The Steady State
@steadystatevets.bsky.social
365+ Veterans of the U.S. National Security Community. Promoting rule of law, democracy, and a positive role for the U.S. in the world. Check us out at www.thesteadystate.org, and on Substack at https://substack.com/@steadystate1?utm_source=global-search
Destroying American Diplomacy: Pulling Down our First Line of Defense
open.substack.com/pub/steadyst...
The damage done in less than one year can be repaired, but it will take decades. Worse, where we once led with ease, we’ll now find ourselves as a nation, bringing up the rear.
open.substack.com/pub/steadyst...
The damage done in less than one year can be repaired, but it will take decades. Worse, where we once led with ease, we’ll now find ourselves as a nation, bringing up the rear.
Destroying American Diplomacy: Pulling Down our First Line of Defense
The Steady State | by Charles A. Ray
open.substack.com
December 5, 2025 at 8:47 PM
Destroying American Diplomacy: Pulling Down our First Line of Defense
open.substack.com/pub/steadyst...
The damage done in less than one year can be repaired, but it will take decades. Worse, where we once led with ease, we’ll now find ourselves as a nation, bringing up the rear.
open.substack.com/pub/steadyst...
The damage done in less than one year can be repaired, but it will take decades. Worse, where we once led with ease, we’ll now find ourselves as a nation, bringing up the rear.
Cotton froze when Berman asked the obvious: “Would it be legal for Arkansas police to kill suspected drug dealers on a boat?” He can’t defend the legality of the strike without admitting it would be illegal at home, and it exposes Trump and Hegseth. #holdfast
www.youtube.com/watch?v=8fDt...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=8fDt...
December 5, 2025: Cotton joins CNN
YouTube video by Senator Tom Cotton
www.youtube.com
December 5, 2025 at 7:04 PM
Cotton froze when Berman asked the obvious: “Would it be legal for Arkansas police to kill suspected drug dealers on a boat?” He can’t defend the legality of the strike without admitting it would be illegal at home, and it exposes Trump and Hegseth. #holdfast
www.youtube.com/watch?v=8fDt...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=8fDt...
Politics Driving DOD Personnel Initiatives Risk Our Military Capability open.substack.com/pub/steadyst...
Size and technological superiority [are] hallmarks of US military power, but the ability to put together all...physical facets of military power into a cohesive whole...is the secret sauce. "
Size and technological superiority [are] hallmarks of US military power, but the ability to put together all...physical facets of military power into a cohesive whole...is the secret sauce. "
Politics Driving DOD Personnel Initiatives Risk Our Military Capability
The Steady State | by Harry I. Hannah
open.substack.com
December 5, 2025 at 3:44 PM
Politics Driving DOD Personnel Initiatives Risk Our Military Capability open.substack.com/pub/steadyst...
Size and technological superiority [are] hallmarks of US military power, but the ability to put together all...physical facets of military power into a cohesive whole...is the secret sauce. "
Size and technological superiority [are] hallmarks of US military power, but the ability to put together all...physical facets of military power into a cohesive whole...is the secret sauce. "
This TSS article from July warns that Hegseth and Trump’s national security team knowingly shared Secret/NOFORN information on Signal raising urgent questions about their competence and fitness to safeguard America’s security.
substack.com/home/post/p-...
substack.com/home/post/p-...
December 5, 2025 at 3:32 PM
This TSS article from July warns that Hegseth and Trump’s national security team knowingly shared Secret/NOFORN information on Signal raising urgent questions about their competence and fitness to safeguard America’s security.
substack.com/home/post/p-...
substack.com/home/post/p-...
Hegseth says the IG report “totally exonerates” him. That is a lie. The IG says “the Secretary’s actions created a risk to operational security that could have resulted in failed U.S. mission objectives and potential harm to U.S. pilots.” #holdfast
Why the new ‘Signalgate’ IG report is so damning for Pete Hegseth | CNN Politics
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s bad week just got worse. That’s after the long-awaited release Thursday of an inspector general’s report on his sharing of highly sensitive military attack plans on th...
www.cnn.com
December 5, 2025 at 1:52 PM
Hegseth says the IG report “totally exonerates” him. That is a lie. The IG says “the Secretary’s actions created a risk to operational security that could have resulted in failed U.S. mission objectives and potential harm to U.S. pilots.” #holdfast
If Crenshaw meant “we reassess threat and may re‑engage lawful targets,” he could have said that. Instead he offered a blanket “of course we kill them” about survivors. Coming from a trained officer, that sounds less like a misstatement and more like a public shrug at war‑crimes.
