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- Date published:
5:34 pm, October 2nd, 2025 - 60 comments
Categories: defence, gaza, genocide, Iran, israel, Judith Collins, nuclear war, Peace, Propaganda, Russia, social media, Ukraine, us politics, war, Zionism -
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The United States Department of Defense has been renamed as the Department of War. Nobody can be under any illusions anymore. More war is coming.
Iran is expecting another attack from Israel supported by the United States any moment now. Venezuela is already under attack from the sea. European elites and NATO are desperate trying to pull in US support to continue escalating the war they started against Russia.
In his Quantico speech to assembled general officers and senior NCOs, newly-minted Secretary for War Pete Hegseth laid out the rules for the new War Department.
We have to be prepared for war, not for defense. We’re training warriors, not defenders. We fight wars to win, not to defend. Defense is something you do all the time. It’s inherently reactionary and can lead to overuse, overreach and mission creep. War is something you do sparingly on our own terms and with clear aims. We fight to win. We unleash overwhelming and punishing violence on the enemy.
We also don’t fight with stupid rules of engagement. We untie the hands of our warfighters to intimidate, demoralize, hunt and kill the enemies of our country. No more politically correct and overbearing rules of engagement, just common sense, maximum lethality and authority for warfighters.
General Colin Powell’s Chief of Staff Colonel Larry Wilkerson compared these remarks to those of a potential war criminal, a staff sergeant in the special forces who had to be watched carefully.
The model has been set by Israel. Overwhelming destructive force that obeys no principles or allows no morality or humanity, but is pure evil to the point of genocide. The other model quoted by Hegseth was the shock and awe of the Iraq war, where massive bombing crushed an unequal enemy.
US refuelling aircraft are now being repositioned to the Middle East together with attendant fighter-bombers in preparation for the expected attack on Iran. Netanyahu has undoubtedly gained Trump’s support for what is a war based on desperation. Israel is losing the narrative war badly, as younger Americans are turning against the horrors of Gaza. Billionaire Zionist Larry Ellison has been roped in to purchase TikTok and turn it into another Israeli propaganda machine.
But in an Israeli war against Iran, the shock and awe may well be on the other foot. Just as after the June 13 attack, the Iranian missile response forced Israel to cry uncle. This time Iran will not hold any missiles back, and US bases in the Middle East will not be exempt.
The danger for the rest of the world is that a desperate Israel may go nuclear, in yet another step towards the apocalyptic cataclysm.
This madness must stop. With all her talk of lethality Judith Collins had already got the hint. She might as well come clean as our Minister for War.
What we need is a Minister for Peace. And a Defence Department not itching to go to war.
Hesketh set out a terrorist manifesto.
Lost all credibility with this sentence, I didn't bother to read further.
Mike Smith needs to move to Moscow and hang out with Suzie Dawson, he'd be much happier there.
[It doesn’t matter where MS lives, as he could write OPs for TS from anywhere. I don’t think MS should move to satisfy your needs that are masking as your wants. Since MS tends not to moderate, even under his own Posts, I’ll remind you and everyone else to play the ball and keep it respectful or just give it a miss and hit a pillow or something – Incognito]
Mod note
I had to read it three times before I was convinced he really was saying that.
The whole OP is a bizarre and confused farrago of Kremlin talking points and anti-western extremism, and displays an alarming inability to discern the difference between wishful thinking and known facts.
Take the idea that "This time Iran will not hold any missiles back, and US bases in the Middle East will not be exempt."
Iran wasn't "holding any missiles back" in June. Like it or not, Israel won the June war with Iran. Iran's great power aspirations have been left in tatters. It's surrogate Hizzbollah had already been effectively destroyed and the way the Israelis had clearly infiltrated Iran's military establishment and located and destroyed Iran's ballistic missile TELs in the field would have completely shocked the Iranians.
The June conflict was a stunning vindication of the capabilities of the US made F-35 fighter and US war fighting doctrine and the Israeli air force was and probably still is able to operate with impunity over all of Iran. Iran's war plans against Israel involved saturation attacks by many hundreds or thousands of ballistic missiles supplemented by thousands of drones. The best they managed after Israel's surprise attack was a total of less than 600 missiles launched and less than 100 hits, while large groups of Israeli jets operated over Teheran and other parts of Iran completely unhindered by any missile or fighter based defences.
That the OP thinks off the back of that heavy defeat the Iranians could, within a few months, conduct in any way successfully a fight with both the Israelis and the even more heavily armed Americans is just stupidity born from complete ignorance.
