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Common Defense
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Continuing our service. The largest grassroots Veteran community. Fighting for a country that works for ALL of us. We organize. We vote. We win. Join us → https://commondefense.us/

#VetsForDemocracy #VetsAgainstTrump
SCOTUS got a spine this year as a Christmas present.

After bending over backwards to help Trump in decisions this year, the Supreme Court has finally delivered a win For The People and blocked Trump’s attempted military occupation of Chicago. #NoWarOnOurStreets
December 24, 2025 at 8:54 PM
Navy Sec John Phelan, pronounced "failing/flailing", unveiling the Trump-classless battleship tonight.
December 22, 2025 at 10:12 PM
The path home from the frontlines is rarely a straight line.

Graham Platner’s journey from combat to the U.S. Senate is a story of service, struggle, and an enduring oath to our democracy.

Read how Platner is turning his experience into a fight for our shared future.

https://bit.ly/4ar4Scs
How Graham Platner’s complicated past shapes his run for U.S. Senate
A war is being waged to define the combat veteran, oyster farmer and U.S. Senate candidate from Sullivan.
www.pressherald.com
December 21, 2025 at 3:55 PM
RELEASE THE TAPES - The United States Senate

https://politi.co/4j0J0Xr
Senate passes defense bill that defies Trump and forces sharing of boat strike videos
The president is still expected to sign the legislation, which now heads to his desk.
politi.co
December 17, 2025 at 11:19 PM
In March, Rep. Mike Bost promised to have Veterans' backs "all the time" as a fellow Marine.

Now that the VA plans to eliminate 35,000 healthcare jobs, Chairman Bost says, "change can be a good thing," while veterans are already waiting 60 to 90 days for services in some regions.
December 17, 2025 at 5:07 PM
The Hegseth Pentagon is FUBAR.

From risking troop safety to spreading "FAKE NEWS" his leadership has been a total mess. Even GOP Senators are forced to admit they don't trust him.

We knew on Day 1 he was not fit. The price of bad leadership is too high for our troops to pay.
https://bit.ly/48XCLPN
GOP senators, lacking confidence in Hegseth, say his future is Trump's call
Republican senators, who are growing increasingly exasperated with the proliferation of high-profile controversies at the Pentagon, are not expressing much confidence in Secretary Pete Hegseth's le...
thehill.com
December 17, 2025 at 4:49 PM
DHS Secretary Kristi is a BLUE FALCON.

This is the core betrayal: You defend the country, and they throw you away. We refuse to let elites profit from our sacrifice.

https://bit.ly/490mFoB
DHS Secretary Kristi Noem confronted about veteran in contentious hearing over deportations
During a congressional hearing, DHS Secretary Kristi Noem defending herself from Democrats who sharply questioned the Trump administration's hardline immigration actions.
bit.ly
December 16, 2025 at 6:08 PM
In the Army-Navy game, we root for different teams, but our oath to the Constitution is the same. Join us in honoring our shared values and mission to serve. ⬇️ https://bit.ly/4oQ6UX6
December 13, 2025 at 4:12 PM
Watch this. Hypocrisy Fails Judicial Test.

@duckworth.senate.gov exposes the lie: Defunded police training dollars + illegal military deployments.

Courts have ruled the deployment basis "simply unreliable" & "unfettered to the facts".

Serve the Constitution, not a political narrative.
December 11, 2025 at 6:23 PM
Violation of Principles. When military service is reduced to "personal bidding" and troops are forced into non-mission roles, it undermines the military's apolitical nature.

Watch @duckworth.senate.gov dismantle the argument for abusing the National Guard.

The military serves the people.
December 11, 2025 at 4:42 PM
Hegseth is waging war on OUR troops.

Deadnaming Admiral Levine's portrait is a calculated, institutional betrayal.

They are sending a dangerous message: Your service is only valid if we approve of who you are.

STOP THE WAR ON OUR WARFIGHTERS.

https://bit.ly/4a6KRI5
Admiral Rachel Levine’s federal portrait gets deadnamed - Salon.com
The first openly transgender four-star official’s portrait was quietly altered by HHS, sparking criticism
bit.ly
December 9, 2025 at 7:45 PM
Ret. Navy CPO Bill: Using "treason" against lawmakers who said, 'Do not obey illegal orders,' is flat out wrong.

That rhetoric endangers lives. By making them the "enemy of the people", the Commander-in-Chief is jeopardizing public safety.

We must protect constitutional principles.
December 9, 2025 at 5:48 PM
Traumatic Brain Injury is the signature wound of modern war. Yet research ignores the Special Ops troops most at risk.

Private equity won't fix this. There is no profit margin in treating long-term CTE.

The VA puts the mission above the money. Keep it public.

https://bit.ly/4rxqxFU
TBI research neglects special operations forces, report says
There is limited research on traumatic brain injury among SOF, although the community faces a higher risk of TBI, according to a new Rand report.
www.militarytimes.com
December 8, 2025 at 7:58 PM
If we are at war, killing survivors is a war crime. If we aren't, it is murder.

Former JAGs confirm Hegseth’s orders violated the UCMJ either way.

This is why he fired the lawyers: To remove the guardrails. We stand with @duckworth.senate.gov. Accountability now.

#WarCrimes
https://bit.ly/4itpIts
Former JAGs say Hegseth, others may have committed war crimes
The group of ex-military lawyers published their memo after The Washington Post released a report on the alleged killing of survivors from a boat strike.
www.marinecorpstimes.com
December 5, 2025 at 7:11 PM
When elected leaders asked about the legal basis for recent domestic deployments, they were called "seditious." When troops ask, they face silence.