#holdfast
#holdfast
December 5, 2025 at 1:24 PM
If Crenshaw meant “we reassess threat and may re‑engage lawful targets,” he could have said that. Instead he offered a blanket “of course we kill them” about survivors. Coming from a trained officer, that sounds less like a misstatement and more like a public shrug at war‑crimes.
#holdfast
#holdfast
1/2 The survivors were shipwrecked, unarmed, and clinging to a capsized boat for 41 minutes while commanders watched. Under LOAC, hors de combat protections attach the moment a person is incapacitated and unable to fight—full stop.
www.cnn.com/2025/12/04/p...
www.cnn.com/2025/12/04/p...
Exclusive: Survivors clinging to capsized boat didn’t radio for backup, admiral overseeing double-tap strike tells lawmakers | CNN Politics
The two men killed as they floated holding onto their capsized boat in a secondary strike against a suspected drug vessel in early September did not appear to have radio or other communications device...
www.cnn.com
December 5, 2025 at 1:19 PM
1/2 The survivors were shipwrecked, unarmed, and clinging to a capsized boat for 41 minutes while commanders watched. Under LOAC, hors de combat protections attach the moment a person is incapacitated and unable to fight—full stop.
www.cnn.com/2025/12/04/p...
www.cnn.com/2025/12/04/p...
Patel says attacking the Capitol strikes “the very being of our way of life.” The same administration pardoned those who DID attack the Capitol. This contradiction reflects core indicators in our assessment: preferential treatment for allies & weaponization of the justice system against enemies.
Patel on J6 arrest: "When you attack American citizens, when you attack our institutions of legislation, when you attack our nation's Capitol, you attack the very being of our way of life."
December 5, 2025 at 1:09 PM
Patel says attacking the Capitol strikes “the very being of our way of life.” The same administration pardoned those who DID attack the Capitol. This contradiction reflects core indicators in our assessment: preferential treatment for allies & weaponization of the justice system against enemies.
Lawmakers who viewed the video say the 2 men were classically shipwrecked & clearly incapacitated. The claim they were “still in the fight” strains all credibility, and it flatly contradicts Hegseth’s appeal to the “fog of war.” That narrative collapses when the survivors were plainly visible.
The laws of war generally prohibit killing people who are no longer “in the fight." trib.al/8CIRyUw
“The evidence that I’ve seen absolutely demands a further and continued investigation,” Rep. Adam Smith told TNR's Greg Sargent. “It strains credibility to say that they were still in the fight.”
“The evidence that I’ve seen absolutely demands a further and continued investigation,” Rep. Adam Smith told TNR's Greg Sargent. “It strains credibility to say that they were still in the fight.”
Hegseth Defense Collapses as Dems Reveal Horrific Video Strike Details
The ranking Democrat on the House Armed Services Committee tells TNR after watching the video: “This is a big, big problem.”
trib.al
December 5, 2025 at 1:00 PM
Lawmakers who viewed the video say the 2 men were classically shipwrecked & clearly incapacitated. The claim they were “still in the fight” strains all credibility, and it flatly contradicts Hegseth’s appeal to the “fog of war.” That narrative collapses when the survivors were plainly visible.
🧵 1/ Preferential Treatment of Trump Allies:
WSJ reports Trump pardoned Hernández—convicted of helping traffic 400 tons of cocaine—after lobbying from Roger Stone, Matt Gaetz, and Mar-a-Lago allies.
www.wsj.com/politics/pol...
WSJ reports Trump pardoned Hernández—convicted of helping traffic 400 tons of cocaine—after lobbying from Roger Stone, Matt Gaetz, and Mar-a-Lago allies.
www.wsj.com/politics/pol...
How a Man Convicted of Running a Latin American Narco State Landed a Pardon
Former Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernández’s unusual network of Trump allies and MAGA influencers helped deliver an extraordinary pardon to him.
www.wsj.com
December 4, 2025 at 10:50 PM
🧵 1/ Preferential Treatment of Trump Allies:
WSJ reports Trump pardoned Hernández—convicted of helping traffic 400 tons of cocaine—after lobbying from Roger Stone, Matt Gaetz, and Mar-a-Lago allies.
www.wsj.com/politics/pol...
WSJ reports Trump pardoned Hernández—convicted of helping traffic 400 tons of cocaine—after lobbying from Roger Stone, Matt Gaetz, and Mar-a-Lago allies.
www.wsj.com/politics/pol...
Changing Face of a City: Moscow on the Potomac
open.substack.com/pub/steadyst...
[Trump's deployment has] “turned the city into something that reminded me of my visit to Moscow in 2008, with armed men in uniform all over the place, randomly stopping people and asking for identification.”
open.substack.com/pub/steadyst...
