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- The Trump 2025 National Security Strategy
- Tariffs in American History
- Turkey May Be Slipping Away from NATO
The Trump 2025 National Security Strategy
- Details
- By Mike Scruggs
- Category: Mike Scruggs' Column
Dated November 2025 and Released December 4
Selected Passages and Commentary
The Trump 2025 National Security Strategy is radically different from past annual National Security Strategy documents. Although it narrows core national interests, it is far more comprehensive on the economic and social environment necessary for renewed national energy and true national security. Immigration and the nation’s traditional family, moral, and spiritual strengths are rightly elevated to important aspects of national well-being and national security. Increased emphasis is given to economic, financial, and industrial strengths. It also rightly re-joins foreign policy and defense policy. Clausewitz (1780-1831), who wrote On War 1816-1831 and fought against Napoleon with the Russian Army at Borodino in 1812, would be pleased.
Operation Bagration – 22 June to 19 August 1944
- Details
- By Mike Scruggs
- Category: Mike Scruggs' Column
Few Americans have ever heard of Operation Bagration, but it was the largest hammer and most crushing blow that led to the fall of Berlin and Nazi Germany on May 8, 1945. Its Allied counterpart was Operation Overlord that commenced on June 6, 1944, with the D-Day assault on the beaches of Normandy. Soviet Premier Joeseph Stalin had originally planned to commence Operation Bagration on the same day as Allied Operation Overlord. but British weather and Soviet logistics pushed the dates apart about two weeks. The objective of Operation Bagration was the total destruction of German Army Group Center occupying the Belarusian SSR. This would allow the Red Army to rout retreating Wehrmacht forces and crush Berlin and any remaining German resistance. German Army Group Center consisted of four German armies—the Second, Fourth, Ninth, and Third Panzer—with nearly 500,000 combat troops and another 350,000 support troops. On June 22, Soviet forces intially assigned to Operation Bagration came to almost 1.7 million troops with a 10-to-1 advantage in artillery and an 8-to-1 advantage in tanks. Soviet aircraft support was 5,300 versus 1,350 for the Germans. The manpower advantage for the Russians would quicky turn from 2-to-1 to 4-to-1.
Tariffs in American History
- Details
- By Mike Scruggs
- Category: Mike Scruggs' Column
An Unsettling Story of Economic Ignorance and Blind Greed
“Great is Diana of the Ephesians.”
George Washington signed the first U.S. Tariff bill in 1789 with an average tax on imports of about 5%. Tariffs ranged from about 6% to 15% until the Dallas Tariff in 1816 to repay the debt from the War of 1812. The Dallas tariff of 1816 was also a Protective Tariff to protect new American industry from foreign competition. Tariffs were considered the simplest, quickest, and least objectionable way to raise government funds. True enough for the time, but the “American System” of Economics and Tariffs turned out to be corruptible, because political leaders can be corrupt, partisan, and prone to shallow economic understanding. All human systems, including new AI systems, are subject to the human condition and its tendency toward self-centered moral blindness and hubris. Therein lie great dangers and potential disaster.
Ukraine War Complications: Moldova and Transnistria
- Details
- By Mike Scruggs
- Category: Mike Scruggs' Column
Possible Future Trouble Spots
Both Moldova and Transnistria were part of the Moldavian Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic (MASSR) until the Soviet Union broke up in 1991. They had been part of the Ukrainian SSR before 1924. Transnistria broke away from Moldova during the 1990-1991 process of Moldavan independence. There was war between Moldova and Transnistria in 1990-1992, in which about 500 civilians were killed. At that time, Ukraine backed the Transnistrians! Transnistrian independence is not officially recognized by most European Union and NATO countries. Moldovans primarily speak the Moldovan dialect of Romanian, while Transnistria, which is a long and narrow strip of land between Moldova and Ukraine, is Russian speaking and pro-Russian. The present government of Moldova leans toward European Union and Western alliances, although it is constitutionally neutral, and there is a large pro-Russian minority, which may actually be a majority of those Moldovans currently living in Moldova.
Project Ukraine and Ukrainian/CIA Intelligence
- Details
- By Mike Scruggs
- Category: Mike Scruggs' Column
Orban’s Message to Trump
Pokrovsk and Ukrainian Black Hawk Helicopter Missions
On November 7, President Donald Trump met with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban. Prime Minister Orban is concerned about access to gas and oil pipelines that have been critical to the Hungarian economy. Orban also believes that Ukraine cannot win the war against Russia, except by some sort of extremely improbable “miracle.” Prolonging the war has almost destroyed Ukraine and is causing serious economic problems in the European Union. Moreover, Hungary, Slovakia, and now the Czech Republic do not support the NATO war against Russia. Austria is beginning to lean that way. Alexander Mercouris recently termed this growing opposition to the Ukraine War the “Hapsburg Coalition.” In addition, the new President of Poland, Karol Nowrocki, wants no further involvement. In the first round of recent Romanian elections on December 6, 2024, Calin Georgescu a conservative independent opposing Romanian participation in the Ukraine War was the front runner with 23 percent, but the Romanian Constitutional Court overturned the election, alleging Russian interference.
Mike Scruggs is the author of two books: The Un-Civil War: Shattering the Historical Myths; and Lessons from the Vietnam War: Truths the Media Never Told You, and over 600 articles on military history, national security, intelligent design, genealogical genetics, immigration, current political affairs, Islam, and the Middle East.
He holds a BS degree from the University of Georgia and an MBA from Stanford University. A former USAF intelligence officer and Air Commando, he is a decorated combat veteran of the Vietnam War, and holds the Distinguished Flying Cross, Purple Heart, and Air Medal. He is a retired First Vice President for a major national financial services firm and former Chairman of the Board of a classical Christian school.
Click the website below to order books. http://www.universalmediainc.org/books.htm.
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