crimes.
Hegseth’s own “fog of war” excuse fully contradicts this new excuse, which they have clearly just come up with to try to keep him out of the Hague
EXCLUSIVE: Pete Hegseth ordered the U.S. military on Sept. 2 to kill all 11 people on a suspected drug-smuggling boat because they were on an internal list of military targets, the commander overseeing the operation told lawmakers, according to multiple sources.
December 7, 2025 at 2:24 AM
All the Americans shot in the water during World War II after their boats were sunk, were viewed as enemy combatant by the Japanese and Germans, who killed them. There was no dispute that those were war crimes.
There used to be an absolutely fantastic exhibit at the National Museum of American History about the Japanese-American experience during WW2. The 1st half was about the internment while the 2nd was about the Nisei who served in the U.S. Army in Europe during the war. No clue why it was taken down.
Haunted by History, Japanese Americans Fight Trump’s Immigration Crackdown
www.nytimes.com
December 4, 2025 at 6:39 PM
There used to be an absolutely fantastic exhibit at the National Museum of American History about the Japanese-American experience during WW2. The 1st half was about the internment while the 2nd was about the Nisei who served in the U.S. Army in Europe during the war. No clue why it was taken down.
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I know this country’s promise firsthand. I came to America fleeing Soviet Ukraine at age 3.
I served this country in our Army for 25 years.
Only in America can you go from refugee to representative in just one lifetime.
That is the power of our democracy. I will always be proud of that.
I served this country in our Army for 25 years.
Only in America can you go from refugee to representative in just one lifetime.
That is the power of our democracy. I will always be proud of that.
November 18, 2025 at 6:43 PM
I know this country’s promise firsthand. I came to America fleeing Soviet Ukraine at age 3.
I served this country in our Army for 25 years.
Only in America can you go from refugee to representative in just one lifetime.
That is the power of our democracy. I will always be proud of that.
I served this country in our Army for 25 years.
Only in America can you go from refugee to representative in just one lifetime.
That is the power of our democracy. I will always be proud of that.
I saw six Air Force fighters fly over Columbia Heights a couple of hours ago while I was running errands. Now I know why.
Trump defends Saudi crown prince over Khashoggi killing
The de facto Saudi ruler was branded a pariah in 2018 after the killing of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi. Now, U.S.-Saudi relations are approaching a high point.
www.washingtonpost.com
November 18, 2025 at 7:12 PM
I saw six Air Force fighters fly over Columbia Heights a couple of hours ago while I was running errands. Now I know why.
One lesson I've learned over time is that if you see something valuable on the internet, download it whenever possible. It may not always be there. UVa's Miller Center used to have the transcripts of the ExComm deliberations during the Cuban Missile Crisis on its website, but they were removed.
Analysis | State Department deleted records about risk of inadvertent nuclear war
Key historical records about the incident during the Reagan administration, known as the Able Archer 83 War Scare, were removed without explanation.
www.washingtonpost.com
November 13, 2025 at 5:44 PM
One lesson I've learned over time is that if you see something valuable on the internet, download it whenever possible. It may not always be there. UVa's Miller Center used to have the transcripts of the ExComm deliberations during the Cuban Missile Crisis on its website, but they were removed.
I doubt Trump could locate Africa on a map. When he complains about Christians being persecuted in Nigeria, he's probably assuming they're white like Afrikaners.
November 2, 2025 at 1:07 AM
I doubt Trump could locate Africa on a map. When he complains about Christians being persecuted in Nigeria, he's probably assuming they're white like Afrikaners.
I started to write a comment about this, but honestly words fail me.
November 2, 2025 at 12:51 AM
I started to write a comment about this, but honestly words fail me.
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Sure, it will undermine global security and push our adversaries to test their own nuclear weapons - but great news! It will also send “a shockwave of government funding to companies in test site construction and engineering support”
October 30, 2025 at 10:14 PM
Sure, it will undermine global security and push our adversaries to test their own nuclear weapons - but great news! It will also send “a shockwave of government funding to companies in test site construction and engineering support”
Oh, good. I feel safer now.