Yeah, that was certainly an 'interesting' assessment of Israel's strikes on Iran. If the Ayatollahs enjoy another victory like that, they'll end up living in caves.
Awesome!
Political purity and the smell of cancel culture all wrapped up in one.
Should have a trigger warning at the start. 'Some opinions may not be in lockstep with your own'.
So lacking in credibility but still had to comment…
Must be something in the message.
Yes, a Putin apologist through and through. He is still yearning for the days of the hammer and sickle flying over Europe.
[And you’re yearning for the ban hammer to come down on you. If you cannot address the Post and only take aim at the Author then, for all intents and purposes, you act like a troll and yearn for being treated as such. This is your warning – Incognito]
Mod note
I feel like I addressed the post pretty accurately. The author can be clearly interpreted to be blaming the Ukraine war on Ukranian's and apologising/excusing Putin. If that's worth a ban go for it. Pretty fickle though.
He really was saying that. Here is some background from an Indian source Russia-Ukraine war: everything you need to know
You do realise the war would stop tomorrow if the Russians simply withdrew to the internationally recognised borders of both countries and Russia stopped firing thousands of missiles and drones at the Ukrainians?
Ukraine would have to make some concessions about where it sits in terms of nato and the EU. A putin russia would not stomach nato on it's border.
Really?
In what world does one state get to determine what associations another one has?
I agree, that Ukrains affiliations should be none of Putins business.
Doesn't seem to stop Australia and New Zealand from dictating to the Pacific Islands.
Or the USA to South America.
Do we?
The Cook Islands is not an independent member state of the UN …
Samoa and Tonga!
Do we?
Just one instance of many.
Documents show Tonga criticised Australia and NZ's response to China-Solomon security pact – ABC News
Then say Solomon Islands and not Samoa and Tonga – the willingness to criticise shows something different to your claim of dictating anything to them either.
And criticising a deal by the Solomon Islands is hardly dictating to them.
When we criticise Beijing, are we dictating anything?
That depends on which "associations". If a bunch of thugs like NATO parked itself on your border would not want to defend yourself; and they sometimes say "attack is the best form of defence".
Russia continues to pursue maximalist war aims in Ukraine. As long as Putin continues to wage a total war aimed at total victory the scope of any concessions in peace talks is completely moot.
Putin is pushing an extremely reluctant Europe toward a shooting intervention by refusing to negotiate in good faith on anything except the abject surrender of Ukraine – someething which he has not been able to achieve by invasion, and which Ukraine continues to effectively oppose on the battlefield.
Yet that seems to be what he has achieved: Finland, which has a longer land border with Russia than the Ukraine (I think) is now in NATO.
"Indian" did not make it non-aligned.
While I disagree with the OP. Putin is certainly the agressor.
I await, with eager anticipation, the circumlocations and excuses the USA good/ Russia and China bad mob, will come up with when the USA invades Venezuela!
I have been opposing American aggression most of my life – from demonstrating against the Vietnam war, to being disgusted by American actions against Allende in Chile, to the weapons of mass destruction in Iraq etc.
Funnily enough, a lot of people can chew gum and walk at the same time: while I wouldn't put anything beyond Donald Trump, or more specifically Stephen Miller, who, it seems, is really running the show, the fact remains, Russia is the aggressor in the Ukraine, as you say.
While I disagree with the OP. Putin is certainly the agressor.
You obviously don't accept the provocation theory. That's up to you I suppose.
She wore a dress and had nice land that was accessible by force.
“You probe with bayonets: if you find mush, you push. If you find steel, you withdraw”
― Vladimir Ilich Lenin
1. Russians thrust into all Baltic and Scandinavian states and so far find mush. Lithuania, Latvia, Denmark, Norway, Romania, Poland, Estonia, Germany and France have seen drones or disruptions over their territory in the past three months.
Denmark temporarily banned all commercial drone flights throughout the country on 29 September. While the European Union has formally launched a drone wall initiative along the eastern border with Russia and NATO said it is increasing its vigilance in the Baltic states.
