A former Walt Disney Company employee says he is cautiously optimistic about the company’s direction, even when it comes to progressive ideology.

Josh Daws, a software engineer with 12.5 years at Disney, revealed on X on Wednesday that he was laid off as part of a Disney restructuring in which 1,000 people lost their jobs.

‘It’s much better internally now.’

The employee dump, which Disney said was part of an effort to “streamline operations,” inspired Daws to answer reader questions about his tenure. Many queries regarding Disney’s push for diversity, equity, and inclusion ensued.

DEI decline

The ex-Mouse House employee told fans they may finally be able to breathe easier, with Disney likely on the tail end of its inclusion era.

Daws told one user that DEI at Disney “peaked in 2020” but has been in a “steady decline” since. “It’s much better internally now. The vibe shift is real,” he wrote.

The engineer told another questioner that he was not a fan of the company’s DEI infrastructure, adding that it has “toned it down a ton since Trump was elected.”

Daws also answered a question related to who he believes is responsible for the diversity push the company has gone through.

RELATED: The ‘Malcolm in the Middle’ reboot is so woke even Hollywood hates it

‘A vocal minority’

When asked why Disney seemingly “hate[s] conservative Christian[s]” while promoting the “LGBTQ agenda” at every turn, Daws — a Christian himself — attributed it to a “very small and vocal minority of the company.”

“Most folks just want to make cool stuff,” he added.

Daws also confirmed the company is well aware of how “out of touch” it is with fans. When asked if he had had many other Christian co-workers, Daws replied, “Not enough but more than you might think.”

Throughout the question-and-answer session, Daws remained cautiously optimistic about the direction of Disney, while being careful not to insult his former employers.

AI no ‘threat’

On the topic of AI, Daws was less circumspect, affirming that Disney would incorporate it as a way to cut costs. “No threat to them.”

While Daws acknowledged that AI could be blamed for his firing “on the grand scale,” he noted that his status as a remote worker was a more immediate factor.

RELATED: Disney fans cheer as Mouse House reverses DEI-inspired theme park change

When approached by Blaze News, Daws declined to give further comments about the company.

The Walt Disney Company did not respond to requests for comments regarding Daws’ claims about DEI or AI.

Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

​Align, Dei, Progressive ideology, Walt disney company, Lgbtq agenda, News, Diversity equity inclusion, Entertainment 

It’s official: Luke Skywalker is gay. At least, he’s not not gay — which is really the same thing, if you think about it.

Take it from the guy who plays him.

‘It’s whatever you want.’

“So if you want him to be gay, he is,” said Mark Hamill in a recent phone interview with Polygon. “If you don’t want him to be, he’s not. It’s whatever you want.”

Fan service

According to the 74-year-old actor, speculating about Skywalker’s sexuality is just part of being a fan.

“When they talk about the movies, they relate it to how they saw it,” Hamill said.

“They personalize it, in a way. And you realize it’s wonderful to be part of something that’s important to their childhood. Because now they’re grown-ups with kids of their own, and it’s sort of a generational thing. They pass it on.”

This is not the first time Hamill has played fast and loose with “Star Wars” canon in the name of fan service.

RELATED: ‘Sad and pathetic person’: Mark Hamill of ‘Star Wars’ gets humiliated after mocking Trump’s ear bandage

Sunset Boulevard/Corbis/Getty Images

A little ‘force’d?

In 2016 Hamill told the Sun that fans had been writing and asking about the Jedi knight’s proclivities.

This came as director J.J. Abrams — who took over the franchise for Disney in 2015-2019 iterations — said he welcomed a gay character in the franchise.

In response, Hamill also said the role was “meant to be interpreted” by the viewer.

“If you think Luke is gay, of course he is. You should not be ashamed of it. Judge Luke by his character, not by who he loves.”

Of course, fans have always judged Skywalker by his character — even looking the other way when he was caught kissing his sister.

The real problem with Hamill’s “anything goes” theory is that Luke Skywalker married Mara Jade in “Star Wars Legends” continuity.

RELATED: William Shatner beams into ‘woke’ debate by reminding fans Mark Hamill ‘ruined’ ‘Star Wars’ with bizarre comment

Screen Archives/Getty Images

Gay or nay

Reimagining older works to be gay has been an incredibly popular method of pushing modern politics on fans of original films. In the last few years, several writers have retroactively changed the interpretation of their movies and claimed they were always representations of gender politics.

For example, “X2: X-Men United” co-writer David Hayter happily agreed when the movie was described as “the gayest film he’d ever worked on.”

This followed the claim by “The Matrix” creators, who said the movie was a “trans metaphor,” but only after the brothers both came out as transgender years later.

Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

​Align, Hollywood, The matrix, Trans metaphor, X-men, Transgender, Gender politics, Star wars, Entertainment 

A Maine gubernatorial candidate’s video began circulating this week claiming that Democrats in his state are trying to “ban” coffee makers with new legislation. The reality, as it turns out, is a bit more complicated.

