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

Overheard in the TOC or at day care?

Chief Red Bull surfaces with a great item about whether the following comment was heard in a Tactical Operations Center (that is, a military headquarters in the field) or in a day care center: "Who told you do that?" "Why didn’t you do what I told you to do?" "Was that a good decision or ...

By
Podknox/flickr
Podknox/flickr
Podknox/flickr

Chief Red Bull surfaces with a great item about whether the following comment was heard in a Tactical Operations Center (that is, a military headquarters in the field) or in a day care center:

Chief Red Bull surfaces with a great item about whether the following comment was heard in a Tactical Operations Center (that is, a military headquarters in the field) or in a day care center:

  • "Who told you do that?"
  • "Why didn’t you do what I told you to do?"
  • "Was that a good decision or a poor decision?"
  • "Where did you last see it when you lost it?"
  • "Time to take a nap!"
  • "Where were you when you saw the bad stranger?"
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
Tag: Military

latest

What Does Victory Look Like in Ukraine?

The Biden Administration Is Dangerously Downplaying the Global Terrorism Threat

Poland Is Throwing All Its Neighbors Under the Bus

Nigeria’s Unhappy Birthday

As China’s Property Sector Crumbles, Who Takes the Fall?
See All Stories

Editors’ Picks

  1. 1
    Why Did Trudeau Dawdle on Chinese Election Meddling?
  2. 2
    Wagner’s African Hosts Regret Letting Them In
  3. 3
    The Morality of Ukraine’s War Is Very Murky
  4. 4
    How the U.S. Created Its Own Reality
  5. 5
    What Does Victory Look Like in Ukraine?
  6. 6
    Iran Is Doubling Down on Headscarves

More from Foreign Policy

An illustration shows the Statue of Liberty holding a torch with other hands alongside hers as she lifts the flame, also resembling laurel, into place on the edge of the United Nations laurel logo.
An illustration shows the Statue of Liberty holding a torch with other hands alongside hers as she lifts the flame, also resembling laurel, into place on the edge of the United Nations laurel logo.

A New Multilateralism

How the United States can rejuvenate the global institutions it created.

A view from the cockpit shows backlit control panels and two pilots inside a KC-130J aerial refueler en route from Williamtown to Darwin as the sun sets on the horizon.
A view from the cockpit shows backlit control panels and two pilots inside a KC-130J aerial refueler en route from Williamtown to Darwin as the sun sets on the horizon.

America Prepares for a Pacific War With China It Doesn’t Want

Embedded with U.S. forces in the Pacific, I saw the dilemmas of deterrence firsthand.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, seen in a suit and tie and in profile, walks outside the venue at the Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation. Behind him is a sculptural tree in a larger planter that appears to be leaning away from him.
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, seen in a suit and tie and in profile, walks outside the venue at the Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation. Behind him is a sculptural tree in a larger planter that appears to be leaning away from him.

The Endless Frustration of Chinese Diplomacy

Beijing’s representatives are always scared they could be the next to vanish.

Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan welcomes Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia Mohammed bin Salman during an official ceremony at the Presidential Complex in Ankara, on June 22, 2022.
Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan welcomes Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia Mohammed bin Salman during an official ceremony at the Presidential Complex in Ankara, on June 22, 2022.

The End of America’s Middle East

The region’s four major countries have all forfeited Washington’s trust.

Trending

  1. Poland Is Throwing All Its Neighbors Under the Bus
    Dispatch
    Paul Hockenos

  2. The Biden Administration Is Dangerously Downplaying the Global Terrorism Threat
    Analysis
    Charles Lister

  3. No, the World Is Not Multipolar
    Essay
    Jo Inge Bekkevold

  4. Government Shutdown Threatens Key U.S. Initiative in Pacific
    Report
    Robbie Gramer

  5. How the U.S. Created Its Own Reality
    Excerpt
    Heather Cox Richardson