[Trump's deployment has] “turned the city into something that reminded me of my visit to Moscow in 2008, with armed men in uniform all over the place, randomly stopping people and asking for identification.”
Changing Face of a City: Moscow on the Potomac
The Steady State | by Charles A. Ray
open.substack.com
December 4, 2025 at 9:38 PM
Changing Face of a City: Moscow on the Potomac
open.substack.com/pub/steadyst...
[Trump's deployment has] “turned the city into something that reminded me of my visit to Moscow in 2008, with armed men in uniform all over the place, randomly stopping people and asking for identification.”
open.substack.com/pub/steadyst...
[Trump's deployment has] “turned the city into something that reminded me of my visit to Moscow in 2008, with armed men in uniform all over the place, randomly stopping people and asking for identification.”
“If their stated purpose was to address violent crime or public safety, you would think they would focus on people who have been doing things that would endanger public safety,” she said.
www.washingtonpost.com/immigration/...
www.washingtonpost.com/immigration/...
Most immigrants arrested in Trump’s D.C. crackdown had no criminal records
A Post analysis of federal data shows that the arrests of immigrants with no prior criminal record shot up sixfold during the Trump administration’s crackdown.
www.washingtonpost.com
December 4, 2025 at 6:52 PM
“If their stated purpose was to address violent crime or public safety, you would think they would focus on people who have been doing things that would endanger public safety,” she said.
www.washingtonpost.com/immigration/...
www.washingtonpost.com/immigration/...
"At the Breaking Point: The State of the U.S. Foreign Service in 2025"
open.substack.com/pub/steadyst...
open.substack.com/pub/steadyst...
"At the Breaking Point: The State of the U.S. Foreign Service in 2025"
The Steady State | The Steady State
open.substack.com
December 4, 2025 at 4:26 PM
"At the Breaking Point: The State of the U.S. Foreign Service in 2025"
open.substack.com/pub/steadyst...
open.substack.com/pub/steadyst...
1/ Trump’s claim that “they’re guilty” is irrelevant to legality. War-crimes standards depend entirely on a person’s status at the moment force was used — not moral guilt, not political narratives, not the drug epidemic.
youtu.be/hY_MWtCF35k?...
youtu.be/hY_MWtCF35k?...
President Trump: "I think you're going to find that this is war..."
YouTube video by C-SPAN
youtu.be
December 4, 2025 at 1:43 PM
1/ Trump’s claim that “they’re guilty” is irrelevant to legality. War-crimes standards depend entirely on a person’s status at the moment force was used — not moral guilt, not political narratives, not the drug epidemic.
youtu.be/hY_MWtCF35k?...
youtu.be/hY_MWtCF35k?...
Reposted by The Steady State
Please follow @steadystatevets.bsky.social
national security veterans who are helping Americans understand what's happening.
🇺🇸🫡
national security veterans who are helping Americans understand what's happening.
🇺🇸🫡
December 3, 2025 at 8:49 PM
Please follow @steadystatevets.bsky.social
national security veterans who are helping Americans understand what's happening.
🇺🇸🫡
national security veterans who are helping Americans understand what's happening.
🇺🇸🫡
The Steady State’s Statement on the Killing of Survivors of U.S. Navy attack on an unarmed civilian craft posing no danger to U.S. Forces and not engaged in combat #SteadyState #holdfast #getsmart
December 4, 2025 at 8:14 AM
The Steady State’s Statement on the Killing of Survivors of U.S. Navy attack on an unarmed civilian craft posing no danger to U.S. Forces and not engaged in combat #SteadyState #holdfast #getsmart
substack.com/@steadystate...
“ the current targeting of Democratic-led states on SNAP looks like an attack on the political opposition. It, too, is related to the immigration issue, as the administration wants to use the personal information from SNAP roles to identify immigrants for deportation.”
“ the current targeting of Democratic-led states on SNAP looks like an attack on the political opposition. It, too, is related to the immigration issue, as the administration wants to use the personal information from SNAP roles to identify immigrants for deportation.”
December 3, 2025 at 9:59 PM
substack.com/@steadystate...
“ the current targeting of Democratic-led states on SNAP looks like an attack on the political opposition. It, too, is related to the immigration issue, as the administration wants to use the personal information from SNAP roles to identify immigrants for deportation.”
“ the current targeting of Democratic-led states on SNAP looks like an attack on the political opposition. It, too, is related to the immigration issue, as the administration wants to use the personal information from SNAP roles to identify immigrants for deportation.”
