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Brian Kerg

@briankerg.bsky.social
4.7K followers 482 following 945 posts

Atlantic Council Fellow | Military Writers Guild Board Member | Marine Corps Strategist Fellow at Notre Dame | CIMSEC Managing Editor | Personal Account

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Brian Kerg @briankerg.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
In annual tradition, @cimsec.bsky.social will be featuring a series of short stories that explore the nature of conflict and competition through #fiction. Help us to #WriteFightWin. We want your contributions! Check it out here: cimsec.org/call-for-art...
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Brian Kerg @briankerg.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
No one ever finishes the quote. The next sentence is: "There are no professionals." 🙃
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Brian Kerg @briankerg.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
"For the first time ever, Japan has sent jet fighters to India for joint exercises." A notable accomplishment in Japan-India security cooperation, and a profound statement on Japan's growing influence in Indo-Pacific security. 🇯🇵🇮🇳 thehill.com/opinion/inte...
thehill.com
Japan joins India in military exercises to counter China
The ongoing exercise showcases Japan’s growing military capabilities.
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🍁🍂 🎃 Diva for the Season 💚💙🏈🫶👠👑 @queenofthinair.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
Writing has an impact on the #Profession. This banger from @briankerg.bsky.social caused a DM from a former NWC student whose time was impactful because he is still reflecting. Always love those DMs. Every Day is Ethics Day. Professional Development is a moral responsibility.
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Brian Kerg @briankerg.bsky.social · 13/09/2026
Excellent news for U.S.-Japan security. 🇺🇸 🇯🇵🤝 PRC aggression continues to backfire, while #Okinawa's electorate is increasingly supportive of its role in the region's security and in its own defense. #Alliances japantoday.com/category/pol...
japantoday.com
Japan ruling camp-backed Koja set to win Okinawa governor race
Genta Koja, the candidate backed by Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's ruling coalition, is set to win Sunday's Okinawa gubernatorial election, defeating incumbent Denny Tamaki, Kyodo News projections sh...
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Brian Kerg @briankerg.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
The EXSUM really gets right to it:
Mindless pablum from Defense Priorities encouraging the United States to abandon all strategic interests so the PRC can seize the entire Pacific.
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Brian Kerg @briankerg.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
With love to @theatlantic.com and Defense Priorities:
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Brian Kerg @briankerg.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
OMG she nailed the author for referring to the KMT as the 'Taiwanese Nationalists' ☠️
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Brian Kerg @briankerg.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
No, #Taiwan won't just give up. 🇹🇼 1. Nations don't surrender short of credible military coercion. 2. The coercion to make #Taiwan surrender would require #PLA forces landed en masse on #Taiwan. 3. Doing #2 is not operationally feasible. 4. Please read more history.
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Brian Kerg @briankerg.bsky.social · 06/09/2026
Man I thought the World Cup was over but I guess not and the refs thought Michigan was Argentina.
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Brian Kerg @briankerg.bsky.social · 05/09/2026
An important piece published today in @cimsec.bsky.social: "The Looming Armageddon of the U.S. Military's New Anti-Beard Policy." #WriteFightWin cimsec.org/the-looming-...
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Mike Black @mikeblack114.bsky.social · 04/09/2026
it's great because the stuff they're getting the vapors on are - lack of mag (something DoD does all the time) - the barrel being "plugged" (it's a blank firing adapter, which none of them recognize) - the selector in semi (ARs can't be on safe with the hammer down, also which none of them know)
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Secretary of Defense Rock @sodrock.bsky.social · 03/09/2026
This just happened to my girlfriend…
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Brian Kerg @briankerg.bsky.social · 01/09/2026
My latest in @usni.org Naval History magazine: "Where is General Barrett?" This article began as a #mystery - among all the former commanders of III #Marine Expeditionary Force, only one does not have his photo hanging at the command post - Maj Gen Barrett. Why not? www.usni.org/magazines/na...
usni.org
Where Is General Barrett?
