shashj.bsky.social
Shashank Joshi
@shashj.bsky.social
63K followers 130 following 3.7K posts
Defence Editor at The Economist. Visiting Fellow at Department of War Studies, KCL. For speaking engagements: https://chartwellspeakers.com/speaker/shashank-joshi
chartwellspeakers.com
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shashj.bsky.social
Shashank Joshi @shashj.bsky.social · Feb 13
Our cover story this week: reforming the Pentagon. www.economist.com/briefing/202...
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shashj.bsky.social
Shashank Joshi @shashj.bsky.social · 5d
And this is our cover briefing. "Western countries are conscious that China and Russia are testing them, but unsure or, in some cases, in outright disagreement about how to respond. That is presumably one of the aims of such actions."
www.economist.com/briefing/202...
Why Russia’s micro-aggressions against Europe are proliferating
It is hoping to sap support for Ukraine and highlight America’s ambivalence
www.economist.com
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shashj.bsky.social
Shashank Joshi @shashj.bsky.social · 5d
Our cover this week.
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shashj.bsky.social
Shashank Joshi @shashj.bsky.social · 6d
The first episode of Inside Defence, one of @economist.com's new video shows, will be with Mark Rutte, the secretary-general of NATO. It'll go out in a couple of weeks, on October 14th. Can't think of a timelier guest.
www.economist.com/insider/insi...
Mark Rutte on NATO’s survival | The Economist Insider
The transatlantic alliance is facing its toughest test since the cold war. Defence budgets are climbing, but the gap between pledges and capabilities remains large. New technologies are transforming t...
www.economist.com
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Reposted by Shashank Joshi
wesleymorgan.bsky.social
Wesley Morgan @wesleymorgan.bsky.social · 7d
“Only in recent decades did politicians somehow come to believe that our job is to police the far reaches of Kenya and Somalia”

Guess no one has told him that Biden reversed his Somalia pullout and that AFRICOM is running the most active remaining GWOT air campaign there
atrupar.com
Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 7d
Trump to generals: "America is under invasion from within. We're under invasion from within. No different than a foreign enemy, but more difficult in any ways because they don't wear uniforms. At least when they're wearing a uniform you can take them out."
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sodrock.bsky.social
Secretary of Defense Rock @sodrock.bsky.social · 8d
This coming out the same day Lutnick is on the record saying that the United States won’t defend Taiwan unless they move 50% of chip production to America shows how everyone in the administration is just out running their own foreign policies in their fiefdoms
wsj.com
The Wall Street Journal @wsj.com · 9d
Exclusive: The Pentagon, alarmed at the low weapons stockpiles the U.S. would have on hand for a potential future conflict with China, is urging its missile suppliers to double or even quadruple production rates on a breakneck schedule.
Exclusive | Pentagon Pushes to Double Missile Production for Potential China Conflict
U.S. military leaders are urging defense contractors to increase assembly of 12 critical weapons.
on.wsj.com
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kschake.bsky.social
Kori Schake @kschake.bsky.social · 7d
Disgraceful and dangerous incitement by the President and Secretary; reassuring to see the disciplined professionalism of our military leaders amidst it.
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risabrooks12.bsky.social
Risa Brooks @risabrooks12.bsky.social · 7d
Even worse, the speech aims to signal that the military profession does not matter. Calls for the military to clap in response to partisan commentary says to those assembled: “we don’t care about your nonpartisan ethic and the professional ethos that sustains it” 7/
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risabrooks12.bsky.social
Risa Brooks @risabrooks12.bsky.social · 7d
If mil leaders don’t buy the message, they can keep quiet or self-select out. Those who don’t want to be part of politicized military (or agree w/ the ideology) leave. This aims to weed out committed professionals who strongly adhere to norms of nonpartisanship. 6/
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risabrooks12.bsky.social
Risa Brooks @risabrooks12.bsky.social · 7d
To the generals & admirals in attendance, it signals that overt ideological conformity with the administration is not just appropriate, but key to their career advancement and to protecting their units and commands. 3/
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shashj.bsky.social
Shashank Joshi @shashj.bsky.social · 9d
The Strategy of Denial (of reality)
lukemcgee.bsky.social
Luke McGee @lukemcgee.bsky.social · 9d
"the administration’s new National Defense Strategy is expected to significantly shift attention and resources away from preparing for a conflict with China to sharply focus on homeland defense and military use at home"

