The view from the front: military matters and motivation for 7/1/22.
Note: To get a better reading experience, click the headline at the top above my photo and name. That will allow all content below to play within the webpage, as well as prevent the message from being clipped/summarized by your email service.
Hi friend,
Happy Friday, everyone! Hope you have some awesome plans for the weekend!
Quick commercial to pay the bills here. If you’ve been enjoying the newsletter, I’d really appreciate it if you would consider subscribing. (It’s $5 per month and can be canceled at any time.)
That would not only encourage me, but it’d also help justify the increasing amount of time that I devote to these posts. I love doing these and I’d love to honestly help make them even better than they currently are.
If you’re newer or can’t pull that off, no problem at all! Maybe consider sharing the post with someone you know, either by Facebook, email, or Twitter.
Here’s the link to share:
And here’s the link to sign up, if my sales pitch worked:
The view from the front: military matters and motivation is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.
Oh, and while we’re on the topic, I’m so appreciative to all my new subscribers and those who recently signed up as paid supporters!
There’s a lot of news that’s happened since Tuesday’s newsletter, and it’s hard to decide what’s most important, so let’s just jump into it.
As I stated in the Tuesday newsletter, NATO increased its troops on “high alert” from 40,000 to 300,000.
President Joe Biden announced the establishment of a permanent presence in Poland, as well as the decision to deploy two additional F-35 squadrons to the U.K.. The U.S. will also station two more destroyers in Spain and improve its defense capabilities in Germany and Italy, USA Today reported.
And if you dig in the weeds some, there will also be increased intel and cyber support, as stated below.
Admiral James Stavridis, USN, Ret. @stavridisjNATO moves are smart, balanced, & sensible. From F35 fighters to more guided missile destroyers to a corps HQ permanently in Poland.Rhetoric matched with combat power.Unseen, but also increasing, is Intel and cyber support, a final crucial element. 
Biden pledges bigger US troop presence in eastern Europe, permanent presence in Poland – NATO recapPresident Joe Biden said at a NATO summit in Madrid that the United States would send additional troops to eastern Europe.usatoday.comJune 29th 2022
22 Retweets104 LikesIn other huge news, NATO reached a deal with Turkey to admit Sweden and Finland. I’ve talked about this possibility for some time now, but Turkey finally got out of the way of the deal. (Expansion of NATO requires unanimous consent of all NATO members, so Turkey had been able to hold up the deal.)
Besides these items, there were also additional commitments made to Ukraine, which will help them fight off the Russians.
And while we’re on the topic of Ukraine, this was pretty significant news, in my opinion. (See below.)
The Washington Post called it a “symbolic victory,” as you can see below, but I think it was more than that.
The Washington Post @washingtonpostUkraine scores a key symbolic victory on the Black Sea island where a lone Ukrainian soldier famously tossed a salty expletive at a powerful Russian warship. 
On Snake Island, defiant Ukrainians force a Russian withdrawalUkraine scores a key symbolic victory on the Black Sea island where a lone Ukrainian soldier famously tossed a salty expletive at a powerful Russian warship.wapo.stJune 30th 2022
167 Retweets706 LikesFrom that island, you can place anti-ship missile systems, anti-air systems, and other defensive (and offensive) measures that could help break the naval embargo.
The island is 25 miles off Ukraine’s southeastern coast and, interestingly, if you read the Post’s own story, it calls it a “strategic Black Sea outpost” further down in the same story that called the situation a “symbolic victory,.
This is an important reminder of why you shouldn’t just read headlines when you’re trying to inform yourself.
The same article even adds further toward the end of it that “The island, which covers just 0.06 square miles, sits on a major shipping lane and access point to the key port of Odessa.
If you want to know how the Russian grasp was finally broken, you can see it below.
