Kate Brannen Profile picture
Deputy Editor @ForeignAffairs. Formerly @Just_Security, @ForeignPolicy, @Politico & @defense_news.
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Mar 1, 2022 4 tweets 1 min read
The Biden admin has been instrumental in creating a unified front against Putin.

So why didn't Putin try this when Trump was in the WH and no such effort would have been made by the US? washingtonpost.com/world/2022/02/… I know there are good answers to this question and yet, I can't quite shake wondering about it.
Nov 1, 2021 5 tweets 2 min read
This reminds me of when the U.S. Army decided it needed to have a presence on Second Life. I covered the effort for @insidedefense.

To do so, I had to create an avatar and then meet up with TRADOC and press officer avatars in a virtual conference room where I was shown a Power Point presentation. jstor.org/stable/2482786…
Sep 23, 2021 4 tweets 2 min read
This puts Pentagon charts to shame: cdn.substack.com/image/fetch/f_… Fascinating intvu btw @cwarzel & @swodinsky about covering the adtech beat.

Reminds me of covering the defense industry.

"A lot of this stuff is like, purposefully dense and dull. And the most interesting stuff is always the most impenetrable shit." warzel.substack.com/p/the-internet…
May 12, 2021 19 tweets 5 min read
Some thoughts about former acting Defense Secretary Chris Miller's prepared testimony for this morning's @OversightDems hearing.
assets.documentcloud.org/documents/2070… First, Miller says on Jan. 3 & 4, he convened Cabinet-level calls to prepare and coordinate for Jan. 6.

As Miller himself says, this is NOT a job for the secretary of defense.

Where was National Security Advisor Robert O'Brien?
May 5, 2021 4 tweets 1 min read
"However, it was not appropriate for Facebook to impose an ‘indefinite’ suspension."
oversightboard.com/news/226612455… The headline doesn't exactly match the ruling ...
Mar 4, 2021 6 tweets 3 min read
In 2017, the Trump administration halted the practice of routinely publishing the number of US troops deployed to Iraq, Afghanistan and Syria. In April, @just_security filed FOIA requests with DoD seeking these numbers. theguardian.com/us-news/2020/a…
Feb 10, 2021 10 tweets 3 min read
A few of my takeaways from this important timeline of the "Stop the Steal" campaign from the @AtlanticCouncil's @DFRLab, published today on @just_security: justsecurity.org/74622/stopthes… 1. The #StopTheSteaI hashtag and movement were being pushed and fueled by a broad spectrum of actors, in coordinated and uncoordinated ways.

Everyone from extremists/white supremacist groups to Trump campaign people/Trump family members/members of Congress.
Feb 5, 2021 6 tweets 1 min read
"'It’s a recipe for madness,' said Laurel Elder, a political scientist at Hartwick College in New York who has been studying the mental health effects of parenting in the pandemic." nytimes.com/interactive/20… I said to my husband last week: "It would be pretty weird if I wasn't miserable ... I have all of the ingredients for it."
Jan 25, 2021 8 tweets 3 min read
"There was no team, no full-time team in the White House working on #coronavirus." - Dr. Deborah Birx

She tells @margbrennan that she was able to cobble together a group of volunteers from other agencies. cbsnews.com/video/full-int… "I went out on the road, because I wasn't censored on the road." -- Birx
Jan 19, 2021 16 tweets 6 min read
As the confirmation hearing for retired Gen. #LloydAustin gets underway, here's a roundup of what should be covered and what he will face as defense secretary. justsecurity.org/74245/what-sho… "Does Austin still see himself as an apolitical actor removed from the politics of policymaking, or does he believe that accepting a Cabinet nomination places him squarely in the political realm?" -- @jblankshain
Jan 13, 2021 8 tweets 2 min read
A sr military official told me this morning: "I can't underscore the importance of the message sent yesterday from the Joint Chiefs of Staff ... " ... It might not change the hard-core believers. Those who are deeply radicalized can't be reached. But it will be heard by the middle."
Dec 31, 2020 5 tweets 3 min read
I'm so proud of the work we've done this year at @just_security, especially under this year's difficult circumstances. justsecurity.org/74024/20-most-… Thank you to all of our fantastic writers and contributors.

It is such a joy to collaborate with you, bringing your ideas and insights to our audience.
Nov 26, 2020 5 tweets 1 min read
Can we remove pharmaceutical ads from television?

Kids don't need to hear that Eliquis may cause bleeding while watching the Macy's Day Parade. “Under current law, drug manufacturers are allowed to deduct the cost of advertising expenses from federal taxes.”
Nov 13, 2020 8 tweets 3 min read
The country is paying the price for the Trump administration's disastrous #coronavirus response:

But so is the GOP and those directly around the president: At Least 8 Republican Staffers and 12 White House Officials Have Tested Positive for COVID After Election Day newsweek.com/least-8-republ…
Nov 13, 2020 7 tweets 3 min read
Headlines from the United States:

‘Crisis Levels’ in Mississippi: No ICU Beds Left in Jackson, Only 12% Remain Statewide mississippifreepress.org/6883/crisis-le… #coronavirus #COVID19 With North Dakota hospitals at 100% capacity, Burgum announces COVID-positive nurses can stay at work grandforksherald.com/newsmd/coronav…
Nov 12, 2020 6 tweets 3 min read
What's going on at the Pentagon?

Is there some master plan or is it a bunch of guys putting undeserved titles on their resumes on their way out the door?

At this point, I think everyone is still guessing. .@IgnatiusPost says it could be about an internal battle over declassifying information about Russia: washingtonpost.com/opinions/trump…
Oct 23, 2020 6 tweets 2 min read
Let's talk China and corruption.

"The Chinese government granted a total of 41 trademarks to companies linked to Ivanka Trump by April of 2019." forbes.com/sites/tommybee… Jared Kushner’s sister woos China’s ‘golden visa’ investors apnews.com/article/0e3341…
Oct 22, 2020 7 tweets 2 min read
Ivanka is busy trying to win back suburban women voters for her dad, buying "cider and doughnuts" and posing with "children in Halloween costumes." politico.com/news/2020/10/2… But that's not going to be enough to get voters to forget this: vox.com/policy-and-pol…
Sep 27, 2020 5 tweets 1 min read
Actual attacks on the Catholic Church and it’s leader, Pope Francis: nbcnews.com/news/world/ste… theguardian.com/us-news/2015/j…
Sep 25, 2020 7 tweets 2 min read
A thread about things that might just be related:

Exhibit 1: For some seniors, virus is shifting their views of Trump csmonitor.com/USA/Politics/2… Exhibit 2: America's seniors ebb away from Trump as coronavirus response disappoints theguardian.com/us-news/2020/j…
Sep 22, 2020 5 tweets 1 min read
Who did Jared Kushner want on his COVID-19 task force?

"young generalists" newyorker.com/magazine/2020/… And that's what he got:

"all in their twenties, mostly from the finance sector and with no expertise in procurement or medical issues."

Must-read @JaneMayerNYer.