Sign in

JD Simkins

@jdsimkins.bsky.social
570 followers 66 following 325 posts

Editor-in-Chief, Military Times & Defense News. Once a Marine. Would rather be outside.

PostsRepliesMedia
Reposted by JD Simkins
Paul Graf @paulginva.bsky.social · 11/10/2026
This is the most articulate and impactful piece I've read regarding the Pentagon's planned livestreamed execution of Nidel Hasan. Please read it.
The Space Coast Rocket @CoastRocket

WE COUNT THE ENEMIES WE KILL. WE RARELY COUNT THE ONES WE CREATE.

Nidal Hasan was a patient on my floor in the surgical trauma ICU at Brooke Army Medical Center.

I wasn't there when he arrived. I had just left for my deployment to Mosul, Iraq. But the nurses and doctors who cared for him were my peers and my friends, and I know exactly what that required of them, because every one of us had done some version of it before. Before anyone tells me what strength looks like, understand what that work demands.

I have cared for a drunk driver who wiped out an entire family and landed in our ICU himself. I have cared for gang members who shot up a block while children were stepping off a school bus, then ended up on our unit with bullets of their own. I have kept alive people who murdered their own families and failed at taking their own lives. And in Iraq, I saved the lives of the very enemy fighters who had just tried to kill us and miraculously survived our response.

Every one of those patients got our best. Not because we felt anything for them, but because of who we were. You set aside anger, grief, prejudice and every personal feeling you have, because a life in front of you is a life in front of you. That's the oath. That's the duty.

So when Hasan came through those doors, my colleagues did what we had always done. They preserved the life of a man who murdered thirteen people and would have killed them too, given the chance. He killed those men and women in one of the very same buildings many Soldier's like myself have been in when I was stationed at Fort Hood.

He is alive today because they did their jobs. That was not sentiment. It was a hard, tangible expression of the values this country claims to stand for. Our principles had to mean something even when the person benefiting from them had violated everything we believed in.Now the Pentagon plans to livestream his execution by firing squad on Dec. 3, and our leaders apparently believe turning his death into a public spectacle will demonstrate American strength. I think it demonstrates how little they understand the enemy they claim to be fighting. We kept Nidal Hasan alive, now our leaders want to make him a martyr.

Hasan walked into Fort Hood expecting to die. He believed his death would be rewarded. At his trial, he called no witnesses and offered no defense, and his own court-appointed lawyers worried he was seeking execution. He failed at martyrdom once. Now we're about to hand it to him, in high definition, for every extremist with an internet connection to replay, manipulate and celebrate.

We supply the footage. They supply the meaning.

Long after the politicians finish congratulating themselves, that video will still exist. Their moment of bravado becomes somebody else's recruiting material for decades. And this failure to think past the immediate display of power reaches far beyond one execution. We count the enemies we kill. We rarely count the enemies we create.

Look at the school in Minab, Iran, where multiple investigations attributed the strike that killed more than 100 children and their teachers to us. You cannot bury people's children beneath the rubble of their classrooms and expect a speech about American intentions to decide how they remember you. No denial brings those children home. No claim of good intentions makes their parents forget whose weapons killed them.If those were our children, we would remember for the rest of our lives.

We would demand accountability. Many of us would want vengeance.

We would tell their stories to the next generation. We know this because we did exactly that after September 11.

Why do we imagine other people love their children less, grieve less deeply, or remember less clearly?

We have developed a horrifying talent for creating more terrorists than we will ever stop. We inflict suffering, evade responsibility, and then act as though the anger that follows came out of nowhere.

Think back to the first time you saw one of those al Qaeda videos of an American being beheaded. Remember the sickness in your stomach.

Remember the rage. Remember thinking that only savages would film a killing and send it out for the world to watch. Now ask yourself what the rest of the world will see when the camera is ours.

Terrorist organizations stage executions for the cameras. Authoritarian regimes make death a public spectacle to feed fear and rage. Watching our own leaders reach for those same tools should force us to confront how much of ourselves we are surrendering in the name of defeating them.

The line separating us from the people we condemn has to live in our conduct. A flag cannot hold it for us. Neither can a uniform, a title, or a declaration that we are the good guys.

On that ICU floor, on a bloody street in Mosul, and in trauma bays across this country, people like my colleagues hold that line every day under circumstances most will never face. They keep monsters alive because their duty and their humanity are bigger than their hatred of what those monsters have done.Execute him if that's the sentence. But do it the way a confident nation does; quietly, lawfully, and without giving him the stage he always wanted. Let him be forgotten.

I expect our leaders to show at least as much discipline as the nurses who had to care for him.

