Some quick X threads from the last few days. The posts are mostly about news in National Security. We do the scrolling so you don’t have to. This post also serves as an open thread. I welcome readers to post comments or additional links related to national security or history, even if they are not directly related to the links below.
In response to PM Takaichi saying the quiet part out loud that Japan would defend Taiwan in the wake of the Chinese Communist Party invading, we’ve had:
-A Chinese diplomat in Osaka threatening to kill Takaichi, which would be unacceptable from a foreign envoy toward his host… pic.twitter.com/pmoPKzhUrM
— Oliver Jia (オリバー・ジア) (@OliverJia1014) November 19, 2025
Needless to say, the Chinese Communist Party did not like what Japanese PM Takaichi said the other day about defending Taiwan and has responded in a way that leaves little doubt about their intentions. The bully pulpit is strong with the CCP. Even if you don’t have an X account, you can click on the link to view the entire post. It is quite good.
The Octopus isn’t just another drone, it’s an airborne predator designed specifically to intercept and destroy incoming Russian Shaheds.
Why does it matter?
– It’s cheap. Built with off-the-shelf GPUs and microcontrollers.
– It’s smart. Capable of autonomous ai-assisted… pic.twitter.com/QEpsuc1Bsp— Peter Zeihan (@PeterZeihan) November 19, 2025
Even if you have been a casual viewer of the Ukraine-Russia war, you should be paying attention to advancements in drone technology. This is a big deal, and the pace of change is ridiculous. It reminds me of one of the quotes I used this morning in Number 2’s Lunch box, “It is not the strongest of the species that survive, nor the most intelligent, but the one most responsive to change.” – Charles Darwin. Bottom line, this drone is effective, it’s cheap, and most importantly, it’s scalable. The pace of change reminds me of the 2005-2008 years in Iraq with IEDs. I was only in until 2006, but followed the TTPs (Tactics, Techniques, and Procedures) relatively closely because most of my friends were still in the fight.
Rocket Lab continues to push its Electron cadence upward. This bodes well for scaling up Neutron when the time comes. https://t.co/0osWXzsAmE
— Eric Berger (@SciGuySpace) November 19, 2025
I normally don’t cross over much space content here, but success in rocketry is critical to National Security…and I am a bit of a nerd. If we can have 3 different companies with reusable first stages by next year, that would be huge. And don’t get me started on the possibilities of going to the moon. I am almost 50 and have yet to witness a moon landing. Think about that for a second. The vast majority of the world is no longer witness to one of the greatest scientific achievements of all time, landing a person on the moon. The popcorn is ready, can’t wait to watch the race back to the moon, then on to Mars.
Today is Gettysburg Address Day, and there’s not much I can post that we don’t already know. So here’s a quick PSA on the myths not to fall for:
Myth #1: Lincoln scribbled the speech on the back of an envelope. And/or wrote it on the train ride up.
Truth: Abraham Lincoln began… pic.twitter.com/jcgbCCp41D
— History Dame (@history_dame) November 19, 2025
Yesterday was the anniversary of the Gettysburg Address, one of the greatest speeches in our Nation’s History. You can watch it below.
— Charles Fain Lehman (@CharlesFLehman) November 19, 2025
This could be one of the most frustrating posts I have included here. As a reminder, we are still involved in fighting Al-Shabaab in Africa, and somehow we are funding both sides of the fight. Here is the key quote from the article:
“The Somali fraud rings have sent huge sums in remittances, or money transfers, from Minnesota to Somalia. According to reports, an estimated 40 percent of households in Somalia get remittances from abroad. In 2023 alone, the Somali diaspora sent back $1.7 billion—more than the Somali government’s budget for that year.
Our investigation reveals, for the first time, that some of this money has been directed to an even more troubling destination: the al-Qaida-linked Islamic terror group Al-Shabaab. According to multiple law-enforcement sources, Minnesota’s Somali community has sent untold millions through a network of “hawalas,” informal clan-based money-traders, that have wound up in the coffers of Al-Shabaab.”
The scale of the fraud is absolutely mind-blowing. If you have 5 minutes, you should read the entire article; however, if you already have blood pressure problems, you should skip to the next one.
♰ 🇻🇦 Oldest Church Ever Found 🇻🇦♰
🎥 The Megiddo Church, an ancient Christian prayer hall, was discovered in 2005 during archaeological excavations at Megiddo Prison in northern Israel, located a few hundred meters south of Tel Megiddo. The site, believed to have been part of… pic.twitter.com/5sNq6IWhj5
— Beauty of the Catholic Faith (@advoluntas) November 19, 2025
The oldest church ever found. Dating to approximately 230 AD, this is amazing!