For decades, one man’s face has been missing from the wall of portraits at III MEF Headquarters—and the reason why may lie in the circumstances surrounding his death.
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Brian Kerg @briankerg.bsky.social · 31/08/2026
My latest in @usniproceedings.bsky.social: "The warrior ethos is no longer a useful philosophy... While once that spirit offered some utility... the warrior ethos now is largely a stumbling block to the professional and ethical development of soldiers, sailors, airmen, and Marines."
usni.org
Where Exactly Has the Warrior Ethos Gotten Us?
The Marine Corps should revive its traditional ethos, emphasizing professional competence, readiness, honor, courage, and commitment for the demands of modern warfare.
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Dr. Jonathan Schroden @jjschroden.bsky.social · 17/08/2026
I have a piece out today in @warontherocks.bsky.social It’s a reflection on lessons from the war in #Afghanistan & an assessment that we have 💯 not learned them as evidenced by the current war on Iran👇 warontherocks.com/what-have-we...
warontherocks.com
What Have We Learned from the 9/11 Wars? Not Nearly Enough
Editor’s Note: The following article draws on themes from the author’s forthcoming book titled US Counterterrorism Operations in Afghanistan: Jackpots,
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Brian Kerg @briankerg.bsky.social · 06/08/2026
Insightful analysis by Sasha Chhabra in the #Formosa Review discussing #China's reactions to its own military deaths: formosareview.substack.com/p/is-china-r...
formosareview.substack.com
Is China Ready for War?
Coast Guard deaths lay bare the regime’s insecurity
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Brian Kerg @briankerg.bsky.social · 05/08/2026
"Presence is Deterrence." Check out this excellent article by Miles Yu, which unpacks the importance of the recent joint U.S. and Taiwan coast guard patrol. 🇹🇼🇺🇸 www.hudson.org/foreign-poli...
hudson.org
Presence Is Deterrence: Restore America’s Maritime Patrol in the Taiwan Strait
The most important security development in East Asia this year did not involve an aircraft carrier, a missile test or another Chinese military exercise around Taiwan. It involved two white-hulled coas...
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J. Martin @gyokusai.bsky.social · 31/07/2026
“In this way, by using the logic of narcissists and abusers, [PRC/CCP] turn their own aggression into the pursuit of peace, while those who wish to preserve the status quo are recast as malicious actors.” 🔥👇🔥
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Brian Kerg @briankerg.bsky.social · 31/07/2026
My latest in Small Wars Journal. "Resistance is (Not) Futile: Winning the War for the #Narrative Against #China about #Taiwan". 🇹🇼 smallwarsjournal.com/2026/07/31/w...
smallwarsjournal.com
Resistance is (Not) Futile: Winning the War for the Narrative Against China about Taiwan
China is engaged in one of the most massive and aggressive narrative warfare campaigns the world has seen in decades.
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War on the Rocks @warontherocks.bsky.social · 30/07/2026
What if the first wave of an amphibious assault had no people in it? warontherocks.com/the-first-wa...
warontherocks.com
The First Waves of Amphibious Assault Will Be Unmanned
In the Pacific War, the U.S. Navy’s underwater demolition teams prepared the way for U.S. and allied amphibious landings on enemy-held islands. Through
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Brian Kerg @briankerg.bsky.social · 28/07/2026
My latest in @warontherocks.bsky.social. "The First Waves of Amphibious Assault Will Be Unmanned." warontherocks.com/the-first-wa...
warontherocks.com
The First Waves of Amphibious Assault Will Be Unmanned
In the Pacific War, the U.S. Navy’s underwater demolition teams prepared the way for U.S. and allied amphibious landings on enemy-held islands. Through
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Ian TB @iantb.bsky.social · 28/07/2026
Good news oft comes unlooked for…apparently “A New Conception of War” has made it onto the Brazilian Marine Corps’ professional reading list. Thank you for the honor! #MCUP H/T @walkerdm.bsky.social www.marinha.mil.br/ctddcfn/estr...
