so3brocktree.bsky.social - Profile | ThreadSky | a Reddit-style client for Bluesky

EU delivers: Foreign Ministers just approved the 16th package of sanctions against Russia. It hits everything from shadow fleet ships to gaming controllers used to control drones. We now have the most extensive sanctions ever, weakening Russia’s war effort.

submitted 2 hours ago • 46 comments

A moving article with some beautiful - and harrowing -photography. A reminder that the war is an all-of-society effort for Ukraine.

submitted 1 day ago • 1 comment

Saw this yesterday. Absolutely fantastic - wild, punkish, and weird. A great way to adapt Greek tragedy. Go see it if you can.

submitted 1 day ago • 0 comments

Clever modular design from British engineers. There is certainly no lack of innovative talent in the UK defence sector.

submitted 1 day ago • 0 comments

Strong effort from the Danes 💪🇩🇰💪

submitted 2 days ago • 0 comments

This is an exceptional analysis piece by @gideonrachman.bsky.social on the implications of the Trump Administration's stance towards Europe for Europe I want to say it's highly provocative, but I fear it's the basecase. A rupture and realignment, unfolding before us www.ft.com/content/11f1...

submitted 6 days ago • 12 comments

Your periodic reminder that these people think of women as disposable objects.

submitted 6 days ago • 17 comments

A ludicrous hill to die on. ‘An ally of the Prime Minister told The Telegraph: “The policy we stood on at the election was 2.5 per cent on defence spending. Our policy is still 2.5 per cent. We’re not going to shift any further.”’

submitted 6 days ago • 12 comments

This!!!! Focus on outcomes, not inputs.

submitted 6 days ago • 1 comment

I will never not stop banging on about this: The conversation needs to shift to 'what outputs do we need' rather than 'how much we spend'. The whole GDP percentage debate is a political distortion which frankly has very little to do with actual defence capability.

submitted 6 days ago • 3 comments

Brief thoughts on a European force for Ukraine. I think there is a degree of requirements paralysis. It doesn’t have to be hundreds of thousands of troops, or cover a 1200km contact line. Where it is deployed, and in what role, is more important than the overall size. 1/

submitted 6 days ago • 17 comments

Very timely report on Helsing, Europe's main defence start up.

submitted 6 days ago • 0 comments

As promised, a discussion of European defence without the USA. Can Europe defend itself alone? How would it? Read to find out...

submitted 8 days ago • 0 comments

Great newsletter as always. The 'GDP percentage input' debate has such totemic status that it even dominates discussions in the professional Defence commentariat. Quibbling about 2.3% vs 2.5% vs 2.6% is fundamentally flawed as compared to discussing actual desired effects.

submitted 6 days ago • 0 comments

“The French were right” is certainly a comment I have heard more than once over the last few days… #MSC2025

submitted 8 days ago • 27 comments

Worth a read. Some very interesting insights.

submitted 8 days ago • 1 comment

As promised, a discussion of European defence without the USA. Can Europe defend itself alone? How would it? Read to find out...

submitted 8 days ago • 0 comments

A snapshot - completely face-value, but useful as a starter for awareness. ‘European NATO’ includes Türkiye and Greece, which admittedly skews the numbers much higher as both countries have very large stocks of older kit. Chart my own from IISS numbers.

submitted 8 days ago • 1 comment

'The assumption still reigns, west of Warsaw, that war is something that happens to other people, a long way away' Fantastic piece by Keir Giles in the FT - I couldn't agree more. I intend to publish my own thoughts on European defence without the US in the coming days.

submitted 8 days ago • 1 comment

Europe should have gotten serious a decade ago. It breaks me that people are still shocked that the US is now strategically less interested in Europe, when some form of 'Asia/China focus' has been the stated intention of US foreign policy administrations since at least Obama.

submitted 11 days ago • 2 comments

Europe should have gotten serious a decade ago. It breaks me that people are still shocked that the US is now strategically less interested in Europe, when some form of 'Asia/China focus' has been the stated intention of US foreign policy administrations since at least Obama.

submitted 11 days ago • 2 comments

Ukraine did not "go into this war“. They were attacked.

submitted 11 days ago • 40 comments

"Mark Rutte, the Nato secretary-general [..] warned members of the European parliament last month that if EU member states do not drastically increase their defence spending, the only options left to them will be to learn Russian or move to New Zealand." A gift Article in the link on.ft.com/41cjdED

submitted 12 days ago • 0 comments

How (not) to talk about European security, here’s a primer for all of you going to Munich these days, with thanks to @henninghoff.bsky.social at IPQ. (Based on my upcoming book, see profile.)

submitted 13 days ago • 2 comments

Fucking awful. Yet again, another young person failed by the Army. Too often abuse remains unreported or ignored, with fatal consequences. We need to be better than this. There is no excuse.

submitted 12 days ago • 0 comments

Bureaucracy, famously not important in war

submitted 12 days ago • 736 comments

Good short update on the state of the EW fight. The speed of evolution is dizzying.

submitted 13 days ago • 0 comments

Good short update on the state of the EW fight. The speed of evolution is dizzying.

submitted 13 days ago • 0 comments

I really, really want to believe this will be an improvement. My experience of Serco services inclines me to be intensely cynical, however. The devil will be in the detail of the contract the MOD has signed.

submitted 17 days ago • 0 comments

I wrote about that least-loved of military institutions, the staff, and why you it matters. I'm sure anyone who has worked in a staff headquarters will recognise the stereotypes....

submitted 19 days ago • 2 comments

Yes! The Oxford-Cambridge bus service takes on average a painful 4hrs - absolutely ridiculous considering how short the direct distance is between the two cities. Don't forget a new direct train line though - particularly useful for academic to academic travel.

submitted 17 days ago • 0 comments

Good morning, in this excellent interview with George Parker, Peter Mandelson shows real commitment to his longtime response to stories he doesn't like on.ft.com/3QrD4JT

submitted 18 days ago • 4 comments

Very much worth a read. Kudos to the Economist for getting the interview.

submitted 19 days ago • 0 comments

Very much worth a read. Kudos to the Economist for getting the interview.

submitted 19 days ago • 0 comments

With everything else going on in the world, the protests in Serbia haven't been covered much. This is a great overview:

submitted 19 days ago • 0 comments

Man, someone should write a book about staffs.

submitted 19 days ago • 3 comments

I wrote about that least-loved of military institutions, the staff, and why you it matters. I'm sure anyone who has worked in a staff headquarters will recognise the stereotypes....

submitted 19 days ago • 2 comments

Good, but should have happened ages ago.

submitted 20 days ago • 0 comments