Trump directs Pentagon to test nuclear weapons for first time since 1992
The president said he wanted testing to occur “on an equal basis” with Russia and China. The Kremlin condemned the move, and there was no indication on when tests might take place.
www.washingtonpost.com
October 30, 2025 at 12:17 PM
Oh, good. I feel safer now.
Reposted by Security Dilemmas
Had an uncomfortable conversation about despair this afternoon.
To my mind, despair is the enemy. No matter how bad things are, this country has seen worse, people around the world have seen worse, and things got better because they kept fighting.
To my mind, despair is the enemy. No matter how bad things are, this country has seen worse, people around the world have seen worse, and things got better because they kept fighting.
October 25, 2025 at 12:09 AM
Had an uncomfortable conversation about despair this afternoon.
To my mind, despair is the enemy. No matter how bad things are, this country has seen worse, people around the world have seen worse, and things got better because they kept fighting.
To my mind, despair is the enemy. No matter how bad things are, this country has seen worse, people around the world have seen worse, and things got better because they kept fighting.
It is 2025. The transcript of every Congressional hearing ever held in U.S. history should be available online for free. How is this not the case?
October 6, 2025 at 10:31 PM
It is 2025. The transcript of every Congressional hearing ever held in U.S. history should be available online for free. How is this not the case?
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Hegseth: The military is for killing people and breaking things. No more rules of engagement.
Trump: I’ll be sending the military into U.S. cities.
Trump: I’ll be sending the military into U.S. cities.
Hegseth: "A few months ago I was at the White House when President Trump announced his liberation day for America's trade policy. It was a landmark day. Well, today is another liberation day. The liberation of America's warriors ... you kill people and break things for a living."
September 30, 2025 at 7:26 PM
Hegseth: The military is for killing people and breaking things. No more rules of engagement.
Trump: I’ll be sending the military into U.S. cities.
Trump: I’ll be sending the military into U.S. cities.
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In light of today’s absolutely fucking deranged “I’m in a war movie” speeches by Trump and Hegseth, I give you the plaque at West Point.
September 30, 2025 at 4:28 PM
In light of today’s absolutely fucking deranged “I’m in a war movie” speeches by Trump and Hegseth, I give you the plaque at West Point.
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George Hardy flew 21 combat missions in World War II, then went on to fight in the Korean and Vietnam wars. trib.al/pimPxQu
One of the last original Tuskegee Airmen dies at 100
George Hardy flew 21 combat missions in World War II, then went on to fight in the Korean and Vietnam wars.
trib.al
September 30, 2025 at 10:26 PM
George Hardy flew 21 combat missions in World War II, then went on to fight in the Korean and Vietnam wars. trib.al/pimPxQu
Trump said he wants to bring back battleships, even though no nation has built one since the 1940s. It's only a matter of time before he says he wants the F-47 to be a biplane.
September 30, 2025 at 11:12 PM
Trump said he wants to bring back battleships, even though no nation has built one since the 1940s. It's only a matter of time before he says he wants the F-47 to be a biplane.
NYT: "Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, who summoned the generals and admirals, is expected to speak about grooming and fitness requirements, and other aspects of what he calls a shift toward a 'warrior ethos' at the Pentagon."
September 28, 2025 at 5:37 PM
NYT: "Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, who summoned the generals and admirals, is expected to speak about grooming and fitness requirements, and other aspects of what he calls a shift toward a 'warrior ethos' at the Pentagon."
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cc All U.S. flag officers. Don’t forget your duty and oath.
The South Korean Ministry of Defense has awarded medals of merit to 11 officers for disobeying direct orders of superiors during the martial law fiasco, orders that they deemed to be contrary to the constitution and endangerment to democracy.
www.chosun.com/english/nati...
www.chosun.com/english/nati...
National Defense Ministry Honors 11 Soldiers for Refusing Illegal Orders
National Defense Ministry Honors 11 Soldiers for Refusing Illegal Orders Honored for rejecting illegal orders during martial law, Marine death probe
www.chosun.com
September 27, 2025 at 9:46 PM
cc All U.S. flag officers. Don’t forget your duty and oath.