iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Reposted by Matthew Palmer

Military Unintelligence Expert 🇨🇦 @voltageanddoltage.bsky.social · 27/09/2026

If you ever wonder why modern aircraft are so expensive you should recall that an F-15 and a B-17 aren't too far off dimensionally

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Matthew Palmer @so3brocktree.bsky.social · 26/09/2026

I'm so looking forward to this! Can't wait to see the Eggers take on medieval England.

youtube.com

Werwulf Trailer #2 (2026)

YouTube video by Rotten Tomatoes Trailers

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Reposted by Matthew Palmer

Matthew Palmer @so3brocktree.bsky.social · 26/09/2026

Good long read from the FT on Britain's lack of resiliency. Unfortunately, completely unsurprising to anyone who has worked in the security-related elements of the public sector.

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Matthew Palmer @so3brocktree.bsky.social · 26/09/2026

Good long read from the FT on Britain's lack of resiliency. Unfortunately, completely unsurprising to anyone who has worked in the security-related elements of the public sector.

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Reposted by Matthew Palmer

James Ball @jamesrball.com · 25/09/2026

That's a huge success for the British cultural industry on the world stage. We should maybe even start considering it a major 21st century British export industry, maybe even get a ministry to oversee it?

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Matthew Palmer @so3brocktree.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

Worth a read for anyone interested in space. The wind-down of SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket could cause serious headaches for European space companies, including in the defence space, as there are not many effective alternatives out there at the moment.

ft.com

SpaceX pivots away from space

Starbase, we have a problem

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Matthew Palmer @so3brocktree.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

ft.com

SpaceX pivots away from space

Starbase, we have a problem

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Reposted by Matthew Palmer

Matthew Palmer @so3brocktree.bsky.social · 21/09/2026

I wrote a piece outlining the opportunities and challenges likely to arise as a result of Canada becoming a member of the Joint Expeditionary Force. 🇨🇦 I used to work at the JEF so always interested in the organisation's development.

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Matthew Palmer @so3brocktree.bsky.social · 21/09/2026

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Matthew Palmer @so3brocktree.bsky.social · 17/09/2026

Had been expected for a while but good to hear it made official - Canada has applied to join the Joint Expeditionary Force (JEF). 🇨🇦 Overall a good move but does come with challenges for the organisation.

cbc.ca

Canada wants into Britain's rapid-response defence club | CBC News

Canada has formally applied to join the United Kingdom's Joint Expeditionary Force, reversing a decision made more than a decade ago. Born from the Afghanistan war and reshaped by Russia's invasion of...

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Reposted by Matthew Palmer

Andrew Blair @andrewblair.co.uk · 16/09/2026

The arts industry in the UK: we contribute so much money to the economy but we are dying, please help Lisa Nandy: Village Parish Council: we held a pretend referendum Lisa Nandy: I'm listening

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Matthew Palmer @so3brocktree.bsky.social · 14/09/2026

From both personal experience and that of those still serving, I've written a short overview of the serious vulnerabilities faced by the British Army. It doesn't make for optimistic reading.

crackingdefence.substack.com

The Severe Vulnerabilities of Today’s British Army

Not a pretty picture

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Matthew Palmer @so3brocktree.bsky.social · 14/09/2026

From both personal experience and that of those still serving, I've written a short overview of the serious vulnerabilities faced by the British Army. It doesn't make for optimistic reading.

crackingdefence.substack.com

The Severe Vulnerabilities of Today’s British Army

Not a pretty picture

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Matthew Palmer @so3brocktree.bsky.social · 14/09/2026

Something quite niche that I've kept tabs on for years - the status of Russian forces in Syria. There has been a sizeable drawdown since 2024, but the Russians are still there. It looks like Tartus has been finally handed back to the Syrian government, but Russian military forces can still it.

english.enabbaladi.net

Russian Warships Return to Tartus Port After Handover - Enab Baladi

Russian Navy vessels have returned to Tartus Port on Syria’s Mediterranean coast, in a move that contrasts with an earlier […]

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Reposted by Matthew Palmer

James @gravitysra1nbow.bsky.social · 13/09/2026

It can only good happen. It can only good happen. It can only good happen. It can only good happen. It can only good happen. othermeans.substack.com/p/the-wheels...

othermeans.substack.com

The Wheels Are Coming Off

It Can Only Good Happen

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Stanley Pignal @spignal.bsky.social · 13/09/2026

Anthropic, OpenAI and co have underpinned a major capex spree with macroeconomic repercussions. Are they calling time on it over safety fears? Or is this concealing a business model malfunction? If you fear you've invested into a bubble, creating a cartel is one obvious way to limit your losses.

