Dr. Jonathan Schroden
@jjschroden.bsky.social
22 years as a military operations analyst. Lots on DOD happenings, especially special ops & irregular warfare. Author of a forthcoming book on the history of US counterterrorism in Afghanistan. All views my own, RT not endorsement. Be droll, not a troll.
Reposted by Dr. Jonathan Schroden
Part of the reason for this, though, is that the US has been *this far* from war with Iran for decades (not to mention *at war* in a variety of other countries for 25 years)
When war is the norm (especially in the Middle East), why would you expect the average American to pay much attention to it?
When war is the norm (especially in the Middle East), why would you expect the average American to pay much attention to it?
When you wonder why I castigate my fellow citizens more often than our leaders, consider that the United States is *this far* from war with a nation of 90 million people and no one seems to give a hoot.
It's not like they don't know; ten minutes of watching the news would tell them.
It's not like they don't know; ten minutes of watching the news would tell them.
February 19, 2026 at 11:44 PM
Part of the reason for this, though, is that the US has been *this far* from war with Iran for decades (not to mention *at war* in a variety of other countries for 25 years)
When war is the norm (especially in the Middle East), why would you expect the average American to pay much attention to it?
When war is the norm (especially in the Middle East), why would you expect the average American to pay much attention to it?
Reposted by Dr. Jonathan Schroden
With the withdrawal from Tanf and Shaddadi bases, all that should be left is Rumaylan airfield right by the Iraqi border and maybe a couple of satellite outposts in Hasaka.
Paired with last month’s withdrawal from al-Asad in Iraq, that’s a much smaller footprint for Iran to retaliate against.
Paired with last month’s withdrawal from al-Asad in Iraq, that’s a much smaller footprint for Iran to retaliate against.
Exclusive | U.S. Is Withdrawing All Forces From Syria, Officials Say
The Trump administration is looking to strengthen its diplomatic relations with the country’s new leaders.
www.wsj.com
February 19, 2026 at 8:24 PM
With the withdrawal from Tanf and Shaddadi bases, all that should be left is Rumaylan airfield right by the Iraqi border and maybe a couple of satellite outposts in Hasaka.
Paired with last month’s withdrawal from al-Asad in Iraq, that’s a much smaller footprint for Iran to retaliate against.
Paired with last month’s withdrawal from al-Asad in Iraq, that’s a much smaller footprint for Iran to retaliate against.
Reposted by Dr. Jonathan Schroden
Hey! Scholars! If you're using someone's work in your class, sometimes it's nice to email them and tell them, because then they might feel good about their research instead of entirely crushed by the academic humanities' ongoing descent into the grave
February 19, 2026 at 6:05 PM
Hey! Scholars! If you're using someone's work in your class, sometimes it's nice to email them and tell them, because then they might feel good about their research instead of entirely crushed by the academic humanities' ongoing descent into the grave
Part of the reason for this, though, is that the US has been *this far* from war with Iran for decades (not to mention *at war* in a variety of other countries for 25 years)
When war is the norm (especially in the Middle East), why would you expect the average American to pay much attention to it?
When war is the norm (especially in the Middle East), why would you expect the average American to pay much attention to it?
When you wonder why I castigate my fellow citizens more often than our leaders, consider that the United States is *this far* from war with a nation of 90 million people and no one seems to give a hoot.
It's not like they don't know; ten minutes of watching the news would tell them.
It's not like they don't know; ten minutes of watching the news would tell them.
February 19, 2026 at 11:44 PM
Part of the reason for this, though, is that the US has been *this far* from war with Iran for decades (not to mention *at war* in a variety of other countries for 25 years)
When war is the norm (especially in the Middle East), why would you expect the average American to pay much attention to it?
When war is the norm (especially in the Middle East), why would you expect the average American to pay much attention to it?
