Jim Townsend
@jteurope
30+ years at the Pentagon/NATO working Europe/NATO final 8 years as DASD, now Senior Fellow at CNAS cohost of Brussels Sprouts podcast & teaching at SciencesPo
Belgium is BACK!
Yesterday, 🇧🇪 #F16, in support of and in cooperation with 🇫🇷& 🇬🇧, have carried out a defensive air surveillance mission over the Black Sea. This operation is part of an enhanced vigilance and strengthens European security and freedom of navigation in international waters.
Like, repost and subscribe If you've enjoyed this thread, repost it and spread the love of movies. If you appreciate the work, why not subscribe to my channel, so I can stop worrying about being a penniless freelancer in a failing industry. 😀x.com/TheStingisBack…
Officer cadets from the French Military Academy of St-Cyr parading and singing in front of the iconic Mont-Saint-Michel. 🇫🇷🎥
“Zbig” is a pleasure to read, written in the same plainspoken, lucid prose as Luce’s columns. Luce does a wonderful job reconstructing old policy debates in all their nuance..." Wonderful @washingtonpost.com review by @j_tepperman washingtonpost.com/books/2025/07/…
Toward an Abundance National Security Agenda - The National Interest. An excellent piece by @wendyranderson and Kath Hicks nationalinterest.org/feature/toward…
@MichaelHerson1 @jteurope #DovZakheim @PMCroninHudson & @vagomuradian on today's @defaeroreport #WashingtonRoundtable discussing #Congress #France #Germany #China #Japan #trade #defense & much more defaeroreport.com/2025/07/18/def… With my main Asian-centered comments: 35:00 De-escalation…
I want to thank @AKendallTaylor and @jteurope for all your insights in your podcast, especially about arms control treaties, enjoy your holiday period!
Any U.S. drawdown in Europe must “be closely coordinated with NATO,” argue @AKendallTaylor, @jteurope, and @KateSJohnston. “Otherwise, Putin will be tempted to take advantage of a weakened alliance.” foreignaffairs.com/united-states/…
I was explaining to my Ukrainian colleague the phrase ‘There’s no such thing as a free lunch’. She told me the equivalent in Ukrainian is ‘The only free cheese is in the mousetrap’ - which is so much better
As editor @HarmattanParis, I'm pleased to announce the publication of Abdulla Peshêw, poet of Kurdish Unknown Solider, in French Translated by Ahmedi Mala While culture isn't a singular solution, it can play a crucial role in facing challenges in our complicated & uncertain world
Important read. With tensions high and alliances under pressure, a rapid U.S. drawdown in Europe could create more vacuum than stability. Strategic patience > short-term recalibration. Looking forward to the full thread. 🧵🇺🇸🇪🇺
The Trump administration could fundamentally reshape the U.S. military’s global footprint. Should Europe not be prepared to meet the challenge, an American drawdown could lead to a vacuum that Russia and Vladimir Putin could readily exploit.
Read more in @ForeignAffairs: ✍️@AKendallTaylor ✍️@jteurope ✍️@KateSJohnston cnas.org/publications/c…
🎧New on Brussels Sprouts🎧 @general_ben and @j_kobzova join @AKendallTaylor and @jteurope to give an update on the war in Ukraine. Listen wherever you get your podcasts: cnas.org/publications/p…
How Russia Could Exploit a Vacuum in Europe ✍️ @AKendallTaylor ✍️ @jteurope ✍️ @KateSJohnston @ForeignAffairs foreignaffairs.com/united-states/…
“The best way to prevent a future war in Europe is to make sure Moscow never dares to start one. And that will require Washington and its European partners to design a careful and coordinated handoff.” fam.ag/44TVPNO
Leestip van @AKendallTaylor en @jteurope hoe Poetin gebruik zou kunnen maken van terugtrekking Amerikanen om ons het stuipen op het lijf te jagen, bijv. in Baltische Staten of Noors Antarctica! foreignaffairs.com/united-states/…
The one thing that unites Russian and Ukrainian military Telegram over the last 24 hours is stunning disbelief in just how ignorant U.S. military doctrine remains about the realities of modern war.
The new US Army Tank Platoon Tactics Manual shows an incredible ignorance of the realities of FPV warfare. Apparently a platoon has lots of time on sighting an FPV to make hand signals, close hatches, signal HQ, and change formation. In the real world, they will have seconds. 1/
RIP David Gergen, who worked in the White House for four presidents of both parties and embodied the kind of political moderation and institutionalism that have all but vanished in today's Washington. @ClydeHaberman nytimes.com/2025/07/11/us/…