2. In Moldova this week the Russians find steel, with the people united against them. And despite Russian troops already on their soil:
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cx2rdlj8ejgo
3. The Chinese Navy tests Australian resolve in March this year when they circumnavigate Australia with live firing drills, and the Chinese find mush.
https://www.navalnews.com/naval-news/2025/03/chinese-task-force-circumnavigates-australia-causing-local-stir/
4. Russia probes the Unites States in Alasaka, and they find mush:
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/8/20/why-is-the-us-sparing-china-but-not-india-for-importing-russian-oil
5. Russia probes Poland, and they find steel:
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-06-22/poland-prepares-to-be-next-russian-target/105388594
Just because developed democracies are finding it hard to accept war is already upon us, don't for a moment think Russia and China aren't probing with weapons to detect either mush and continue, or find steel and have to sit up straight.
The big lie about the war in Ukraine is that the Russian incursion in 2022 was unprovoked. From Kanthan cited above:
"The West pretends that Russia invaded Ukraine for no reason – or some laughable reason such as Putin wanting to take over Europe.
However, we have found out since then how NATO has been arming and training Ukrainian Nazi militias since 2014.
And the NY Times has gloated about how the CIA has numerous centers all over Ukraine, especially near the border.
In fact, almost everything about this war is American/European – weapons, training, intelligence, strategy etc.
What the Ukrainians offer is their lives.
Ukraine ceased to be a democracy or a sovereign nation two decades ago when the US staged a color revolution.
Under Zelensky, human rights have been constantly violated and political rights crushed. Ukraine refuses to hold elections, arrests (or even kills) politicians who want peace, and bans entire political parties. There are no independent media and Ukrainians have no right to speak up.
Ukrainian men are literally kidnapped and sent to die on the battlefield. How’s this dystopian and totalitarian country free or democratic?"
No shit Sherlock,
In 2014, Tsar Poots deployed his little green men into Crimea and basically seized it from Ukraine!
The AFU had been rundown, by its political Leaders/ Government to a point it couldn't adequately defend its borders let alone raise, train & sustain itself when eventually armed conflict with Tsar Poots comes a knocking!
After the seizure of Crimea by Russia, the then President (that President was later poisoned the Russian FSB) and his Government realised they needed help to restructure the AFU and introduced the Territorial Defence Doctrine which Sweden, Finland & Switzerland use.
Thence Ukraine turned to the EU and NATO for help, as Ukraine knew that time was running out & had to move fast.
The AFU hadn't finished it's restructuring, nor fully implement the Territorial Defence Doctrine and discharge from those Military or from Civil/ Public Service Personal within the AFU, Ministry of Defence & Civil Defence who were resisting change, or were corrupt, and or were compromised by the Russian FSB, GRU & or had links to Russia by way of the Mafia aka Tsar Poots etc before Tsar Poots launched his 3 Day Special Operation.
What are you saying here Scud ?
When Crimea voted to rejoin the Russian federation it was early 2014.Death threats had been made to Yanukovich , his car riddled with bullet holes and he'd fled for his life..Unelected , Turchynov acted as president for a few months, then Poroshenko was voted in , with Crimea and the Donbas not participating in elections
Which of these presidents was poisoned by the FSB?
And when did "Poots" announce the special operation would take 3 days ?
Links please
2004?
The dioxin poisoning of Ukrainian president.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Viktor_Yushchenko
Nothing to do with Crimea and nowhere near the time
Yushchenko himself suspected Ukrainian officials at a dinner he attended , FSB not involved
So "Poots" did not declare a 3 day special operation .Could hardly be said to be "his"
The 3 day operation refers to the attempt to take Kiev by taking an airport and flying in reinforcements.
Trump recently said American forces would have taken the airfield and taken Kiev in 3 days.
In 2014, Tsar Poots deployed his little green men into Crimea and basically seized it from Ukraine!
I guess you think Putin should have tried negotiation instead. You wouldn't, by any chance, be interested in a harbour bridge which I'm offering for sale.
There can be no justification, however badly you think of Ukraine, for the invasion of one country by another. End of discussion!
Like any question involving "justification", that is very much a matter of opinion.
You do not believe in the UN Charter, but might is right.
Pick a lane, Russia in Ukraine and its Israel river to the sea as well.
There can be no justification, however badly you think of Ukraine, for the invasion of one country by another. End of discussion!
Thank you, yes those three words are all that were needed really.
Remember that Crimea, which includes the Black Sea Russian Naval Port of Sevastopol, was 'given back' to the Ukraine SSR from the Russian SFSR during the then leadership of Nikita Khruschchev. Recall that recently an internationally supervised referendum of the Crimean population endorsed retuning to Russian statehood.
In any case, the day that the USA sails away from its colonial naval base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, then will they be able to point the finger at Russia.