They keep telling us they are defending what makes America different. Every day, they make that difference harder to see.

Robert W. Burns III is the editor and publisher of The Space Coast Rocket, an Army veteran and a retired trauma nurse. The views expressed in this column are his own.

CBS News @CBSNews

The U.S. military plans to livestream the execution of Nidal Hasan, the ex-Army major who was convicted of the 2009 killing of 13 people at Fort Hood, when he faces a firing squad on Dec. 3, a Pentagon official said.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said earlier Thursday the Pentagon planned to make the execution public.

Hasan's case could mark the military's first execution of an American service member since 1961.

11:00 AM Oct 9, 2026 570.9K Views
21290134
JD Simkins @jdsimkins.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
UAE turns to Russian shadow airline for missions in Africa. Linus Höller with an investigative report for us @defensenews.bsky.social
defensenews.com
UAE turns to Russian shadow airline for missions in Africa: Investigation
The company behind these planes, Aviacon Zitotrans, has been sanctioned by the United States, Canada and Ukraine for its support in Russia’s war effort.
041
JD Simkins @jdsimkins.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
Ukraine’s former defense minister launches ‘Manhattan Project’ for killer robots
defensenews.com
Ukraine’s former defense minister launches ‘Manhattan Project’ for killer robots
Mykhailo Fedorov told Defense News he wants humanoid-like robots on the battlefield within six months and an assault without infantry within a year.
011
JD Simkins @jdsimkins.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
This is a knife hand away from being the perfect photo
070
JD Simkins @jdsimkins.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
“Unless you say you’re suicidal, you have to wait weeks for an appointment with the military mental health providers,” one Lincoln sailor said. Long deployments overwhelm a strained Navy mental health system, personnel say www.militarytimes.com/news/your-na...
militarytimes.com
Long deployments overwhelm a strained Navy mental health system, personnel say
Navy therapists and sailors cited long wait times and inadequate services as hurdles to getting mental health help aboard deployed ships.
044
JD Simkins @jdsimkins.bsky.social · 24/08/2026
ICE detained an Army sergeant’s wife. His family is still waiting for answers.
militarytimes.com
ICE detained an Army sergeant’s wife. His family is still waiting for answers.
On July 11, ICE detained Cristy Maryori Villafranca Trejo as her family drove home from the grocery store. Last week, she was almost deported to Honduras.
0107
JD Simkins @jdsimkins.bsky.social · 16/08/2026
They haven't allowed embeds at all. We've tried many times. The one time they did, they — rather ironically, considering all the criticisms — brought on CNN, which later reported a sailor had in fact gone in the water for about an hour.
011
JD Simkins @jdsimkins.bsky.social · 14/08/2026
Suckers and losers. Rinse, repeat
000
JD Simkins @jdsimkins.bsky.social · 13/08/2026
Good lord, this again? Just a full — *checks notes — DECADE of this complaint about EMALS www.navytimes.com/news/your-na...
navytimes.com
Navy should return to 'goddamned steam' on carrier, Trump says
President Trump says the Navy should abandon longstanding plans for electro-magnetic catapults for carrier aviation and return to the traditional steam-powered launch and recovery system.
040
JD Simkins @jdsimkins.bsky.social · 13/08/2026
Active-duty sailor in an op-ed for Military Times: "The lesson I take from [talking to sailors who have endured extended deployments] is not that the Navy should stop deploying. It is that endurance cannot be the only plan."
militarytimes.com
If long deployments are the future, endurance can’t be the Navy’s only plan
Opinion: "If we expect the ship to endure, we have to maintain it. If we expect the crew to endure, we have to sustain them," an active-duty sailor argues.
41210
JD Simkins @jdsimkins.bsky.social · 13/08/2026
The Navy has denied our reporting. Not in response to our queries, but in a statement the service provided to @taskandpurpose.com - here: taskandpurpose.com/news/navy-us... Shortly after that story went up, text messages emerged from sailors detailing additional morale issues: x.com/AaronParnas/...
21610
JD Simkins @jdsimkins.bsky.social · 12/08/2026
We also had instances in Iraq of individuals doing entirely reckless things that, in their state of mind in that moment, had very different motives than what might be perceived from the outside looking in
0221
JD Simkins @jdsimkins.bsky.social · 12/08/2026
Many responses are asking why going overboard in the headline was not worded as a suicide attempt instead. Quite frankly, because despite what the result might likely be in your clear frame of thought, the intent amidst clouded judgment isn't always the case For instance: bsky.app/profile/m5xj...
