A Deeply Fractured US

[HavokFour]

The shooting in question was the first to happen after the Renee Good incident, about a week after.

DOJ drops charges against two men accused of attacking federal agent in ICE shooting • Minnesota Reformer

The U.S. Department of Justice, citing evidence inconsistent with its earlier allegations, dropped felony charges against two men accused of assaulting a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent before the agent shot one of the men in the leg. U.S. Attorney Daniel Rosen wrote in a brief...

minnesotareformer.com

ICE says 2 of its officers may have lied under oath about shooting migrant in Minnesota

The acting head of ICE says two officers appear to have made "untruthful statements" about shooting a migrant in Minnesota and may face federal charges.

abcnews.com

 

[PrairieFella]

From another thread:



This situation worries me. You have an aggressive, armed, most likely very partisan but poorly screened and trained paramilitary goon squad larger than the USMC not getting their bonus until after the 2026 congressional and 2028 presidential elections. If the Republicans lose those elections, there’s a better than even chance that these guys will not get their bonus and will be out of the best job they ever had. These “agents” will be very motivated to play a role in ensuring that the elections result in only one way, and the president has made no bones putting his hand on the scale. Don’t be surprised if we see the Praetorian Guard play a role in the upcoming elections.

Thats probably the point.

 

[ytz]

Department of War directing military personnel not to attend America's most prestigious universities was not on my 2026 list.

https://twitter.com/x/status/2022376410019487754

This is not a small matter. We just started sending a Canadian to join Space Force JPME at Johns Hopkins last year. Second one is there now.

https://sais.jhu.edu/admissions/mas...schriever-west-space-scholars-program-ile-sle

Guess this is out now.


“The society that separates its scholars from its warriors will have its thinking done by cowards and its fighting by fools.” - Sir William Francis Butler

 

[ytz]

I can hear the laughter from the PLA's HQ from here.....

 

[PrairieFella]

Department of War directing military personnel not to attend America's most prestigious universities was not on my 2026 list.

https://twitter.com/x/status/2022376410019487754

This is not a small matter. We just started sending a Canadian to join Space Force JPME at Johns Hopkins last year. Second one is there now.

https://sais.jhu.edu/admissions/mas...schriever-west-space-scholars-program-ile-sle

Guess this is out now.


“The society that separates its scholars from its warriors will have its thinking done by cowards and its fighting by fools.” - Sir William Francis Butler

An out-there question but on the technological side of the house does this give our institutions the wiggle room to try and poach professors and students, especially your wheelhouse in space-related fields? If the Americans are going to retreat from the cutting edge of educational attainment, can we try to claim it? We have some establishedcompanies like Telesat and MDA and some new players like Nordspace doing some really interesting things.

 

[GR66]

Department of War directing military personnel not to attend America's most prestigious universities was not on my 2026 list.

https://twitter.com/x/status/2022376410019487754

This is not a small matter. We just started sending a Canadian to join Space Force JPME at Johns Hopkins last year. Second one is there now.

https://sais.jhu.edu/admissions/mas...schriever-west-space-scholars-program-ile-sle

Guess this is out now.


“The society that separates its scholars from its warriors will have its thinking done by cowards and its fighting by fools.” - Sir William Francis Butler

I don't think it would affect the JPME program. If you read the email in the X post it is specifically from the JAG Recruiting Office about candidates for the FLEP/UFLEP (Funded/Unfunded Legal Education Programs).

I guess the US JAG doesn't want law students going to law schools that might question the legality of some of the recent actions of the US Administration.

I don't see this affecting any other US military educational programs.

 

[ytz]

I don't think it would affect the JPME program. If you read the email in the X post it is specifically from the JAG Recruiting Office about candidates for the FLEP/UFLEP (Funded/Unfunded Legal Education Programs).

I guess the US JAG doesn't want law students going to law schools that might question the legality of some of the recent actions of the US Administration.

I don't see this affecting any other US military educational programs.

I have real doubts. Let's see if that program survives. Hegseth bros were complaining about War Colleges teaching about climate change. Gee I wonder why a navy might want to think about how sea level rise could impact operations. When they see MIT as woke, you know where this is going .....