www.washingtonpost.com/national-sec...
Trump to attend gathering of top generals, upending last-minute plans
President Trump will attend the unusual gathering of hundreds of generals summoned to Virginia on short notice by Pete Hegseth, adding new security concerns.
www.washingtonpost.com
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shashj.bsky.social
Shashank Joshi @shashj.bsky.social · 9d
Even if Hegseth intended this gathering to be a lecture on warfighting and standards, the presence of Trump makes it far likelier that it will deteriorate into a highly political event that further drags the armed forces into the partisan political maelstrom. www.washingtonpost.com/national-sec...
Trump to attend gathering of top generals, upending last-minute plans
President Trump will attend the unusual gathering of hundreds of generals summoned to Virginia on short notice by Pete Hegseth, adding new security concerns.
www.washingtonpost.com
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chowleen.bsky.social
eileen chengyin chow @chowleen.bsky.social · 10d
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...
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
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shashj.bsky.social
Shashank Joshi @shashj.bsky.social · 10d
📺 This week The Economist announced a new video series: The Economist Insider, comprising five new shows. From October I will host Inside Defence, a monthly show featuring in-depth interviews w/ senior figures in defence & nat'l security.
www.economist.com/comingsoon
www.youtube.com/watch?v=cshx...
The Economist Insider launches soon
A new premium video experience from The Economist, coming on October 9th
www.economist.com
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shashj.bsky.social
Shashank Joshi @shashj.bsky.social · 12d
"Red lights flashing for American democracy (again) when a former FBI director is indicted solely because the president is angry with his investigations. "The indictment, filed in Alexandria, Va., came over the objection of career prosecutors..." www.nytimes.com/2025/09/25/u...
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shashj.bsky.social
Shashank Joshi @shashj.bsky.social · 14d
'It is hard to see a route to Ukrainian victory without a much wider, but politically very difficult, level of conscription. Recruits would need to be dragged from civilian industries. Politicians’ sons, now often protected, would have to go" www.economist.com/europe/2025/...
Ukraine faces deepening military, political and economic problems
A report card on Ukraine 2.0
www.economist.com
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shashj.bsky.social
Shashank Joshi @shashj.bsky.social · 15d
"Polling commissioned by The Economist...shows that 20% of liberals think political violence can be justified [v] 7% of conservatives & moderates...Liberals of all ages are more likely to condone political violence but those under 40 are especially likely" www.economist.com/graphic-deta...
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shashj.bsky.social
Shashank Joshi @shashj.bsky.social · 20d
‘Asked whether Pakistan would be obliged to provide Saudi Arabia with a nuclear umbrella under the pact, the official said: “This is a comprehensive defensive agreement that encompasses all military means.”’
www.theguardian.com/world/2025/s...
Saudi Arabia and Pakistan sign mutual defence pact as regional tensions escalate
Deal with nuclear-armed Pakistan comes as Gulf Arab states worry about US reliability while Saudi official says pact isn’t responding to ‘specific events’
www.theguardian.com
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shashj.bsky.social
Shashank Joshi @shashj.bsky.social · 21d
"Mr Trump has diverted 28,000 federal law-enforcement personnel—including one in five FBI agents—to do the work of ICE." www.economist.com/united-state...
The president is putting America’s armed forces in a bind
Turning soldiers into cops was once a last resort. How far might he go?
www.economist.com
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acyn.bsky.social
Acyn @acyn.bsky.social · 21d
President Trump warns an Australian reporter that he’s hurting Australia because he asked him about his business activity: You are hurting Australia very much right now. They want to get along with me. Your leader is coming to see me soon, I'm going to tell him about you.
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shashj.bsky.social
Shashank Joshi @shashj.bsky.social · 21d
"The Trump administration has ordered the removal of signs and exhibits related to slavery at multiple national parks, according to four people familiar with the matter, including a historic photograph of a formerly enslaved man showing scars on his back." www.washingtonpost.com/climate-envi...
National park to remove photo of enslaved man’s scars
The Trump administration is ordering the removal of information on slavery at multiple national parks in an effort to scrub them of “corrosive ideology.”
www.washingtonpost.com
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shashj.bsky.social
Shashank Joshi @shashj.bsky.social · 23d
Wow. UK drops charges against two men, including a former Parliamentary researcher, accused of spying for China. ‘Prosecutor Tom Little told the court … "we simply cannot continue to prosecute this case".’ www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
Charges dropped against two men accused of spying for China
Christopher Cash, 30, and Christopher Berry, 33, had previously denied the allegations.
www.bbc.co.uk
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shashj.bsky.social
Shashank Joshi @shashj.bsky.social · 23d
Think about the power requirements, the size of drones required to carry that power aloft, and the fact that microwave radiation follows the inverse square law & how close you’d have to get to the target.
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shashj.bsky.social
Shashank Joshi @shashj.bsky.social · 24d
How does NATO monitor and defend its airspace? It operates a large, diverse & growing network of sensors & interceptors on air, sea and land—but also one with significant limitations when it comes to countering low-level drone incursions in peacetime.
www.economist.com/europe/2025/...
A scary struggle with the Kremlin over Europe’s skies
Russian air incursions are testing NATO’s will to resist
www.economist.com
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miyhnea.bsky.social
Mihnea @miyhnea.bsky.social · 24d
Replied elsewhere but please note our situation is different from Poland. Russian drones routinely cross RO territory at the Danube delta on their way to hit Izmail

The issue is as I geromanned below, that there is basically 0 roads east of Tulcea
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shashj.bsky.social
Shashank Joshi @shashj.bsky.social · 24d
Romania detects another Russian drone incursion. “at 18.23, F 16 aircraft detected a drone in national airspace, which they tracked until approximately 20 km SW of Chilia Veche, when it disappeared from the radar…a Russian drone crashed in Chilia”
adevarul.ro/stiri-intern...
Alertă maximă în nordul Dobrogei: Două avioane F16 au detectat o dronă în spațiul aerian al României
Un mesaj RO-Alert a fost transmis sâmbătă seara în nordul județului Tulcea, avertizând populația asupra posibilei căderi de obiecte din spațiul aerian, însă autoritățile dau asigurări că România nu es...
adevarul.ro
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