marinha.mil.br
Estratégia e Tática | CTDDCFN
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Brian Kerg @briankerg.bsky.social · 28/07/2026
My latest in @warontherocks.bsky.social. "The First Waves of Amphibious Assault Will Be Unmanned." warontherocks.com/the-first-wa...
warontherocks.com
The First Waves of Amphibious Assault Will Be Unmanned
In the Pacific War, the U.S. Navy’s underwater demolition teams prepared the way for U.S. and allied amphibious landings on enemy-held islands. Through
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Brian Kerg @briankerg.bsky.social · 27/07/2026
The #Philippines Defense Secretary makes it clear. For #China to seize #Taiwan, it will be operationally essential for #China to use military force against #PHL territory. This will compel #PHL involvement in the conflict. www.taiwannews.com.tw/news/6408688
taiwannews.com.tw
Philippine defense chief says neutrality in Taiwan Strait conflict not an option | Taiwan News | Jul. 27, 2026 14:39
Gilbert Teodoro Jr. cites Filipinos in Taiwan, proximity to northern Philippines | Jul. 27, 2026 14:39
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Brian Kerg @briankerg.bsky.social · 25/07/2026
#Taiwan 🇹🇼 one-slider from the 1960 #Pacific Command unit history:
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Brian Kerg @briankerg.bsky.social · 25/07/2026
Route map of the #Pacific scatter system, a multilink microwave troposcatter #communication system built by the US to transmit telephone calls between the far east and the Hawaiian Islands in the 1960's. 📻📡 Yes I'm lost in the CINCPAC command chronology again.
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Brian Kerg @briankerg.bsky.social · 24/07/2026
You can never get enough content on #Sicily - check out this take in @warontherocks.bsky.social, courtesy of historian, staff rider leader, and retired Army colonel Steven T. Barry: warontherocks.com/the-importan...
warontherocks.com
The Importance of the Invasion of Sicily
On July 10, 1943, the Allied invasion of Sicily — codenamed Operation Husky — put more assault troops ashore on its first day than the Normandy landings
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Brian Kerg @briankerg.bsky.social · 24/07/2026
Today in @cimsec.bsky.social: "The Curious Rise of Military Bullshit,"by Colonel Benjamin Gray of the Australian Army. This is a phenomenal piece that lays bare the perverse trend within military culture to hide lazy thinking with complicated language. Read it here: cimsec.org/the-curious-...
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Brian Kerg @briankerg.bsky.social · 24/07/2026
'Notes from Underground' by Fyodor Dortoevsky:
Dort having a normal one.
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Brian Kerg @briankerg.bsky.social · 17/07/2026
#Ethics for #Marines by Col Dennis Katolin, #USMC. Because there is no ethos without ethics. Check it out here: www.mca-marines.org/wp-content/u...
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Brian Kerg @briankerg.bsky.social · 12/07/2026
Fixed the headline for you @cnn.com:
Hard to swallow pill.
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Brian Kerg @briankerg.bsky.social · 11/07/2026
Glad to see @usni.org re-up my piece on the Sicily campaign! For modern applications to amphibious warfare, it's worth noting the need to tightly coordinate ops in the air, on land, and sea - as well as the need for massive superiority in each domain to pull off an amphibious landing.
A map of the Allied invasion of Sicily during WWII.
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Brian Kerg @briankerg.bsky.social · 11/07/2026
Hey, I know that guy! I'm officially rolling into @notredame.bsky.social as a PhD student in political science as part of the Marine Corps PhD Strategist Program. Stand by for more broadsides on coalition warfighting and alliance dynamics. #WriteFightWin politicalscience.nd.edu/people/gradu...
politicalscience.nd.edu
Brian Kerg
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Brian Kerg @briankerg.bsky.social · 08/07/2026
It is the year 10,191 AG. House Atreides begins assuming spice production on the desert planet Arrakis. The Islamic Republic of Japan shoots 11 missiles at the prison world of Salusa Secundus.
