Some weeks we chase the news, others it is inescapable. 

This week, President Donald J. Trump made history by becoming the first president in U.S. history to be impeached twice. The House impeachment, led by Democrats and signed by 10 Republicans, came as the FBI drilled deeper into the breach of the U.S. Capitol building and the National Guard descended on the nation’s Capitol in an effort to step up security in the days before President-elect Joseph Biden’s inauguration. 

As House Democrats decried the president’s actions leading up to the breach, the Joint Chiefs of Staff released a statement to the forces, reminding all servicemembers of their obligation to their oath to defend the Constitution of the United States. The statement sought to assuage concerns that the National Guard might get distracted by the highly politicized climate.

While the country watched the political theatrics in DC, Big Tech was busy blackballing the president. Twitter, which had already suspended and banned POTUS from its platform, took huge losses in the markets as disgruntled users jumped ship and others were injudiciously suspended or saw their following drop by thousands.

The upheaval in Washington has spurred many to call for a new approach to our politics, including Army General (Ret.) Donald Bolduc. Don’t miss his exclusive OpEd on the matter.

As Trump and his allies suffered political body blows, President-elect Biden continued tapping his cabinet and top officials. Many were surprised when he announced that he had selected veteran diplomat Bill Burns as CIA director. The move is sure to bring sweeping changes to the nation’s top intelligence apparatus. 

The Veterans Administration set about vaccinating veterans at high-risk nursing homes as the coronavirus pandemic continues to ravage the nation. The American death count is now approaching 400,000. 

OCONUS, the U.S. continued its pressure campaign against al-Shabaab in Somalia with a series of drone strikes, signaling how critical this phase of the war on the extremism, which is sweeping across Africa, is for U.S. interests. In nearby Mali, French and Malian troops suffered more casualties as their joint task force struggles to contain the growing threat in the country. 

Israel continued to pound Iranian training camps and bases in Syria while also trying to limit civilian losses through targeted psyop campaigns and leaflet drops. Meanwhile, an American nuclear submarine, the USS Georgia, rattled the Iranian Navy when it suddenly surfaced and then disappeared in the midst of an Iranian naval training operation.

SOFREP Radio was gracious enough to host yours truly this week. Tune in to hear a bit about how I came to SOFREP, my service, and our plans for the future of the publication. In Gear, Travis Pike looked at marksmanship training accessories and one badass tactical pen. 

What’s in store for next week? None of us knows. But, as always, we’ll be here to bring you the stories you won’t find anywhere else with insights and analysis from people who have actually been there. 

In the meantime,

Stay frosty

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