This isn't how a democracy works. We need sworn testimony, not political theater. John Kamin explains in Stars and Stripes: https://bit.ly/4iEFNgd
Domestic deployment has been shrouded in secrecy. The Senate must demand answers.
www.stripes.com
December 5, 2025 at 6:48 PM
Hazing reports are rising in the ranks. Instead of fixing it, Secretary Hegseth wants to loosen the rules.

We have lost Marines to abuse, like Harry Lew and Raheel Siddiqui.

You don't build a lethal force by terrorizing your own unit. That isn't old school. It's DUMB.

https://bit.ly/4pe7y1J
Hazing, bullying reports up as Hegseth pushes for rougher training
While hazing reports saw an upswing in 2024 after three years of steady decline, bullying complaints have been steadily increasing since 2020.
www.marinecorpstimes.com
December 5, 2025 at 4:47 PM
They are trying to gut our VA care to line the pockets of their billionaire buddies.

Heidi Dragneff breaks down the "deny, deny, deny" strategy being used to dismantle our benefits—and how we stop it.

Read her full warning and join us to take a stand against the cuts: https://bit.ly/4iAfmIn
Working in Solidarity with Veterans
Navy veteran Heidi Dragneff explains how Common Defense rallies vets worried about health care cuts and attacks on the Constitution
grassrootsconnector.substack.com
December 4, 2025 at 8:11 PM
Being SecDef isn't cosplay. It isn't for a wannabe social media star.

The buck stops at your office, not your twitter feed.

Even GOP leadership is joining @duckworth.senate.gov in demanding "vigorous oversight" of these strikes.

Put down the phone. Testify.

#WheresPete

https://wapo.st/4itbhWq
Congressional committees to scrutinize U.S. killing of boat strike survivors
The Senate and House armed services committees’ pledge followed a Washington Post report revealing that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth ordered that a U.S. strike leave no survivors.
wapo.st
December 4, 2025 at 6:11 PM
Army Guard vet Christopher Purdy on the D.C. tragedy: Using this to scapegoat the Afghan allies who fought alongside us is a stain on our national honor.

Banning our allies doesn't protect national security. It destroys our credibility.

"Is this worth it?"

https://n.pr/3Y0sAEN
Army National Guard vet talks about the attack on two National Guard members in D.C.
NPR's A Martinez speaks with Army National Guard veteran Christopher Purdy about the implications for Afghan refugees following the shooting of two National Guard members in Washington, D.C.
n.pr
December 3, 2025 at 5:54 PM
You don't get to play "Top Gun" for the cameras and then throw commanders under the bus.

Scapegoating Admiral Bradley for your own failed orders isn't leadership. It is cowardice. You cannot sacrifice troops to save your own ass.

We stand with @duckworth.senate.gov. Testify
https://wapo.st/49Rpk5V
Hegseth, with White House help, tries to distance himself from boat strike fallout
As Congress vows accountability, the Trump administration emphasized it was a top military commander — not the defense secretary — who directed the engagement.
wapo.st
December 2, 2025 at 6:15 PM
"Task Force Beautification" got a soldier killed and another seriously hurt.

Deployed to pick up trash for political optics, one Guard member has died, and another was shot.

Unserious leadership is dangerous.

#NoWarOnOurStreets

https://bit.ly/43XDyP4
A Terrible and Avoidable Tragedy in D.C.
Trump was warned that members of the military could be attacked.
bit.ly
December 2, 2025 at 4:54 PM
Being Commander isn’t a game. Stoking chaos in the Caribbean for political theater gets people killed.

Hegseth is ghosting Congress because he knows his "kill them all" orders can’t withstand scrutiny.

We stand with @duckworth.senate.gov. Testify NOW.

#WhereIsPete

https://wapo.st/49QPtSw
Hegseth order on first Caribbean boat strike, officials say: Kill them all
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth issued a verbal order to kill all crew members in the Sept. 2 strike on a suspected drug boat. Navy SEALs fired a second missile.
wapo.st
December 1, 2025 at 7:56 PM
Reposted by Common Defense
Our thoughts are with the service members who were harmed today, and their families

We don't know what motivated this senseless act, but one thing is clear – if the National Guard had not been deployed when they weren’t needed, this would not have happened

www.chamberlainnetwork.us/the-report/s...
The Chamberlain Network Horrified by Shooting of National Guardsmembers in DC — The Chamberlain Network
Two members of the West Virginia National Guard were shot in Washington, DC, near the White House. The Chamberlain Network thoughts are with these service members and their families, whose loved ...
www.chamberlainnetwork.us
November 26, 2025 at 11:10 PM
We warned that a "manufactured war" on our streets would put troops at risk. Today, two WV Guardsmen were shot in DC.

Escalating domestic militarization doesn't make us safer; it puts citizen soldiers in the crosshairs.

Stop the stunts. Bring them home.

#NoWarOnOurStreets

https://bit.ly/484rFJr
Veterans Condemn National Guard Shooting Amid Rising Political Violence; Call for End to Domestic Deployments
Washington, DC – Common Defense is shocked and heartbroken by the shooting of two West Virginia National Guard members in Washington DC earlier today. Our thoughts are with these Guardsmen, their love...
bit.ly
November 27, 2025 at 12:15 AM
This Thanksgiving, we are grateful for the freedom to dissent.

70-year-old veteran Dana Briggs was injured and arrested protesting ICE raids, but the charges were DROPPED.

He showed the same moral conviction he had in uniform.

Dissent is not a crime.

https://bit.ly/4ptBiqQ
US veteran considers civil lawsuit after he was arrested and injured at anti-ICE protest
Dana Briggs, 70, had charges dropped after being accused of assaulting an agent during a protest at an Illinois ICE facility
www.theguardian.com
November 26, 2025 at 5:50 PM