Jimmy @JimmySecUKInteresting video from the Ukrainian Ministry of Defence showing artillery strikes on Snake Island - apparently the sole 2S22 Bohdana self propelled howitzer in Ukrainian service was used, with TB2 drone correction.June 30th 2022
73 Retweets289 LikesOne final point on this, perfectly stated below.
Tyler Rogoway @Aviation_IntelThat the Russian military & its much-touted Black Sea Fleet couldn't secure an island 170 miles from its homeport from a war-torn adversary with fixed-wing combat aircraft numbering in the dozens & no real operable Navy is an absolute stunning failure of massive proportions.June 30th 2022
1,544 Retweets9,653 LikesWe’ll stop talking about the war for this edition, but because I love dunking on Putin, I’ll leave you with this clip below.
This is absolutely worth the watch if you’ve been keeping up with the invasion from the beginning. (Hat tip to Tom Nichols, who said it best: “Wait for the last line.”)
Michael Weiss 🌻🇺🇸🇮🇪 @michaeldweissLeaked footage of Vladimir Putin from inside the Kremlin today. June 30th 2022
2,042 Retweets7,528 LikesMoving along, I often discuss the deadly realities of PTSD for our military members who have returned, and in that line of thinking, I wanted to share the below article.
Task & Purpose @TaskandPurposeAmerica’s top enlisted military leader just showed what leading from the front truly means 
America’s top enlisted military leader just showed what leading from the front truly meansThe senior enlisted advisor to the Joint Chiefs of Staff made a point this week to speak openly about mental health.bit.lyJuly 1st 2022
2 Retweets29 Likes
Colón-López has enjoyed a long career as pararescueman in the Air Force’s special operations community. He is also the most senior enlisted service member in the armed forces, representing all enlisted and non-commissioned officers when it comes to advising the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mark Milley, so what he chooses to highlight carries some weight.
“PTS awareness is not a monthly celebration, but a daily task to ensure we are taking care of one another,” Colón-López wrote in the post about post-traumatic stress. “20 years in combat, unfortunate events, and life in general can throw many challenges at us. Remember, we have each other to rely on. Talk about it, seek help, and know that this teammate is here for you to navigate this minefield called PTS.
Take care of each other out there.
I challenge everyone reading this to reach out to one service member you know today. (Please do this.)
That’s it for this edition. Let’s end with some motivation and wisdom.
Success Minded @_SuccessMinded_Believe: I am worthy of making my dreams come true.June 30th 2022
174 Retweets913 Likes#Motivation","username":"IMQuotes_Videos","name":"Inspired Motivation Quotes","date":"Thu Jun 30 13:00:08 +0000 2022","photos":[],"quoted_tweet":{},"retweet_count":55,"like_count":115,"expanded_url":{},"video_url":null,"belowTheFold":true}">
Inspired Motivation Quotes @IMQuotes_VideosOnce the bamboo seed is planted the farmer waters it every day. He does that for four years before the tree even breaks ground. When it finally does, it grows sixty feet in the next ninety days.Remember, good things take time to take root but then when they do...#MotivationJune 30th 2022
55 Retweets115 LikesSuccess Minded @_SuccessMinded_"Success is 1% idea, 99% doing."July 1st 2022
64 Retweets295 Likes
Daily Dose of Philosophy @PhilosophyDose_"All children are artists. The problem is how to remain an artist once they grow up."- Pablo PicassoJune 30th 2022
47 Retweets211 LikesSuccess Minded @_SuccessMinded_"Work on yourself daily and watch your life change."June 29th 2022
1,979 Retweets8,538 LikesSuccess Minded @_SuccessMinded_"Go as far as you can see; when you get there, you'll be able to see farther."June 30th 2022
95 Retweets373 LikesAs a reminder, please be kind and endeavor to love your fellow Americans. We need to pull this country together, and that starts with all of us.
And if you love what you’re reading, throw a couple of bucks in the hat by subscribing below. (Here’s why you should.)
The view from the front: military matters and motivation is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.
Semper Fidelis,
Stan R. Mitchell
P.S. Don’t forget to check out my books. I’ve written a CIA/Marine sniper series, a detective series, a private investigator series, an action-packed Western, a leadership/biography book, and two realistic war novels: one about World War IIand one about Afghanistan.
P.P.S. And here’s a short bio about me and what I’m trying to do with the newsletter.