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Reposted by Matthew Palmer

Matthew Palmer @so3brocktree.bsky.social · 12/09/2026

Never underestimate the Houthis. Also, the fact that an Iraqi militia hit the Saudis is a reminder that Iraq remains contested - the Popular Mobilisation Forces are not going away any time soon.

ft.com

Saudi Arabia shuts East-West pipeline that bypasses Hormuz after attacks

Move is likely to put further momentum behind fast-rising oil prices

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Matthew Palmer @so3brocktree.bsky.social · 12/09/2026

Never underestimate the Houthis. Also, the fact that an Iraqi militia hit the Saudis is a reminder that Iraq remains contested - the Popular Mobilisation Forces are not going away any time soon.

ft.com

Saudi Arabia shuts East-West pipeline that bypasses Hormuz after attacks

Move is likely to put further momentum behind fast-rising oil prices

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Reposted by Matthew Palmer

Kate from Kharkiv @kateinkharkiv.bsky.social · 11/09/2026

I’m simply too exhausted to try to keep myself safe. I need my sleep. Isn't it surreal how even bombings become routine? How an entire generation of kids has grown up for whom explosions are just a normal part of their day? How we all forgotten what a quiet sky feels like?

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Reposted by Matthew Palmer

Josh Gabbatiss @joshgabbatiss.bsky.social · 11/09/2026

NEW INVESTIGATION – this summer saw temperature records smashed around the UK. We asked NHS trusts in England and Wales how many operations they were forced to cancel due to overheating surgical theatres They provided details of 1,110 operations that were called off in the May and June heatwaves

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Reposted by Matthew Palmer

Annalisa Nicholson @apuddleofmuddle.bsky.social · 11/09/2026

It's just weird isn't it when the British Museum is running a sold-out exhibition, when The Odyssey reports $1billion at the box office, when the V&A has just opened the most innovative and accessible museum model in Europe....and this is what our minister for research comes out with.

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Reposted by Matthew Palmer

A Reader of the FT @a-reader-ft.bsky.social · 09/09/2026

Labour’s muddled migration policy won’t stop thuggery—The government has managed to produce a system that neither stems the tide of illegitimate concerns nor addresses legitimate ones. www.ft.com/content/2279... @stephenkb.bsky.social @financialtimes.com

ft.com

Labour’s muddled migration policy won’t stop thuggery

A government that can’t distinguish between ‘legitimate concerns’ and open racism is only making things worse

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Reposted by Matthew Palmer

Dr. Jeevun Sandher MP @jeevunsandher.bsky.social · 10/09/2026

You wouldn't see Elizabeth I dressing up like this at the coast… Together we will meet this moment, divided we absolutely won't.

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Matthew Palmer @so3brocktree.bsky.social · 09/09/2026

'By God, I think the Devil shits Dutchmen!' In the latest of my series on great British military disasters, I look at the 1667 Raid on the Medway. A few lessons for today, not least the stupidity of starting a war in order to improve domestic political standing.

crackingdefence.substack.com

A Black Day for the Royal Navy

Lessons from the Raid on the Medway

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Reposted by Matthew Palmer

Hetan Shah @hetanshah.bsky.social · 09/09/2026

Here are a couple of slightly ‘quieter’ stories about how we are entering a more disordered world. First - the collapse of shipping law as civilian vessels are hit by Russia, Iran and the US, and we see the rise of an ungoverned and uninsured shadow fleet www.ft.com/content/c651...

ft.com

Global shipping rules are collapsing, say maritime nations

Wars and the growth of the shadow fleet are causing a ‘structural shift’ in global trade, according to 18 maritime authorities

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Matthew Palmer @so3brocktree.bsky.social · 09/09/2026

crackingdefence.substack.com

A Black Day for the Royal Navy

Lessons from the Raid on the Medway

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Reposted by Matthew Palmer

Elle Cordova @ellecordova.bsky.social · 08/09/2026

I am the very model of a modern day typographer A font take on the tune “Modern Major General” by Gilbert & Sullivan #typography #fonts #graphicdesign

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Reposted by Matthew Palmer

Helene von Bismarck @helenebismarck.bsky.social · 08/09/2026

I am sorry, I may have said this before, but there really are moments when British politics are astonishingly naive, and I really think this may have something to do with the fact that the British have not experienced occupation, tyranny, displacemen within living memory.