Reposted by The Steady State
Hegseth claims precise, intelligence-rich, legally rigorous targeting but when asked about survivors, he claims everything was unclear due to “the fog of war.” The contradiction reveals deflection — selectively using precision or fog depending on what helps him.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=BI3E...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=BI3E...
Pres. Trump and Sec. Pete Hegseth defend strikes against alleged drug boats
YouTube video by ABC News
www.youtube.com
December 3, 2025 at 4:04 PM
Hegseth claims precise, intelligence-rich, legally rigorous targeting but when asked about survivors, he claims everything was unclear due to “the fog of war.” The contradiction reveals deflection — selectively using precision or fog depending on what helps him.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=BI3E...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=BI3E...
Cabinet applause after these remarks is institutional assent. It tells the system: “This is now allowed.” Once it is allowed, it becomes routinized. It shows loyalty alignment. A precondition for violence and the use of federal power to punish entire communities outside of constitutional limits.
Trump: When they come from hell and they complain and do nothing but bitch—we don’t want them in our country. Let them go back to where they came from
December 3, 2025 at 3:56 PM
Cabinet applause after these remarks is institutional assent. It tells the system: “This is now allowed.” Once it is allowed, it becomes routinized. It shows loyalty alignment. A precondition for violence and the use of federal power to punish entire communities outside of constitutional limits.
DOGE Is, Officially, Dead. What Did It Actually Accomplish?
open.substack.com/pub/steadyst...
"The real question isn’t what DOGE achieved. It’s what America lost –and may be continuing to lose– in the process."
open.substack.com/pub/steadyst...
"The real question isn’t what DOGE achieved. It’s what America lost –and may be continuing to lose– in the process."
DOGE Is, Officially, Dead. What Did It Actually Accomplish?
The Steady State | Bruce G. Berton
open.substack.com
December 3, 2025 at 3:25 PM
DOGE Is, Officially, Dead. What Did It Actually Accomplish?
open.substack.com/pub/steadyst...
"The real question isn’t what DOGE achieved. It’s what America lost –and may be continuing to lose– in the process."
open.substack.com/pub/steadyst...
"The real question isn’t what DOGE achieved. It’s what America lost –and may be continuing to lose– in the process."
Honduran President Hernandez Walks Free: "Politics, Corruption, Hypocrisy"
open.substack.com/pub/steadyst...
Hard-Hitting Commentary on the Hernandez pardon and Trump administration actions in the southern hemisphere.
open.substack.com/pub/steadyst...
Hard-Hitting Commentary on the Hernandez pardon and Trump administration actions in the southern hemisphere.
Honduran President Hernandez Walks Free: "Politics, Corruption, Hypocrisy"
The Steady State | Luis G. Moreno, Interview by the Australian Broadcasting Company
open.substack.com
December 3, 2025 at 3:02 PM
Honduran President Hernandez Walks Free: "Politics, Corruption, Hypocrisy"
open.substack.com/pub/steadyst...
Hard-Hitting Commentary on the Hernandez pardon and Trump administration actions in the southern hemisphere.
open.substack.com/pub/steadyst...
Hard-Hitting Commentary on the Hernandez pardon and Trump administration actions in the southern hemisphere.
You don’t accidentally combine Confederate star symbolism with Nazi-era typeface and add a slogan about “Americanism prevailing.” These cues are designed to normalize extremist imagery under government authority—a hallmark of authoritarian messaging.
www.rawstory.com/dog-whistle/
www.rawstory.com/dog-whistle/
‘Not even trying to hide it’: Trump admin social media post flagged for ‘Nazi dog whistle'
A social media post from President Donald Trump’s Department of Labor was flagged Saturday by internet sleuths for its apparent “Nazi dog whistles,” including a potential reference to the Confederacy ...
www.rawstory.com
December 3, 2025 at 12:57 PM
You don’t accidentally combine Confederate star symbolism with Nazi-era typeface and add a slogan about “Americanism prevailing.” These cues are designed to normalize extremist imagery under government authority—a hallmark of authoritarian messaging.
www.rawstory.com/dog-whistle/
www.rawstory.com/dog-whistle/
1/ Using military tribunals for political opponents is illegal, unconstitutional, and profoundly dangerous. Trump reposting this specific language about military tribunals tracks long‑running QAnon narratives that fantasize about mass trials and executions of perceived “deep state” enemies.
December 3, 2025 at 12:50 PM
1/ Using military tribunals for political opponents is illegal, unconstitutional, and profoundly dangerous. Trump reposting this specific language about military tribunals tracks long‑running QAnon narratives that fantasize about mass trials and executions of perceived “deep state” enemies.