Four Weddings & a Funeral
Awful 👎👎👎
Awful 👎👎👎
fun question: what’s the maddest you’ve ever been leaving a movie theater? not necessarily worst movie you’ve seen, but the one that just pissed you off the most. mine is Batman v Superman
February 19, 2026 at 11:41 AM
Four Weddings & a Funeral
Awful 👎👎👎
Awful 👎👎👎
I went to school with this judge: she’s good people 👍
JUST IN: Judge Provinzino in Minnesota has held a Justice Department attorney in civil contempt for violations of her order requiring the return of a released ICE detainee’s ID documents. He must pay $500 a day until the documents are returned.
February 19, 2026 at 3:03 AM
I went to school with this judge: she’s good people 👍
Reposted by Dr. Jonathan Schroden
H/t to @jjschroden.bsky.social -- this is absolutely mental.
"Blackmail is a known theoretical issue with AI agents. ...I don’t know of a prior incident where this category of misaligned behavior was observed in the wild, but this is now a real and present threat."
theshamblog.com/an-ai-agent-...
"Blackmail is a known theoretical issue with AI agents. ...I don’t know of a prior incident where this category of misaligned behavior was observed in the wild, but this is now a real and present threat."
theshamblog.com/an-ai-agent-...
An AI Agent Published a Hit Piece on Me
Summary: An AI agent of unknown ownership autonomously wrote and published a personalized hit piece about me after I rejected its code, attempting to damage my reputation and shame me into acceptin…
theshamblog.com
February 18, 2026 at 1:37 PM
H/t to @jjschroden.bsky.social -- this is absolutely mental.
"Blackmail is a known theoretical issue with AI agents. ...I don’t know of a prior incident where this category of misaligned behavior was observed in the wild, but this is now a real and present threat."
theshamblog.com/an-ai-agent-...
"Blackmail is a known theoretical issue with AI agents. ...I don’t know of a prior incident where this category of misaligned behavior was observed in the wild, but this is now a real and present threat."
theshamblog.com/an-ai-agent-...
Reposted by Dr. Jonathan Schroden
the government: we must divert all available resources into building the best AI on the market
literally every AI user: wow claude is the best AI on the market
the government: we are going to kill claude with a gun
literally every AI user: wow claude is the best AI on the market
the government: we are going to kill claude with a gun
February 17, 2026 at 9:29 PM
the government: we must divert all available resources into building the best AI on the market
literally every AI user: wow claude is the best AI on the market
the government: we are going to kill claude with a gun
literally every AI user: wow claude is the best AI on the market
the government: we are going to kill claude with a gun
USA women’s hockey team is 🔥
This Team USA women’s team just had another shutout victory with another 5 goals. They are so close to matching the 98 Olympic team that scored 36 in just 6 games, but that team gave up 8 goals, and this team only 1 goal! 🤯 what we are getting to witness is the greatest display of women’s hockey
February 17, 2026 at 9:02 PM
USA women’s hockey team is 🔥
Reposted by Dr. Jonathan Schroden
Jesse Jackson, whose impassioned oratory and vision of a “rainbow coalition” of the poor and forgotten made him the nation's most influential Black figure in the years between the civil rights crusades of Martin Luther King Jr. and the election of Barack Obama, died on Tuesday at 84. Follow live.
Updates: Jesse Jackson, Civil Rights Leader, Dies at 84
www.nytimes.com
February 17, 2026 at 10:49 AM
Jesse Jackson, whose impassioned oratory and vision of a “rainbow coalition” of the poor and forgotten made him the nation's most influential Black figure in the years between the civil rights crusades of Martin Luther King Jr. and the election of Barack Obama, died on Tuesday at 84. Follow live.
Reposted by Dr. Jonathan Schroden
White House on DHS funding talks: 'Parties are still pretty far apart'
White House on DHS funding talks: 'Parties are still pretty far apart'
The White House response comes after Democrats sent their latest counterproposal late Monday.
dlvr.it
February 17, 2026 at 8:44 PM
White House on DHS funding talks: 'Parties are still pretty far apart'
Reposted by Dr. Jonathan Schroden
People used to learn this in grade school, mostly from playing The Oregon Trail, which for younger users I guess I need to explain was a wildly popular educational game created by the government of Minnesota.
Historian of medicine here. Yes. Yes, they did.
before antibiotics did people just die all the time from everything?