Add in that during the current Ukrainian regime billionaire US agribusiness companies like Cargill have been able to buy up thousands of acres of land in Ukraine once under collective control.
Recently, former German Vice Chancellor for many years, Angela Merkel, was reported in the mainstream media as saying that the agreements that NATO made with Russia were never intended to be carried out but merely to buy some time to build up military capacity.
Who can you trust?
I'm sure that others can refine and add to this list.
Propaganda in, propaganda out.
What you wrote is basically a hate crime against Ukrainian sovereignty/Ukraine's right to exist/the Ukrainian people and disdain for any vote they make that is not pro Russia.
Some people say something similar to discredit a Palestinian state.
They are your ilk.
Fixed it for you
Fixed this for you as well.
Yes there was no recent elections in Ukraine – it is under occupation. They will be held when Russia leaves.
It's leader says he is not seeking re-elections war ends.
The freedom of the young men of Ukraine.
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/czx05gp51qlo
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/czx05gp51qlo
I was interested in this part of the speech:
Does the height of US military personnel change so fast everyone needs to be checked every six months?
Renaming to 'Department of War' is a pretty bold move from an administration that was supposedly going to prevent the US getting involved in wars. It's almost as though Trump and his MAGA enthusiasts were full of shit or something.
That said, there's absolutely nothing unusual about Hegseth's view of warfighting. A military exists for the purpose of killing people and destroying things on behalf of its government, and no sensible government wants to put its own soldiers' lives at risk by having them do a half-arsed job of fighting. The Ukrainian military is putting on a pretty impressive display of "intimidate, demoralize, hunt and kill the enemies of our country" right at this moment, and all power to them.
Of course, the US military isn't exactly lacking when it comes to lethality, so this is more about "Libtards DESTROYED by Pete Hegseth" social media ops than anything else, and all the generals in the room would have known it. It's a pity they aren't allowed to say what they thought of being subjected to it.
Nice work, Mike Smith.
Pity so many commenters refuse to address your rock-solid evidence.
Lots of paid Kremlin trolls in India, I guess…..
I find it a bit like the war on Gaza.Hamas acted atrociously without any provocation .History began on 7th October 2023 , when out of nowhere, totally unprovoked Hamas killed Israelis.Because ?, well just because…. they're terrorists at heart, backward barbarians and its their nature to do so .They're subhuman you see
Similarly, unprovoked, because "Poots" is a madman Russia invaded Ukraine, out of nowhere, for no reason but sheer fanaticism .And all those Russians who wound up in eastern Ukraine should just pack up and go home .Oops … they never left home, its been their home for centuries
I admire you Mike for all you do ,…Fabian society etc and your willingness to stick your head above the parapet.
How much of the Donbas wants Russia?
https://www.aljazeera.com/features/2025/9/23/in-ukraines-sloviansk-some-are-abandoning-long-held-sympathies-for-russia
As for occupied Kherson and Zaporizhzhia …
Because ethnic Ethnic Russians + (and or) security for more more more whether they are wanted or not.
Russian occupation in Ukraine is the IDF in the West Bank.
Your argument that people are entitled to invade other countries and mass-murder their citizens if they feel themselves "provoked" is a familiar one throughout world history, but not a good one.
You mean like Israel?
And you seem to be in denial that Kiev unleashed the most nationalistic militia on the people of the eastern provinces in 2014, killing unarmed civilians
Suffering an invasion with mass fatalities isn't "feeling yourself provoked." And internal disputes within Ukraine can't be described as a "provocation" to any foreign country.
The precedent is long established
Serbia,Libya, Syria all internal disputes (with a fair amount of external stirring)
With the difference being that American and Nato countries were not under any threat
Russia wasn't under any threat from Ukraine or Gaza under any threat from Israel either, but whatever. If you feel NATO military actions against Serbia, Libya and Syria are further examples of countries having a right to invade others due to "provocations," presumably you supported those interventions as strongly as you support Russia's multiple invasions of Ukraine? It doesn't feel very likely somehow.
Aftermath of Israeli strikes on Yemen’s capital | Houthis | Al Jazeera
Did not the Houthi fires missiles at Israel?
Having missiles fired at you by batshit-crazy religious extremists isn't "feeling yourself provoked."
Thanks Francesca – much appreciated. Admiration is mutual
'And the rockets' red glare
The bombs bursting in air
Gave proof through the night
That our flag was still there'
Verse three of the Star Spangled Banner says it all.