It's very easy for them to decide that programs like JPME should stop being strict academic programs and simply become box ticking online courses.....like so much of our DLN courses. That is not going to make the US military stronger. Anybody who has had even cursory interactions with American senior officers and GOFOs will tell you that for the most part their intellectual depth is notable. That's a strength. And it's the difference between an army and an organized mob that you see in authoritarian countries.

 

[brihard]

Department of War directing military personnel not to attend America's most prestigious universities was not on my 2026 list.

https://twitter.com/x/status/2022376410019487754

This is not a small matter. We just started sending a Canadian to join Space Force JPME at Johns Hopkins last year. Second one is there now.

https://sais.jhu.edu/admissions/mas...schriever-west-space-scholars-program-ile-sle

Guess this is out now.


“The society that separates its scholars from its warriors will have its thinking done by cowards and its fighting by fools.” - Sir William Francis Butler

Diana bit of googling of acronyms. The email shown in the screenshots seems to just be talking about US army funded law school, which is a small number of people. Does this ‘blacklist’ go broader than just funded legal education?

I mean, still super dumb, but scope matters.

EDIT TO ADD: And that’s what I get for not clicking ‘show recent posts’ when bashing out a delayed reply.

 

[GR66]

I have real doubts. Let's see if that program survives. Hegseth bros were complaining about War Colleges teaching about climate change. Gee I wonder why a navy might want to think about how sea level rise could impact operations. When they see MIT as woke, you know where this is going .....

It's very easy for them to decide that programs like JPME should stop being strict academic programs and simply become box ticking online courses.....like so much of our DLN courses. That is not going to make the US military stronger. Anybody who has had even cursory interactions with American senior officers and GOFOs will tell you that for the most part their intellectual depth is notable. That's a strength. And it's the difference between an army and an organized mob that you see in authoritarian countries.

I'm not suggesting that this type of stupidity might not expand in the USA of 2026 but just noting that your comment "Guess this is out now" regarding JPME at Johns Hopkins based on the posted email does not seem accurate.

 

[ytz]

An out-there question but on the technological side of the house does this give our institutions the wiggle room to try and poach professors and students, especially your wheelhouse in space-related fields? If the Americans are going to retreat from the cutting edge of educational attainment, can we try to claim it? We have some establishedcompanies like Telesat and MDA and some new players like Nordspace doing some really interesting things.

Takes money and intentionality and a deliberate strategy. Some of this is coming. But it would take a lot more. And this is actually part of the idea of developing a sovereign strategy. There's even talk where Five Eyes just becomes the non-US Four Eyes working together more (basically CANZUK) and the Americans plug and play where they want. As opposed to Five Eyes being US centric like today. But again, something that has evolved to where it is today over decades can't be undone in years.

 

[ytz]

Diana bit of googling of acronyms. The email shown in the screenshots seems to just be talking about US army funded law school, which is a small number of people. Does this ‘blacklist’ go broader than just funded legal education?

I mean, still super dumb, but scope matters.

EDIT TO ADD: And that’s what I get for not clicking ‘show recent posts’ when bashing out a delayed reply.

I'm not suggesting that this type of stupidity might not expand in the USA of 2026 but just noting that your comment "Guess this is out now" regarding JPME at Johns Hopkins based on the posted email does not seem accurate.

The email is a blacklist of schools across a broad set of programs under the umbrella of funded education. Their JAG Corps is sending out instructions to legal aspirants citing the broader restrictions here.

 

[brihard]

The email is a blacklist of schools across a broad set of programs under the umbrella of funded education. Their JAG Corps is sending out instructions to legal aspirants citing the broader restrictions here.

Got it. So would this same list be blacklisting schools for other graduate studies too? No more Space Force or Air Force going to MIT, no more officers doing a masters in International Relations at Harvard? No military doctors doing advanced studies at Johns Hopkins?

 

[ytz]

Got it. So would this same list be blacklisting schools for other graduate studies too? No more Space Force or Air Force going to MIT, no more officers doing a masters in International Relations at Harvard? No military doctors doing advanced studies at Johns Hopkins?

I would expect so. Those are all funded education programs. Let's see how they refine guidance going forward. But you can see the reaction from most military online. Should be noted too that a lot of these schools do give preference to military and veterans.

When I went to NPS, my USN classmates told me they were given exactly two options for anybody that did Mechanical Engineering as a funded postgrad: NPS or MIT. The US military has a long tradition of ensuring that its officers are well educated. Guess that will be ending....

