USC senior fellow @ center for comms leadership & policy.. More than two decades on CNN national security beat. Find me on Substack @barbarastarrreports
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Articles by Barbara Starr
Is America ready for troops bleeding out and a 30 pct killed in action rate?
Are Americans ready for killed in action rates to reach 30 percent in future combat operations? Well buckle up. New research published by a small group of elite combat surgeons and battlefield experts is warning that is exactly what may lie ahead. So as Donald Trump and Pete Hegseth still talk about potential ground combat in Iran they may want to read a new article in the respected Military Review entitled “When The Golden Hour Goes Away.” Let me tell you about just one of the six authors.
Does Hegseth think he is just a younger version of Trump?
Today will be the day that frankly Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has lost and American freedom has won. There is just no other way to look at it. A federal judge’s ruling restoring access to the Pentagon for the reporters of the New York Times might still get appealed. But for today, history will record that the Times reporting team now is having not only their press credentials restored but also their work space.
It’s 2026 Mr. President. Time for actual modern warfare in Iran
When it comes to Iran, is the US military fighting “the last war” of the Afghanistan-Iraq era rather than the advanced 21st century war it should be fighting to achieve long term objectives of Iran without a nuclear weapon? There are new weapons and new capabilities being fielded of course. Heavier bombs that go deeper underground, counter drone systems, and advanced cyber. But rating the success of this war largely appears to still be the same old story.
So how do bombing campaigns work?
Are you a senior military commander who just got orders to plan and carry out a massive combat operation against another nation? So what do you do? I am no expert but like many defense journalists, I have covered bombing and ground combat ops for decades and frankly they all pretty much work the same way when you look under the hood. Early days are full of heady talk of success which quickly settles into a frankly horrible grind.
In wartime Americans look to Trump for statesmanship
For now at least many Americans appear skeptical of President Trump’s multiple explanations of why the country has gone to war against Iran. Nobody wants to turn a blind eye to Iran’s efforts to gain a nuclear weapon and most agree the regime has lied about its efforts for years. But, didn’t the White House and Pentagon tell us the June bombing campaign “obliterated” it? Even when it was clear that had not happened.
You gotta know your Bob Dylan lyrics
Pete Hegseth is “having a week.” Lots of stuff is happening at the Defense Department. I leave it to you all to decide what you think, but it’s wackier by the day. AND it’s only Thursday, Today a federal judge at least for now shut down Pete Hegseth’s efforts to discipline, actually prosecute I should say, Senator Mark Kelley, a retired decorated Navy pilot for his video reminding troops they should not follow illegal orders.
When our American flag weeps
It is said the image of the American Stars and Stripes flag weeping represents grief especially in wartime with loss of fallen soldiers. This past week with the shooting of American citizens on American streets it seems to me there is no more apt image. Our flag is indeed weeping. We are thankfully seeing perhaps though glimmers of hope.
Would US strikes against Iran do anything useful?
Sometime in the coming hours the world may learn if the Iranian regime carries out its’ threat to hang protestors. As the regime crackdown continues no one is sure how many have been killed and imprisoned. And no one knows what may come next. For his part President Trump is messaging that help is ‘on the way’ for the protestors and the US is prepared to take action against the regime.
Venezuela is a tactical success in search of a strategy
Amid the global headlines about the US mission to capture Nicolas Maduro, the now deposed president of Venezuela, let’s all remember the most important detail. US officials have said several American troops suffered bullet and shrapnel wounds, but thankfully none appear to be life threatening, according to CNN. It’s a sober reminder of just how dangerous these types of missions really are—far beyond the red, white and blue rhetoric of Trump Administration political appointees.
Pete Hegseth upset, as always
I was about to comment that I hadn’t seen any of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s workout videos with troops being posted on social media lately. As important as troop fitness is, did it he mean he was finally settling into dealing more with the very serious problems in his portfolio? Well maybe not. Once again Pete Hegseth’s apparent emotional state is in public front and center.
Army Secretary Dan Driscoll is the man to watch
Army Secretary Dan Driscoll is now the man to watch at the Pentagon. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth? Not so much, at least for now. Puck, an influential online publication, was one of the first to note this, reminding everyone that Driscoll is very close to Vice President JD Vance, making the army secretary perhaps the one official that Hegseth can’t fire.