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Brian Kerg @briankerg.bsky.social · 07/07/2026
Make Russia compete under the flag of 'Ukrainian Moscow.' (Yes this is a deep cut joke about the IOC's ridiculous rule for #Taiwan and 'Chinese Taipei'). 🇹🇼
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Brian Kerg @briankerg.bsky.social · 06/07/2026
😀
Scientific evidence that the B1G is superior to the SEC.
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Brian Kerg @briankerg.bsky.social · 06/07/2026
Yes, this is a subtweet of the NCAA's favoritism for the SEC and its endless war against the University of Michigan. 🏈
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Brian Kerg @briankerg.bsky.social · 06/07/2026
Welcome to America, fútbol fans! ⚽🇺🇸
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Brian Kerg @briankerg.bsky.social · 03/07/2026
Apropos of nothing... this banger from 2021 still has legs: www.usni.org/magazines/pr...
usni.org
How Active-Duty Officers Should Criticize Policy and Practice
For active-duty personnel, there are right and wrong ways to publicly criticize policy and the chain of command.
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Dead Carl @deadcarl.bsky.social · 21/06/2026
The Army is the lynchpin of the reflecting pool
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Sasha Lehtonen | Mother of Tanks @motheroftanks.bsky.social · 20/06/2026
Hi 🙋🏻‍♀️ I’m still here! And I’d like to thank my friend Jonathan for taking time (over a year ago!) to record this episode with me on US Army Engineers in the Second World War — an important part of the story that the series hasn’t covered yet. Links in comments below or search for “Why We Fight”
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Travis Reese (Against war with NATO) @ctreese2.bsky.social · 19/06/2026
All wargamers! Official graduate courses are starting this Fall at the Virginia Tech School of Public and International Affairs. This is designed as one year of graduate courses geared toward professionals. Hybrid structure with on-line format to start. I may know some of the instructors. Also<
Virginia Tech School of Public and International Affairs course SPIA 5304 Introduction to Game Theory and Wargaming.  QR code to scan if intereseted. Starting this Fall 2026 with the first two courses.Virginia Tech School of Public and International Affairs course SPIA 5314 Analytical Foundations for Wargaming.  QR code to scan if intereseted. Starting this Fall 2026 with the first two courses.
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Brian Kerg @briankerg.bsky.social · 18/06/2026
The comments originated from this post, which takes apart General Zinni's recent attack on the modern Marine Corps: centristlibertarianpatriot.substack.com/p/cdr-salama...
centristlibertarianpatriot.substack.com
CDR Salamander Launches New 'We Love the 70s' Nostalgia Series:
“First to fight, first to fall, count on us, one and all” are fine words for a recruiting poster, but useless as a force-planning framework.
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Brian Kerg @briankerg.bsky.social · 18/06/2026
Chowder II takes a shot at CLP and gets laid out: Noting that Paul Van Riper once told his students that GOs grow stale and should stop commenting 5 to 7 years after retirement: "You retired 29 years ago. The average age of a Marine in service today is 24 years-old. Take your own advice." 💀
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Brian Kerg @briankerg.bsky.social · 18/06/2026
New from Kevin Billings in @usniproceedings.bsky.social, "The Fragility Fallacy," which discusses the recent ban on #military officers attending programs at certain elite universities: www.usni.org/magazines/pr...
usni.org
The Fragility Fallacy
The U.S. military has never succeeded because its leaders were shielded from ideas. It has succeeded because they were exposed to them.
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Brian Kerg @briankerg.bsky.social · 17/06/2026
Until we're calling the PACOM commander CINCPAC again, our restoration of Pacific greatness will be incomplete.
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Brian Kerg @briankerg.bsky.social · 16/06/2026
New out from @cimsec.bsky.social : "China is Rehearsing More Than Amphibious Landings." cimsec.org/china-is-reh...
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Brian Kerg @briankerg.bsky.social · 13/06/2026
💯. The warrior ethos was embraced by the U.S. military in an era in which the U.S. lost two wars. The reasons for losing were many. But the soldier as warrior is not just fundamentally un-American but fundamentally astrategic.
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