So given this bit, what is the best course of action to take?

Keep arming Ukraine. They were invaded and as long as they have the will to defend themselves, we keep arming them, and ramping up production of tubes, ammunition and other munitions….we need to do those things anyway.

And remain actively engaged with NATO. If Russia breaks through Ukrainian lines, we won’t have time to reconstruct the infrastructure of the alliance that is beginning to fray. Just ask Poland, Finland, Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia.

Here’s another historical parallel. Stalin’s purge of his general officer corps in the Red Army was devastating to the readiness of his divisions, and it was still a recent thing when Hitler launched Barbarossa, and captured more than 2million Soviet soldiers in the first weeks of the campaign.

I worry about the talent and institutional knowledge that’s being lost due to Hegseth’s firings in the Pentagon. His (and Trump’s) reasoning is quite similar to Stalin’s in that respect- the generals just aren’t ideologically pure enough. (Insert goofy language about “woke” and “DEI”).