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A newsletter and podcast about defense news and looming hotspots, produced by a prior Marine who's trying to help unite the country. Plus, there will always be some motivation and wisdom in each episode to help push you, because who doesn't need that?!

The 11/26/21 dispatch.

Stan R. Mitchell

Nov 26, 2021

Happy Friday! Hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving!

As a quick thank you to my readers, I wanted to share this:

Stan R. Mitchell, USMC @StanRMitchell

Three-mile run to kick off Thanksgiving! So thankful for health, family, friends, supporters, and readers out there. I’ve been working hard on my craft and will probably drop three books next year. A leadership book, a fifth #NickWoods thriller, and a third #DannyAcuff novel.

And now let’s get to the good stuff.

The concerns of a Russian re-invasion of Ukraine remain strong. (I say “re-invasion” because Russia has already invaded once in the past few years.)

I thought this video was a great look (and description) into what the front-line of part of the front currently looks like.

BBC News (World) @BBCWorld

Russian troops building on the border with eastern Ukraine has led to speculation over an invasion bbc.in/3DTMyW2

Staying on the topic of Russia, this isn’t exactly surprising news, but it’s certainly somewhat concerning news.

Derek J. Grossman @DerekJGrossman

Russian DM: “China and Russia have been strategic partners for many years…Today, in conditions of increasing geopolitical turbulence and growing conflict potential in various parts of the world, the development of our interaction is especially relevant.”

apnews.comRussia, China sign roadmap for closer military cooperation | AP NewsMOSCOW (AP) — Russia’s defense chief on Tuesday signed a roadmap for closer military ties with China, pointing to increasingly frequent U.S. strategic bomber flights near both countries’ borders. During a video call, Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and his Chinese counterpart Wei Fenghe “expressed a …

One final thing on the topic of Russia. This has come out, as well.

John Hudson @John_Hudson

SCOOP: CIA Director Bill Burns warns Russian spies of “consequences” if they are behind “Havana Syndrome” incidents 1/

washingtonpost.comCIA director warns Russian spies of ‘consequences’ if they are behind ‘Havana Syndrome’ incidentsWilliam J. Burns said that causing debilitating aliments among U.S. personnel and their family members would be beyond the pale for a “professional intelligence service.”

But an important reminder on this subject, and just how crazy this story remains…

John Hudson @John_Hudson

The fact that Burns formulated the warning by saying “if” suggests that after four years of investigations across multiple administrations, the U.S. government remains unable to determine a cause of the unusual incidents. 3/

Now we’re going to move to a topic that’s a bit hard for me to share. I am as patriotic as one can be.

I’ve raised my right hand to voluntarily enlist, I’ve DEMANDED to be guaranteed infantry (even threatening to join the Army if the Marine Corps couldn’t find a slot), and I went back to serve after fulfilling my commitment after 9/11 because I thought my limited combat experience in 1997 might help a force that had NO combat experience in 2001. (Just to save you some research, here are the two questions everyone always asks: The details of my military career. Also, Tell us about your Combat Action Ribbon. What’s the story behind it?)

I only share all of this as a pre-amble because I try to be pro-military. I try to be as rah-rah as possible when our nation says “go.” And I always try to support our military leaders.

But we must be clear. Our military leaders often fail those on the ground. They often fail the families back home.

And the story below is one of the most sickening things I’ve read or heard about in some time.

Here’s just a couple of small parts of it:

“3212: UN-REDACTED,” the culmination of years of investigative reporting by ABC News’ James Gordon Meek, pieces together a story that’s entirely at odds with the Pentagon’s version of events of what happened that day in Tongo Tongo. A story of soldiers who followed orders from senior officers who were continents away, after concerns about the mission’s safety voiced by the commander on the ground were overruled. A story about families who say they were deeply misled by Army officials and lied to on a number of occasions. A story about senior military officials who sought to cover their tracks and allowed more junior leaders to take the fall for the mission’s outcome — including an Army officer who was back in the United States with his wife while his baby daughter was being born.

You really have to read this one:

Haley Britzky @halbritz

“The Army let me down. They let my son down. And then they lied about it.” There is *a lot* to learn and discuss in "3212: UN-REDACTED," the result of a years-long investigation by @meekwire @ABC of the 2017 Niger ambush, now on Hulu...

taskandpurpose.comThey were painted as rogue Green Berets. This is the truth the Pentagon doesn’t want you to hear“They didn’t care that there was no backup for those boys.”

And I hope investigations by Congress are opened and heads roll for this kind of despicable conduct.

The military leadership not only mis-directed who was actually to blame, and they not only got great men killed on a beyond-stupid mission, but the military also smeared at least two great officers, who were actually in the right.

As one father of a fallen soldier said:

I was left with the impression that this guy (the commanding officer of the unit) was a screw-up who carried my son off and got him killed.”
“That’s what I was led to believe,” the father said. “And I think that’s probably the biggest injustice … I walked around pissed off for a year and my anger was directed towards somebody that was completely innocent of what they told me he did.”

The father is referring to his son’s commander who strenuously objected to the very dangerous mission of the unit that was already exhausted and pushed to the limit after days of chasing false reports. The worst part is that the unit was eventually not even supported by an American unit that was supposed to have been involved.

These men were left hanging out to dry and the military defamed them as a bunch of gung-ho cowboys acting recklessly. It’s beyond shameful.

You really need to read the article. Here’s the link again:

They were painted as rogue Green Berets. This is the truth the Pentagon doesn’t want you to hear. “They didn’t care that there was no backup for those boys.”

Okay, deep breath. I need to let that go. Sort of, but not really.

Nonetheless, let’s end on a much better note, since the vast majority of the military is not like that described above.

I wanted to share this short clip to help remind everyone of the tremendous example that the vast majority of men and women in our armed forces attempt to uphold every single day.