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SOFREP: Military Culture, Foreign Policy & Defense News

Evening Brief: Cartel Shockwaves, South China Sea Pressure, and America’s Submarine Strain

Cartel aftershocks in Mexico, gray-zone pressure in the South China Sea, and submarines stuck in American shipyards all point to the same quiet truth, instability grows fastest where deterrence slips and nobody moves quickly enough to stop it.

By Guy D. McCardle
Evening Brief: Cartel Shockwaves, South China Sea Pressure, and America’s Submarine Strain Mexican soldiers stand guard on a city street as security forces maintain a visible presence amid ongoing cartel-related tensions across the country. Image credit Reuters.

The Bolduc Brief: The U.S. Constitutional Crisis: An Examination of Elites, Accountability, and the Rule of Law

As the Epstein files unfold and executive power continues to stretch its limits, the real test is whether America’s institutions will enforce the rule of law evenly, or prove that some elites still operate beyond its reach.

By Donald Bolduc
The Bolduc Brief: The U.S. Constitutional Crisis: An Examination of Elites, Accountability, and the Rule of Law Brigadier General (Ret.) Donald C. Bolduc, U.S. Army Special Forces veteran and former commander of U.S. Army Special Operations Command. (U.S. Army)
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Sergeant Major (Ret.) Mike Vining: The Quincy, Illinois Terrorist Bombings, 1976

We drove up to Quincy together to support a campaign stop and left as three men instead of four, after a device that should have gone off the night before waited for Ken Foster the next morning.

By Mike Vining
Sergeant Major (Ret.) Mike Vining: The Quincy, Illinois Terrorist Bombings, 1976 SGM Kenneth Ray Foster, an Army EOD technician, lost his life in Quincy, Illinois, on 28 September 1976 while moving toward a device he believed he still had time to defeat. Image Credit to the author.

Medal of Honor Monday: Gary Gordon, Delta Force Sniper, Mogadishu, Somalia

When the second Black Hawk went down and the city closed in, Gary Gordon did not hesitate, he asked to be put on the ground, knowing exactly what it might cost and choosing it anyway.

By Guy D. McCardle
Medal of Honor Monday: Gary Gordon, Delta Force Sniper, Mogadishu, Somalia Master Sgt. Gary Gordon, years before Mogadishu, long before he asked to be put on the ground where the fight was closing in. Image Credit: US Army

Morning Brief: Iran Protests, Ukraine Energy Strikes, and Cartel Violence Escalate

Iran student protests resume as Tehran faces domestic unrest, U.S. military signaling intensifies, Russia targets Ukraine’s energy grid, and cartel violence in Mexico prompts shelter advisories for Americans.

By Benjamin Reed
Morning Brief: Iran Protests, Ukraine Energy Strikes, and Cartel Violence Escalate Pedestrians cross Enqelab-e-Eslami (Islamic Revolution) Square in Tehran beneath a large mural showing a damaged U.S. aircraft carrier and the bilingual warning, “If you sow the wind, you’ll reap the whirlwind,” Feb. 22, 2026. Vahid Salemi/AP

Evening Brief: USS Delaware MedEvac Off Greenland, Mar-a-Lago Shooting, DHS PreCheck Reversal, Hospital Ship Rejected

A U.S. submarine surfaced off Greenland for an emergency medical evacuation, an armed man was shot after breaching Mar-a-Lago’s perimeter, DHS reversed a TSA PreCheck suspension during the shutdown, and Greenland declined President Trump’s offer of a U.S. hospital ship.

By Galen Fries
Evening Brief: USS Delaware MedEvac Off Greenland, Mar-a-Lago Shooting, DHS PreCheck Reversal, Hospital Ship Rejected Okay, I drew the sailor and AI drew the rest. All joking aside, I appreciate Greenland’s assistance and wish the best for our service member. Get well soon.
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