Happy Friday! Every time I walk into my local Starbucks, a barista I know asks me if World War III has started. It’s a reasonable question considering Ukraine claims Russia fired a non-nuclear intercontinental ballistic missile on Thursday at the Ukrainian city of Dnipro. Deputy Pentagon Press Secretary Sabrina Singh told reporters on Thursday that Russia had fired an “experimental intermediate-range ballistic missile” based on Russia’s RS-26 Rubezh ICBM, and Russian authorities notified the United States briefly before the launch through nuclear risk reduction channels.
Singh also said this is the first time the United States has seen this missile used on the battlefield, and that U.S. officials recently briefed Ukraine about the possibility that it could be used.
The latest Russian attack comes after the United States allowed Ukraine to use its Army Tactical Missile System, or ATACMS, to strike targets inside Russia — although under what conditions remains unclear — and the U.S. government has agreed to provide the Ukrainians with antipersonnel landmines.
Things haven’t been this tense since 1983, when the United States and Soviet Union nearly stumbled into nuclear war, first in September and again in November. The recent talk about the possibility of World War III has prompted me to ask Pentagon Rundown readers: Which is the most depressing nuclear war movie of all time – “The Day After” or “Threads”? Send your votes to schogol@taskandpurpose.com and increase the peace!
But enough about the potential for Armageddon. Here’s your weekly rundown.
- “We need you.” CNN rising star and Task & Purpose alumna Haley Britzky pressed Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin this week about comments made by Pete Hegseth, President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee for defense secretary, that women do not belong in combat roles. Austin responded that the “very courageous and very proficient” women he has led in combat are examples of the incredible things that women in the military do. “I think our women add significant value to the United States military and we should never change that,” Austin said in Laos on Wednesday. “And if I had a message, to answer your question, to our women, I would tell them that, you know, we need you, we have faith in you, we are appreciative of your service, and you add value to the finest and most lethal fighting force on Earth.”
- Speaking of voluntary service. The Marine Corps is out with its newest moto recruiting commercial as part of its “Made for This” campaign, which features the tag, “You don’t join the Marines, you become one.” Task & Purpose asked a panel of teenagers who are in the Corps’ target demographic what they thought of the commercial. While they sensed there are less glamorous aspects of Marine life that the commercial didn’t show — such as “sitting around doing nothing” — they also picked up on many of the recruiting ad’s themes. “It definitely showed the variety of what you can do,” said Colin, a high school junior. “There were, like, guys jumping out of helicopters and then it clipped to a guy running through a snowstorm. And then spinning a weapon around. I don’t know, just a bad ass on the move all the time.”
- Saying the quiet part out loud. Navy Adm. Samuel Paparo, head of U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, acknowledged on Tuesday that the U.S. military’s stockpile of artillery shells and other munitions is dwindling due to the amount of aid being provided to Ukraine and Israel. The Army expects to ramp up production of 155mm artillery shells to 100,000 per month by the end of 2025 — more than three years after the Ukraine war started. One limiting factor has been that the United States has had to import TNT, a major component of artillery shells. Although the Army recently awarded a contract to build a TNT factory in Graham, Kentucky, it is not expected to be completed until 2028.
- Using the military to deport illegal immigrants. This week’s news has moved so quickly that it would be easy to forget that Trump confirmed on Monday that he plans to use U.S. troops as part of his efforts to deport illegal immigrants. The law he will likely use to do so is the Insurrection Act, which gives presidents, “almost unrestricted latitude for the domestic use of the United States military for law enforcement purposes,” said Kori Schake, head of the defense policy team at the American Enterprise Institute think tank in Washington, D.C. While Trump may be challenged in courts, U.S. troops are not allowed to disobey orders because they disagree with them.
- Small Wars Journal reboot. The Small Wars Journal, a blog that was initially launched in 2005 and focuses on unconventional or irregular warfare, insurgency, and guerilla warfare, is being relaunched under the Future Security Initiative at Arizona State University, said John P. Sullivan, an associate editor with the publication. The original site was founded by retired Marine Maj. Dave Dilegge, who died in May 2020. “The new Small Wars Journal (SWJ), or SWJ 2.0. under the leadership of ASU’s Future Security Initiative (FSI) and in collaboration with ASU Media Enterprises publishes serious, authentic voices from across the spectrum of small wars stakeholders,” Sullivan told Task & Purpose.
And on a personal note: The Pentagon Rundown will be off next week for the Thanksgiving holiday. On behalf of everyone at Task & Purpose, I wish you and your families all the best!