1363
JD Simkins @jdsimkins.bsky.social · 12/08/2026
Here ⬇️
militarytimes.com
230 troops discharged for refusing COVID-19 vaccine have rejoined, Pentagon says
Roughly 2.7% of the thousands who left the service over the vaccine mandate have rejoined and another 7% have expressed interest in returning.
000
JD Simkins @jdsimkins.bsky.social · 12/08/2026
The Air Force updated its COVID-19 reinstatement process this week and will now employ case managers to speed up troops' return This, meanwhile, comes on the heels of a recent report that showed less than 3% of service members eligible to return after being separated have actually opted to.
militarytimes.com
Air Force expedites COVID reinstatement process for separated airmen, guardians
The Air Force changed its COVID-19 reinstatement process to remove delays for service members seeking to return after vaccine-related separation.
121
JD Simkins @jdsimkins.bsky.social · 12/08/2026
Taking editorial liberties to word something in a way that is both 1) from an ethical reporting standpoint, wrong, and 2) not how the families of those impacted told us is not something we're going to do
4330
JD Simkins @jdsimkins.bsky.social · 12/08/2026
Going to word it according to what the family members themselves told us. Going overboard from a carrier is not passive. People know what that means. It's not something you have to say.
7420
Reposted by JD Simkins
Garrett M. Graff @vermontgmg.bsky.social · 12/08/2026
The Air Force One catering truck scandal is deeper and darker than the media is portraying it — it’s a Russian nesting doll of corruption and national security threats: www.doomsdayscenario.co/p/the-five-s...
doomsdayscenario.co
The Five Scandals Within the "Air Force One" Scandal
Donald Trump, a Catering Truck, and the Qatari "Air Force One" represent a Russian Nesting Doll of Scandal and Corruption
821831788
JD Simkins @jdsimkins.bsky.social · 12/08/2026
Mold, asbestos and crumbling walls are only some of the issues plaguing the U.S. military’s Pacific bases, according to a Pentagon watchdog. The findings came during an audit of Pacific Command infrastructure, during which IG investigators visited 11 PACOM bases in May 2025
militarytimes.com
Asbestos, mold and crumbling walls: The US military’s Pacific bases are falling apart
Mold, asbestos and crumbling walls are only some of the issues plaguing the U.S. military's Pacific bases, a government watchdog found.
1105
JD Simkins @jdsimkins.bsky.social · 12/08/2026
Families of sailors aboard the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln spoke to Military Times about multiple incidents in which sailors have attempted to go overboard amid the ship's extended deployment in support of combat operations in the Middle East
militarytimes.com
Multiple USS Abraham Lincoln sailors have tried to go overboard amid extended deployment, families say
Multiple sailors aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln have attempted to go overboard as the carrier's deployment stretches into its ninth month.
38404173
JD Simkins @jdsimkins.bsky.social · 30/07/2026
Onboard view of the USS Peleliu getting pummeled by US missiles during the Navy's latest SINKEX event
0105
JD Simkins @jdsimkins.bsky.social · 30/07/2026
Saw someone mention that the White House now looks like a shitty Thai restaurant and that's all I see now
031
JD Simkins @jdsimkins.bsky.social · 16/04/2026
Imagine getting access to the Pentagon as a press member just to ask military chiefs for a response about a social media AI video of Jesus throwing Trump into hell
000
JD Simkins @jdsimkins.bsky.social · 07/04/2026
All those conversations about refusing illegal orders seem more relevant by the day.
000
Reposted by JD Simkins
Garrett M. Graff @vermontgmg.bsky.social · 24/03/2026
We need especially right now to remember the model of integrity and vision for public service by the Greatest Generation and leaders like Robert Mueller — I tried to distill some of the core leadership lessons that Mueller always talked about: www.doomsdayscenario.co/p/five-leade...
doomsdayscenario.co
Five Leadership Lessons from Robert Mueller
His critical refrain — “If you have integrity, nothing else matters. And if you don’t have integrity, nothing else matters.” — matters especially now.
419674
Reposted by JD Simkins
Austin Kocher, PhD @austinkocher.com · 23/03/2026
The US government collected over $1 billion in immigration fees then refused to process the applications. No denials. No refunds. Just silence. This is the largest fee fraud in the history of the American immigration system. Here's what's happening. 🧵
8279593839
JD Simkins @jdsimkins.bsky.social · 12/03/2026
This is a hall of fame grift
010
JD Simkins @jdsimkins.bsky.social · 06/02/2026
Marine Corps arty school is literally at Fort Sill
