iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Reposted by Mark Hertling

"I have questions. Lots of questions. Before committing people and resources to a plan, military leaders often ask: what, who, when, where, how, and why?" ICYMI, @markhertling.bsky.social asks those questions about Hegseth's "State of the Force" speech:

lnk.thebulwark.com

Pete Hegseth Made Six Big Announcements. I Have Lots of Questions.

Like: Who? And: Why? Among others.

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Mark Hertling @markhertling.bsky.social · 05/10/2026

You obviously don’t scroll my social media, as I post quite a few articles, YouTube postings and other comments. What I don’t do is post snarky comments.

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Mark Hertling @markhertling.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

It can be different than other services if the sailor is embarked on a ship. But this sailor had been transfered ashore.

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Mark Hertling @markhertling.bsky.social · 26/09/2026

If you get a bookstore to sponsor, I’ll be there.

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Mark Hertling @markhertling.bsky.social · 26/09/2026

I would love to do something in the Ft Hood area. Perhaps you could ask AUSA if they would sponsor, or a local bookstore to do a signing. I’ll be there during Thanksgiving week if you want to try to set it up.

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Mark Hertling @markhertling.bsky.social · 26/09/2026

If you’re in Chicago, come join us at Barbara's Bookstore. Looking forward to meeting you and introducing you to our niece, who will moderate!

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Mark Hertling @markhertling.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

What a unique opportunity to be with these three military veteran physicians talking about how leaders deal with crisis. At the 2026 Women in Medicine conference.

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Reposted by Mark Hertling

The Bulwark @thebulwark.com · 25/09/2026

"In theory, the idea of adding a written test or wargaming exercise to the promotion process for senior officers isn’t preposterous." Unfortunately, this isn't theoretical. @markhertling.bsky.social on Hegseth's new top officer test:

lnk.thebulwark.com

The Pentagon Has a New Test for Top Officers. It’s Not Clear Why.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s rationale was less than convincing.

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Reposted by Mark Hertling

The Bulwark @thebulwark.com · 23/09/2026

Whatever the reasons for the president’s change of mind, there remains a fundamental question: Why does Saudi Arabia need us to fight the Houthis in the first place? NEW from @markhertling.bsky.social:

lnk.thebulwark.com

Why Saudi Arabia’s Houthi Problem Is Our Problem, Too

The Yemeni extremist group is adaptable, aggressive, and more united than its opposition.

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Mark Hertling @markhertling.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

If I Don’t Return is definitely NOT out of print. The publisher is Ballast Books and you can order directly from them using my web site or theirs.

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Mark Hertling @markhertling.bsky.social · 21/09/2026

This week, I'll be doing 3 book signings in Chicago: -Thursday, 24 Sept w/ the "GI Partners of Illinois'" at the Chicago Union League Club -Friday, 25 Sept at the @WimedicineOrg conference at the Drake Hotel, -Saturday, 26 Sept at Barbara's Bookstore on State Street. Come join us!

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Mark Hertling @markhertling.bsky.social · 19/09/2026

It’s not so. That rumor started weeks ago, and it isn’t true.

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Reposted by Mark Hertling

The Bulwark @thebulwark.com · 17/09/2026

"Congress can appropriate money relatively quickly for today’s fight. It cannot appropriate military capability for tomorrow’s." @markhertling.bsky.social on the true costs of the Iran war:

lnk.thebulwark.com

The True Costs of the Iran War

The numbers don’t tell the whole story.

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Mark Hertling @markhertling.bsky.social · 17/09/2026

The long term cost of the war in Iran, beyond the CBOs report. My latest in @thebulwark.com www.thebulwark.com/p/the-true-c...

thebulwark.com

The True Costs of the Iran War

The numbers don’t tell the whole story.

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Mark Hertling @markhertling.bsky.social · 17/09/2026

It’s National Women in Medicine Day, and I’m thankful for all women who serve as healthcare professionals! Selfless servant leaders.

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Mark Hertling @markhertling.bsky.social · 16/09/2026

Thanks for restating just a few of the things in the article.

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Reposted by Mark Hertling

The Bulwark @thebulwark.com · 16/09/2026

The important question is no longer whether the United States has the military capability to destroy. It is whether those tactical actions are moving the United States toward a defined political objective. NEW from @markhertling.bsky.social:

lnk.thebulwark.com

The Iran War Is Moving Too Fast for Washington to Keep Up

America’s friends, partners, and enemies are making decisions now without waiting for the Trump administration to respond.

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Mark Hertling @markhertling.bsky.social · 16/09/2026

I was on Monday and will be on today.