 

[brihard]

I would expect so. Those are all funded education programs. Let's see how they refine guidance going forward. But you can see the reaction from most military online. Should be noted too that a lot of these schools do give preference to military and veterans.

When I went to NPS, my USN classmates told me they were given exactly two options for anybody that did Mechanical Engineering as a funded postgrad: NPS or MIT. The US military has a long tradition of ensuring that its officers are well educated. Guess that will be ending....

Sorry, my education is all in basket weaving. Google Fu tells me NPS is Naval Postgraduate School? If you don’t mind me asking what did you take?

I’m out of CAF now but both respectful and envious of the funded education options. I’m doing my master’s now and there’s a CAF officer whose job for two years is to complete the same program. I’d do shameful things for an opportunity like that, instead of booking it from work to class once a week and juggling a toddler during readings in the evening.

 

[ytz]

If you don’t mind me asking what did you take?

Two engineering masters (Mech Eng and Astro). And three post grad certificates there. Was a sponsored PG for the first Masters. The Americans were kind enough to help me do more.

And my kid was born down there just months after I go there. So we were juggling a kid in the evenings too. I literally took her in on a stroller while dressed in 3Bs for a midterm.

The quality of education and the instructors I had at NPS were unmatched. I couldn't see any school in Canada offering that kind of experience. Missile aerodynamics was taught by an 80+ yr old prof that was an aerodynamicist on the Apollo program. Imagine having this guy as an instructor. Zero computer component in that class. Final exam was two parallel lines with an arrow in the middle. "Derive the full Bernoulli."

Will add too. That the school allowed a lot of exposure to military topics to prepare direct application. One of my remote sensing homework assignments was: Use STK to model this hostile nation ISR constellation and then figure out how to manoeuvre this Carrier Strike Group from A to B without being detected. Several of my space classmates were Marines going to be posted as Space Operations Advisors in the 3 shop of a Marine Division after graduation so this kind of stuff was highly relevant.

And of top of all that, got to do stuff like a climate change and cleantech certificate with scientists from NREL as instructors. Half the guys doing theses in that program did it on cleantech motivated by their experience in Afghanistan and Iraq knowing how many casualties happened due to fuel logistic. Must be the woke stuff that the administration doesn't like.

 

[brihard]

Ok yeah, looks like this is probably going to be more broadly applicable. What a self-defeating move by DoD.

https://www.cnn.com/2026/02/13/politics/us-military-top-universities-tuition-assistance

 

[FJAG]

I don't think it would affect the JPME program. If you read the email in the X post it is specifically from the JAG Recruiting Office about candidates for the FLEP/UFLEP (Funded/Unfunded Legal Education Programs).

I guess the US JAG doesn't want law students going to law schools that might question the legality of some of the recent actions of the US Administration.

I don't see this affecting any other US military educational programs.

The email is within JAG but refers to a Dept of War direction. Interestingly I read the caution going to the UFLEP program people as "friendly advice" warning them of the poisoned atmosphere and the possibility that their self funded schooling may not be recognized by DOD down the road.

I think the OJAG is as aghast at this as anyone (except maybe the MAGA/Trumpists that exist in all organizations down there)

 

[Brad Sallows]

Gee I wonder why a navy might want to think about how sea level rise could impact operations.

2 to 3 millimetres per year? Yeah, that seriously requires inclusion in every estimate.

I can guess the US is thumbs-downing elite law schools for military prospects because of the ideological capture to which they have been subjected.

[Add: More here and here about the scope and breadth.]

 

[ytz]

2 to 3 millimetres per year?

Cause global averages are 1:1 applicable to local conditions everywhere right? Surely, it might not act as threat accelerant to national security concerns like climate refugee migration, disaster impact on critical infrastructure or resource competition right? No reason to have senior officers are GOFOs educated on that right?

You're proving the point.

 

[Brad Sallows]

Cause global averages are 1:1 applicable to local conditions everywhere right?

You're proving the point.

Cause global mins and maxes are not really that widely distributed around that value. Millimeters are chickenfeed. You're chasing a ridiculous piece of evidence. The obvious weakness of the policy is that it constrains US military professional education, which arguably improves recruitment and performance while serving. Focus on that, maybe?

Meanwhile, it's a good thing Canada has such a laser-like focus on serious post-grad PME for its officers.