020
Reposted by JD Simkins
Brandon Friedman @brandonfriedman.bsky.social · 29/01/2026
The fact that all these people are civilians is comical.
Kristi Noem dressed like an operator Tom Homan dressed like a militia leader Greg Bovino dressed like a NaziCBP loser dressed like his idea of a SOF operator
911231
JD Simkins @jdsimkins.bsky.social · 29/01/2026
Totally normal handling of a rifle. Not stupid at all
121
JD Simkins @jdsimkins.bsky.social · 25/01/2026
Not now, Alex Honnold
000
Reposted by JD Simkins
Garrett M. Graff @vermontgmg.bsky.social · 24/01/2026
One thing I’m thinking about today is the hollowness of all the “Don’t Tread on Me” extremists, who turn out to be just far-right extremists. Dems should retake the Gadsden flag. Is there a good blue maker of Gadsden flags that doesn’t support far-right causes?
70909142
JD Simkins @jdsimkins.bsky.social · 24/01/2026
"Don’t create more enemies than you take out by some immoral act." Didn't think we'd ever see this quote from Jim Mattis applied to operations in our own country. DHS is spawning an army of pissed off citizens
000
Reposted by JD Simkins
Brian Kerg @briankerg.bsky.social · 24/01/2026
💯. We treated enemy combatants - who may have been very recently trying to violently kill us - with a level of restraint and professionalism that appears to be beyond the imagination of a federal law enforcement organization handling non-violent American citizens.
640197
JD Simkins @jdsimkins.bsky.social · 24/01/2026
Been wild to see how fast everyone went from thumping their chest about Second Amendment rights to OKing the murder of a citizen exercising his Second Amendment rights
010
JD Simkins @jdsimkins.bsky.social · 21/01/2026
The Pentagon is putting out press releases about basic information like it's "Sin City" neo-noir
010
JD Simkins @jdsimkins.bsky.social · 18/01/2026
*Stares into mirror in bathroom "Jonathan Ross. Jonathan Ross. Jonathan ... Ro—"
030
JD Simkins @jdsimkins.bsky.social · 15/01/2026
Hegseth out here wearing the reverse Sandlot
000
JD Simkins @jdsimkins.bsky.social · 15/01/2026
"Which Way Western Man?" is a book by white supremacist William Gayley Simpson. It was published in the 1970s by an imprint affiliated with the neo-Nazi group National Alliance. I'm sure this language is coincidental
000
JD Simkins @jdsimkins.bsky.social · 14/01/2026
The president of Oglala Sioux Tribe in South Dakota on Tuesday called for the immediate release of tribal members who were detained at a homeless encampment by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents in Minnesota last week. apnews.com/article/ice-...
apnews.com
Oglala Sioux Tribe says three tribal members arrested in Minneapolis are in ICE detention
The president of the Oglala Sioux Tribe in South Dakota said three of the four tribal members detained by ICE agents in Minneapolis last week have been transferred to an ICE facility and called for th...
010
JD Simkins @jdsimkins.bsky.social · 10/01/2026
Forget the absurdity of subjecting oneself to that for a second — that X/Twitter has that much dominion over your life that you envision yourself as some righteous crusader in the face of evil (when it's just becoming like other social media platforms that already exist)...
000
JD Simkins @jdsimkins.bsky.social · 10/01/2026
"If I stop showing up at Klan rallies, the Klan wins, so I'm staying."
110
JD Simkins @jdsimkins.bsky.social · 08/01/2026
fucking Captain America...
011
JD Simkins @jdsimkins.bsky.social · 08/01/2026
You're right. Every part of the action was gross.
010
JD Simkins @jdsimkins.bsky.social · 08/01/2026
Getting hit with a snowball and returning fire with a tear gas cannister at point blank range sums this entire organization up
1629
JD Simkins @jdsimkins.bsky.social · 08/01/2026
Remains insane to me that in Iraq — in an active war — when encountering a potential hostile vehicle, we're told to wave/yell, use lights, fire warning shots at tires-engine-windshield last resort. But in Minnesota you just shoot into the driver window of a mom with your partner in the field of fire
319454
JD Simkins @jdsimkins.bsky.social · 26/12/2025
When you have to discuss US strikes on terror networks in Nigeria at 1500 but must shred at 1530
000
JD Simkins @jdsimkins.bsky.social · 24/12/2025
People really watched tape of Josh Johnson playing in Washington in 2018 and said, "Let's run that back in 2025." Would rather watch Josh Harris play QB. Pain
110
JD Simkins @jdsimkins.bsky.social · 23/12/2025
An ode to James Ranson, who, in just seven episodes, churned out one of the most relatable on-screen depictions of life as a junior enlisted Marine www.militarytimes.com/off-duty/mil...
militarytimes.com
Ode to James Ransone’s memorable portrayal of a junior enlisted Marine
In just seven episodes, James Ransone churned out one of the most relatable on-screen depictions of life as a junior enlisted Marine.
455