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Mark Hertling @markhertling.bsky.social · 12/09/2026

I've often said, "I'm not really a podcast listener." But that changed when I learned about @artofmanliness.bsky.social with @brettmckay.bsky.social. Podcast #1,132: “If I Don’t Return: A Father’s Wartime Journal” content.production.cdn.art19.com/validation=1...

content.production.cdn.art19.com

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Reposted by Mark Hertling

The Bulwark @thebulwark.com · 12/09/2026

"You're seeing a multifaceted approach that Iran is using to disrupt the world's economy based on oil." @markhertling.bsky.social breaks down Iran's coordinated squeeze on energy infrastructure across the Arabian Peninsula.

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Mark Hertling @markhertling.bsky.social · 12/09/2026

Shana Tova, the best to all my Jewish friends on this Rosh Hashanah!

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Reposted by Mark Hertling

Charlie Massey @charliecoffee.bsky.social · 11/09/2026

Probably the best thing on 9/11 that I've read today.

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Reposted by Mark Hertling

Adam Keiper @adamkeiper.com · 11/09/2026

A powerful read from our @markhertling.bsky.social: "Twenty-five years later, I know things that I could not possibly have known as I turned on the television just in time to see the second plane hit. This is the letter I would send to myself if I could, warning about what was to come."

thebulwark.com

A Letter to Myself on 9/11

No man—and no country—can live life in reverse.

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Reposted by Mark Hertling

mabengry.bsky.social @mabengry.bsky.social · 11/09/2026

If you read nothing else today, read this. Thank you for your service, Lt. Gen. Hertling @markhertling.bsky.social

thebulwark.com

A Letter to Myself on 9/11

No man—and no country—can live life in reverse.

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Mark Hertling @markhertling.bsky.social · 11/09/2026

Excited to be called up from the minors to join the veterans at the @thebulwark.com Atlanta event. Come join us!

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Reposted by Mark Hertling

The Bulwark @thebulwark.com · 08/09/2026

"You’ve learned in war college classrooms that military power is only one element of national power. You’re about to see that proven in real life." @markhertling.bsky.social on some of the many lessons of 9/11:

lnk.thebulwark.com

A Letter to Myself on 9/11

No man—and no country—can live life in reverse.

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Mark Hertling @markhertling.bsky.social · 08/09/2026

The @thebulwark.com editors asked me to do a “letter to myself” imagining I could go back to 9/11 to tell myself what I would experience over the next 25 years. www.thebulwark.com/p/a-letter-t...

thebulwark.com

A Letter to Myself on 9/11

No man—and no country—can live life in reverse.

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Mark Hertling @markhertling.bsky.social · 06/09/2026

I’ll be at the USF campus in Tampa on Wednesday doing a fireside chat and book signing. Come join us if you can.

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Reposted by Mark Hertling

The Bulwark @thebulwark.com · 02/09/2026

Lt. Gen. @markhertling.bsky.social on Howard Lutnick’s claim that there haven’t been any American deaths in the Iran War: “You might want to stay in your lane because there have been deaths, and this is not going to resonate well with those who are fighting this conflict.”

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Mark Hertling @markhertling.bsky.social · 01/09/2026

No. I admire Sec Kendall, but I don’t agree with this article.

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Reposted by Mark Hertling

The Bulwark @thebulwark.com · 01/09/2026

"The Book exists to identify risks before they become vulnerabilities—and the secretary’s job is not merely to read those warnings, but to act on them." @markhertling.bsky.social on leaks, risk, and a secretary of defense who might not be considering it:

lnk.thebulwark.com

The Leaks from Hegseth’s ‘Book’ Are a Warning

After six months of war, our national security is at risk.

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Mark Hertling @markhertling.bsky.social · 31/08/2026

Thank you. And it’s always nice to compliment someone’s tie!

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Reposted by Mark Hertling

Adam Keiper @adamkeiper.com · 28/08/2026

For years, the West asked what weapons it could afford to give Ukraine. Increasingly, Europe is asking what Ukraine can teach the West. The U.K.'s new missile-and-AI partnership shows how profoundly that relationship has changed. www.thebulwark.com/p/inside-ukr...

thebulwark.com

Inside Ukraine’s Breakthrough Missile Deal

The new defense cooperation agreement with the U.K. is less about the war now than about European security for the next generation.

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Reposted by Mark Hertling

The Bulwark @thebulwark.com · 29/08/2026

"For generations, Americans in uniform have carried Stars and Stripes wherever they were deployed. They trusted it because the journalists who produced it were free and willing to tell them things the Pentagon would rather they not hear." Keep it that way.

lnk.thebulwark.com

The Pentagon’s Uniquely Positioned Newspaper—and Why It Should Stay That Way

If ‘Stars and Stripes’ can’t report bad news, troops will look elsewhere.

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