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Reposted by Matthew Palmer

Matthew Palmer @so3brocktree.bsky.social · 07/09/2026

Fuck me, this chart is both depressing and terrifying. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

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Matthew Palmer @so3brocktree.bsky.social · 07/09/2026

Fuck me, this chart is both depressing and terrifying. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

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Reposted by Matthew Palmer

Matthew Palmer @so3brocktree.bsky.social · 06/09/2026

A thorny topic. Should the Russian language be seen as part of a broader Ukrainian identity, or the imposed language of a colonial empire? What role does language play during wartime? Not questions that I have answers to, nor necessarily any right to answer. But questions worth asking.

bbc.com

Majority Russian-speaking city in Ukraine considers language ban in the arts

Ukraine's third-biggest city Odesa decides this week whether to ban Russian-language content in music and literature in public.

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Reposted by Matthew Palmer

Lucy Betteridge-Dyson @lmbd1418.bsky.social · 07/09/2026

Fascinating article on the return of horse power to modern warfare in the latest edition of Soldier magazine. I feel vindicated !

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Matthew Palmer @so3brocktree.bsky.social · 06/09/2026

bbc.com

Majority Russian-speaking city in Ukraine considers language ban in the arts

Ukraine's third-biggest city Odesa decides this week whether to ban Russian-language content in music and literature in public.

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Reposted by Matthew Palmer

Robert Borden Stan Account @bordenstan.bsky.social · 05/09/2026

I take a certain perverse pride in the fact that the Canadian PM who is my PFP gave women the federal vote in the 1917 as part of a massive gerrymandering play to win the election so he could ram conscription through parliament.

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Reposted by Matthew Palmer

Kate from Kharkiv @kateinkharkiv.bsky.social · 05/09/2026

First Person View drones for sport, fun, and target practice. This is unspeakable, monstrous crime against basic humanity, and it continues unpunished, virtually ignored by the world for years.

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Reposted by Matthew Palmer

Matthew Palmer @so3brocktree.bsky.social · 04/09/2026

The recent upsurge in conversation over Ukraine holding elections got me thinking about historical wartime elections, which appears to be relatively under-researched as a topic. As such, here is a potted history of democracy during wartime, with some surprising examples and trends:

crackingdefence.substack.com

Holding Elections During Wartime

A potted history of democracy and war

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Reposted by Matthew Palmer

Euromaidan Press @euromaidanpress.bsky.social · 04/09/2026

Ukraine reportedly ordered its forces to observe a temporary ceasefire from 5–8 September as Trump envoys Witkoff and Kushner visit Moscow and Kyiv. But just as the pause was due to begin, an air raid alert sounded in Kyiv, with Russian drones reported nearby. euromaidanpress.com/2026/09/05/u...

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Margo Gontar @margogontar.bsky.social · 04/09/2026

Childhood , when Russia is your neighbour . Kyiv , September 1 , 2026

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Matthew Palmer @so3brocktree.bsky.social · 04/09/2026

Not good. The SBU HQ is right slap-bang in the middle of Kyiv, a stone's throw from St Sophia. I’ve also been a few times to the bakery opposite that was damaged - a really nice place, now full of shards of glass from broken windows.

kyivindependent.com

Breaking: Russian drone strikes SBU headquarters in central Kyiv, injuring at least 12

An air raid alert was activated in Kyiv at around 3 p.m. local time, followed by explosions in the city center about half an hour later.

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Matthew Palmer @so3brocktree.bsky.social · 04/09/2026

kyivindependent.com

Breaking: Russian drone strikes SBU headquarters in central Kyiv, injuring at least 12

An air raid alert was activated in Kyiv at around 3 p.m. local time, followed by explosions in the city center about half an hour later.

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Matthew Palmer @so3brocktree.bsky.social · 04/09/2026

'In practical terms this means maintaining some faith in the process of diplomacy ... In the face of apparent failure, an intractable problem or the intransigence of your interlocutors, the challenge is not to walk away.' Thoughtful piece from the Omani Foreign Minister.

ft.com

Oman FM: In an age of impunity, diplomats are more important than ever

There is a tendency on the part of some world leaders to decide that they can do it themselves

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