Best Defense
Thomas E. Ricks' daily take on national security.

Before you shoot your mouth off

Before you go on the TV and start spouting, it is good to know who you’re talking to. For a 43-second education in this subject, watch this PoW vs JAG smackdown. As a CNAS friend said, the scorch marks are visible. I just love this video, especially the wagging finger. You have to love the ...

By
577171_091111_6shooter25.jpg

Before you go on the TV and start spouting, it is good to know who you’re talking to. For a 43-second education in this subject, watch this PoW vs JAG smackdown. As a CNAS friend said, the scorch marks are visible. I just love this video, especially the wagging finger. You have to love the American enlisted soldier, and his (or her) sense of the role that REMFs play. It reminds me also of something I once read, that in the Marines, a corporal in the infantry may be outranked by a captain in a support branch, but he possesses more moral authority. 

(HT to Mr. Attackerman)

Before you go on the TV and start spouting, it is good to know who you’re talking to. For a 43-second education in this subject, watch this PoW vs JAG smackdown. As a CNAS friend said, the scorch marks are visible. I just love this video, especially the wagging finger. You have to love the American enlisted soldier, and his (or her) sense of the role that REMFs play. It reminds me also of something I once read, that in the Marines, a corporal in the infantry may be outranked by a captain in a support branch, but he possesses more moral authority. 

(HT to Mr. Attackerman)

Willie Lunchmeat/Flickr

Thomas E. Ricks covered the U.S. military from 1991 to 2008 for the Wall Street Journal and then the Washington Post. He can be reached at ricksblogcomment@gmail.com. Twitter: @tomricks1
Tags: Military, North America

Trending

  1. 1
    Australia Badly Needs Nuclear Submarines
  2. 2
    Political Science Has Its Own Lab Leaks
  3. 3
    State Department Plans ‘China House’ to Counter Beijing
  4. 4
    Why the Taliban Won’t Quit al Qaeda
  5. 5
    Can Social Media Bring Justice for Women in Pakistan?
Latest Analysis

Throw a Lifeline to the Afghans Left Behind

How Not to Lose the Peace in Afghanistan

Denounce Guinea’s Coup—and Incumbent Leaders’ Abuses of Power

More from Foreign Policy

The Taliban delegation leaves the hotel after meeting with representatives of Russia, China, the United States, Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Qatar in Moscow on March 19.

China and the Taliban Begin Their Romance

Beijing has its eyes set on using Afghanistan as a strategic corridor once U.S. troops are out of the way.

An Afghan security member pours gasoline over a pile of seized drugs and alcoholic drinks

The Taliban Are Breaking Bad

Meth is even more profitable than heroin—and is turbocharging the insurgency.

Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya addresses the U.N. Security Council from her office in Vilnius, Lithuania, on Sept. 4, 2020.

Belarus’s Unlikely New Leader

Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya didn’t set out to challenge a brutal dictatorship.

Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid

What the Taliban Takeover Means for India

Kabul’s swift collapse leaves New Delhi with significant security concerns.

Trending

  1. Australia Badly Needs Nuclear Submarines
    Analysis |

  2. Political Science Has Its Own Lab Leaks
    Argument |

  3. State Department Plans ‘China House’ to Counter Beijing
    Exclusive |
    ,

  4. Why the Taliban Won’t Quit al Qaeda
    Analysis |

  5. Can Social Media Bring Justice for Women in Pakistan?
    Analysis |
Latest

China Wants to Join the Trade Pact Once Designed to Counter It

A Tired Canada Votes In a Listless Trudeau

State Department Plans ‘China House’ to Counter Beijing

Why the Taliban Won’t Quit al Qaeda

Throw a Lifeline to the Afghans Left Behind
See All Stories