Mr. Hegseth: Don’t ban the free press from the Pentagon
Pete Hegseth genuinely seems to believe that confiscating Pentagon access passes for journalists who don’t sign up for his new rules will stop the flow of news he doesn’t like. Well think again. Journalists, and the news organizations they work for, are professionally and mentally tougher than he can even imagine. So buckle up.
Barbara Starr Reports
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Are you hearing the ticking of a countdown clock?
This post won’t be long. The bare facts pretty much tell the world how concerning this moment is. President Trump has ramped up his language against Iran on social media. It’s no accident. What must be a deliberate lack of clarity has led to concern the US is on a path to war against Iran through its’ support of Israel. For now the Pentagon insists the flow of warships and aircraft to the region is purely a defense measure to protect American interests.
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass on No Kings Day Protests and Military Expert Barbara Starr on the Crisis in the Middle East
Thank you , , , , , and many others for tuning into my live video with and ! Join me for my next live video in the app. Available for iOS and Android Discussion about this video Don't give into the lies. Don't give into fear. Hold on to the truth. And hope. Don't give into the lies. Don't give into fear. Hold on to the truth. And hope.
The Reshuffling of the Pentagon Press Corps Is a Warning
Sign up for The Media Today, CJRâs daily newsletter. The dozens of broadcast, print, radio, and online journalists who cover the Pentagon and the US military are not the enemy. But new secretary of defense Pete Hegseth’s first days on the job are not offering reassurance that he sees it that way. He so far appears to be wholeheartedly endorsing the Trump notion that reporters should be treated poorlyâunless they are part of Fox News, his former employer.
Kimberly Williams-Paisley's Current Whereabouts
Share and Follow FacebookXRedditPinterestWhatsApp After landing her first ever acting audition and appearing in a commercial at age 13, Kimberly Williams-Paisley was on her way to becoming a familiar face.
U.S. to send precision bombs and Patriot missiles to Ukraine
The U.S. is expected to send Ukraine precision bomb kits that will turn existing unguided munitions, or "dumb" bombs, into precision-guided "smart" bombs known as Joint Direct Attack Munitions, or JDAMs, according to multiple US officials. The kits add fins and a precision guidance system to the "dumb" munitions.
US to send precision bomb kits and Patriot missiles in next Ukraine aid package, officials say Original
CNN — The US is expected to send Ukraine precision bomb kits that will turn existing unguided munitions, or “dumb” bombs, into precision-guided “smart” bombs known as Joint Direct Attack Munitions, or JDAMs, according to multiple US officials. The kits add fins and a precision guidance system to the “dumb” munitions.
Exclusive: US finalizing plans to send Patriot missile defense system to Ukraine
By Barbara Starr and Oren Liebermann, CNN The Biden administration is finalizing plans to send the Patriot missile defense system to Ukraine that could be announced as soon as this week, according to two US officials and a senior administration official. The Pentagon’s plan still needs to be approved by Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin before it is sent to President Joe Biden for his signature. The three officials told CNN that approval is expected.
Russia's war in Ukraine
5 min ago Russian commander says "NATO bloc" in Ukraine can't be beaten without nuclear weapons From CNN’s Philip Wang Russia can't “defeat the NATO bloc” in Ukraine without using nuclear weapons, a Russian commander in the east of the country said on state television Tuesday. Commander Alexander Khodakovsky of the Russian militia in the Donetsk region said on Russia-1 that Moscow's resources are limited.
US finalizing plans to send Patriot missile defense system to Ukraine
The Biden administration is finalizing plans to send the Patriot missile defense system to Ukraine, which could be announced as soon as this week, according to two U.S. officials and a senior administration official. The Pentagon's plan still needs to be approved by Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin before it is sent to President Joe Biden for his signature. The three officials told CNN that approval is expected.
Exclusiva: Estados Unidos ultima planes para enviar a Ucrania el sistema de defensa antimisiles Patriot Original
(CNN) -- El Gobierno de Joe Biden termina de detallar los planes para enviar el sistema de defensa antimisiles Patriot a Ucrania, los cuales podrían anunciarse esta misma semana, según dos funcionarios estadounidenses y un alto funcionario de la administración. Todavía falta que el secretario de Defensa, Lloyd Austin, apruebe el plan del Pentágono antes de que al presidente Joe Biden para su fima. Los tres funcionarios dijeron a CNN que se espera que el plan se apruebe.
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