Here’s a breakdown of the situation as it stands.

‘And in an attempt to remove harmful PFAS, they extend it with language like anything that stores or prepares food or beverages.’

Former state Senate GOP leader and current Maine gubernatorial candidate Garrett Mason posted a video of himself walking down the coffee maker aisle at a store, pointing at many of the machines, saying, “Banned, banned … absolutely banned.” All of the machines he singles out in the video appear to be built for Keurig-cup-style coffee.

“That’s right, ladies and gentlemen,” Mason says in the video. “Democrats are coming for your coffee maker. … So while they were busy banning plastic bags and increasing your grocery bills and increasing your housing costs and increasing your energy bills, they had a secret plan to ban your morning cup of coffee.”

RELATED: Trump EPA takes aim at forever chemicals

Al Drago/Getty Images

Mason continued, mentioning a crucial phrase without exploring the issue head-on: “I think it’s important that you know that you have a governor who understands how legislation works and what unintended consequences can happen when you pass really bad leftist virtue-signaling legislation, which is what is happening in Augusta right now.”

The key phrase, it appears, is “unintended consequences.”

In 2021, an earlier version of the now-amended law was written, titled “An Act to Stop Perfluoroalkyl and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances Pollution.”

This early version targeted PFAS in carpets and rugs and was set to go into effect in several stages over the course of multiple years, starting in January 2023.

Then an amended law was signed in 2024. This new version of the law was more expansive, including categories like adult mattresses, artificial turf, cleaning products, cosmetic products, and, relevant to this story, cookware products.

The law defines cookware products as “a durable houseware product intended to be used to prepare, dispense or store food, foodstuffs or beverages, including, but not limited to, a pot, pan, skillet, baking sheet, baking mold, tray, bowl, and cooking utensil.”

The provisions of this law went into effect on January 1, 2026.

Notably, the definition provided does not mention coffee makers in particular, making it seem unlikely that Democrats had a “secret plan to ban your morning cup of coffee,” as Mason suggested in his video.

Mason is not entirely wrong about the consequences of the law, though. The Maine Wire reported that while the law itself does not apparently threaten consumers’ ability to sell, buy, and use popular models of coffee makers, lawmakers have opted to apply a broad interpretation to include “a toaster and a coffee pot.”

The Maine Wire went on to explain that manufacturers are alarmed by this interpretation, given the fact that many coffee makers “rely on PFAS-containing internal components such as tubing, gaskets, solenoid valves, and vibrating pumps,” which “are functional parts used to handle heat, pressure, and durability inside the machines.”

Manufacturers are reportedly concerned about making the required adjustments on a fast enough timeline to be in compliance with the law.

One manufacturing spokesperson voiced these concerns to WMTW.

“The legislation was drafted in a way that, unfortunately, other states around the country have done as well. And in an attempt to remove harmful PFAS, they extend it with language like anything that stores or prepares food or beverages,” the Cookware Sustainability Alliance’s Steve Burns said.

“Essentially, since it was enforced in January of this year, three months ago, technically, we believe that it might make almost every type of coffee maker that’s on a shelf or in a restaurant in Maine right now unlawful,” Burns added.

While these concerns have been raised, coffee makers are not expected to start disappearing from store shelves immediately, according to the Maine Wire. It can also be safely assumed that this does not necessarily apply only to Keurig products or those machines that offer the option to use K-cups.

Keurig and Mason did not respond to a request for comment from Blaze News.

Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

​Coffee maker ban, Cookware products, Garrett mason, Keurigstyle coffee, Maine gubernatorial candidate, Maine wire report, Manufacturing concerns, Pfas pollution, Politics, Legislation consequences, Maine, Democrats, Fact check 

Markwayne Mullin, who took over as secretary of the Department of Homeland Security following Kristi Noem’s ouster in March, announced Thursday that there is going to be another senior personnel change at his agency.

Todd Lyons will leave the role of acting director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, effective May 31.

‘A phenomenal patriot and dedicated leader.’

“Director Lyons has been a great leader of ICE and key player in helping the Trump administration remove murderers, rapists, pedophiles, terrorists, and gang members from American communities,” said Mullin. “He jumpstarted an agency that had not been allowed to do its job for four years.”

“We wish him luck on his next opportunity in the private sector,” added Mullin.

Lyons is a veteran ICE official who has served with the agency since 2007.

Around the time he entered the role of acting director in March 2025 — following the demotion of his predecessor, Caleb Vitello — Noem characterized Lyons as a work horse who, with border czar Tom Homan, had done “incredible work cleaning up our communities and making them safer.”