February 17, 2026 at 8:04 PM
People used to learn this in grade school, mostly from playing The Oregon Trail, which for younger users I guess I need to explain was a wildly popular educational game created by the government of Minnesota.
Same👇
If measles or whatever didn’t kill me, stepping on a rusty nail as a teen surely would have
February 17, 2026 at 8:46 PM
Same👇
Reposted by Dr. Jonathan Schroden
Historian of medicine here. Yes. Yes, they did.
before antibiotics did people just die all the time from everything?
February 17, 2026 at 5:47 PM
Historian of medicine here. Yes. Yes, they did.
Dead on. I've argued for years that the 3-ship MEU/ARG is a waste of capability. It would be far more valuable to have a larger number of 1-2 ship packages featuring MARSOC Marines + enablers to do the types of missions this article describes
centristlibertarianpatriot.substack.com/p/the-marine...
centristlibertarianpatriot.substack.com/p/the-marine...
The Marine Corps' $10 Billion Garbage Can
How America's "force in readiness" became a solution looking for problems—and why institutional dysfunction can last forever
centristlibertarianpatriot.substack.com
February 17, 2026 at 3:16 PM
Dead on. I've argued for years that the 3-ship MEU/ARG is a waste of capability. It would be far more valuable to have a larger number of 1-2 ship packages featuring MARSOC Marines + enablers to do the types of missions this article describes
centristlibertarianpatriot.substack.com/p/the-marine...
centristlibertarianpatriot.substack.com/p/the-marine...
"The U.S. is sending about 200 service members to #Nigeria in the coming weeks to train local military forces battling Islamist militants"
www.stripes.com/theaters/afr...
www.stripes.com/theaters/afr...
Pentagon to send 200 troops to Nigeria to fight militants, reports say
The U.S. is sending about 200 service members to Nigeria in the coming weeks to train local military forces battling Islamist militants, news reports said.
www.stripes.com
February 17, 2026 at 3:03 PM
"The U.S. is sending about 200 service members to #Nigeria in the coming weeks to train local military forces battling Islamist militants"
www.stripes.com/theaters/afr...
www.stripes.com/theaters/afr...
Reposted by Dr. Jonathan Schroden
What amazes me about these arguments is their willful ignorance of the fact that the ones agitating hardest for a surge in #Afghanistan were not civilians, but the (apparently very woke?) Generals Petraeus & McChrystal 🙄
February 17, 2026 at 12:38 AM
What amazes me about these arguments is their willful ignorance of the fact that the ones agitating hardest for a surge in #Afghanistan were not civilians, but the (apparently very woke?) Generals Petraeus & McChrystal 🙄
What amazes me about these arguments is their willful ignorance of the fact that the ones agitating hardest for a surge in #Afghanistan were not civilians, but the (apparently very woke?) Generals Petraeus & McChrystal 🙄
February 17, 2026 at 12:38 AM
What amazes me about these arguments is their willful ignorance of the fact that the ones agitating hardest for a surge in #Afghanistan were not civilians, but the (apparently very woke?) Generals Petraeus & McChrystal 🙄
That 19 people have 2% of total US wealth is obscene
The pace at which US wealth concentration is rising is simply staggering
The concentration of AI wealth into the hands of a few tech barons + plutocratic capture ==> unchartered territory
The concentration of AI wealth into the hands of a few tech barons + plutocratic capture ==> unchartered territory
February 15, 2026 at 5:21 PM
That 19 people have 2% of total US wealth is obscene
Reposted by Dr. Jonathan Schroden
The commander of the U.S. Navy destroyer USS Mason was relieved of duty Friday, service officials announced without providing specific details about the decision. www.stripes.com/branches/nav...
Navy fires commander of destroyer USS Mason
The Navy fired Capt. Chavius G. Lewis, who had commanded the ship since November 2024, “due to a loss of confidence in Lewis’ ability to command.”
www.stripes.com
February 15, 2026 at 4:03 PM
The commander of the U.S. Navy destroyer USS Mason was relieved of duty Friday, service officials announced without providing specific details about the decision. www.stripes.com/branches/nav...