RELATED: Billionaire Tom Steyer admits embarrassing ‘mistake’ after saying ICE should be ‘abolished’ in California governor’s race

Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call Inc/Getty Images

In the months since, Lyons has been on the receiving end of relentless abuse by anti-ICE activists such as New Jersey Rep. LaMonica McIver (D), who subjected him to a 3.5-minute rant during a congressional hearing in February. After questioning Lyons’ religiosity, McIver asked him, “How do you think Judgment Day will work for you with so much blood on your hands?”

The radical Democrat who allegedly assaulted ICE officers last year, asked further, “Do you think you’re going to hell, Mr. Lyons?”

When disgraced ex-California Rep. Eric Swalwell (D) demanded Lyons’ resignation in February, he refused, later stating, “I will not resign, because I believe in the rule of law and will continue to uphold my oath.”

A pair of unnamed U.S. officials told CBS News that Lyons was planning to leave the federal government to spend more time with family, including his sons, in Massachusetts.

Prioritizing family was also DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin’s apparent reason for resigning earlier this year.

White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller said in a statement that Lyons is “a phenomenal patriot and dedicated leader who has been at the center of President Trump’s historic efforts to secure our homeland and reverse the Democrats’ sinister border invasion.”

Homan said in a statement obtained by CNN, “I commend him for a distinguished law enforcement career and the countless contributions he has made to protect our country and advance its interests.”

Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

​Border czar, Department of homeland security, Eric swalwell, Kristi noem, Markwayne mullin, Private sector, Todd lyons, Tom homan, Trump administration, Trump official, White house, Politics 

A growing list of U.S. scientists and researchers — many tied to NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, defense, nuclear, or advanced tech programs — have died or gone missing since 2023.

Nine names are dominating the headlines:

Michael David Hicks — NASA JPL research scientist; died July 30, 2023, age 59; cause never publicly disclosed, no autopsy record found.Frank Maiwald — NASA JPL principal researcher (longtime colleague of Hicks); died July 4, 2024, age 61, in Los Angeles; cause not released, single obituary only, no autopsy reported.Anthony Chavez — Former Los Alamos National Laboratory employee; vanished May 2025, age ~78; left home on foot with belongings left behind; still missing.Monica Reza — Aerospace/materials scientist with NASA/JPL and AFRL-linked rocket propulsion work; disappeared while hiking in Angeles National Forest, June 22, 2025, age 60; still missing after extensive searches.Melissa Casias — Los Alamos National Laboratory administrative assistant (reported security clearance); vanished June 26, 2025, age 53; left after dropping off husband, phones factory-reset, car/belongings left behind, seen walking on highway; still missing. Nuno Loureiro — MIT plasma/fusion physicist and professor; shot multiple times at his Brookline, Massachusetts, home on December 15, 2025, and died December 16, age 47. Carl Grillmair — Caltech astrophysicist with significant NASA/JPL-supported work; shot and killed on his front porch in Llano, California, February 16, 2026, age 67; suspect arrested and charged. William Neil McCasland (Ret. Air Force Maj. Gen.) — Former AFRL commander with classified space/defense program ties; disappeared from his Albuquerque home on February 27, 2026, age 68; still missing, search ongoing.

News coverage has ramped up significantly in the past couple of weeks over this story and continues to garner national attention, but Glenn Beck thinks the conspiracy theory that these cases are all somehow connected jumps the gun.

On this episode of “The Glenn Beck Program,” Glenn pushes back on the hype by illustrating how easily one can ignite a conspiracy theory.

Glenn notes that these nine cases, while speculated to be connected, are really “a mixed data set.”

“If you go through all of these things, there are some confirmed crimes with explanations. … Some of them are missing person cases. … Some are isolated homicides,” he says.

The narrative that these nine scientists worked in closely related fields, Glenn argues, is a stretch.

“Pharma, fusion, space. … That doesn’t mean that there isn’t a connection there, but nobody is showing the connection here. That’s not a tight network,” he says. “That’s anyone who is near defense-adjacent technology.”

He also rejects speculation of “institutional silence.”

“Universities and laboratories and government, they rarely disclose the details. Privacy, ongoing investigations, legal liability, phrases like ‘passed away suddenly’ — that’s standard. … That’s not evidence of concealment,” he says.

“I’m not one to dismiss conspiracy theories, but it seems like we go out looking for some things,” he continues.

To illustrate how easily a conspiracy theory can gain traction, Glenn shares some recent data from his own industry.

“In the last 12 months, I’ve had eight people in my industry die,” he says, citing longtime radio syndication executive Gary Krantz, Pittsburgh radio icon and conservative talk host Jim Quinn, award-winning Texas radio journalist Matt Thomas, WMAL radio host John Lyon, and conservative talk radio pioneer David Gold, among others.

“Of course, Charlie Kirk, we know,” he adds.

“None of these are connected, but if I wanted to, I could do [it],” says Glenn.

“I have a list of maybe 25 names. They all died in the last year.”

Glenn issues a stark warning: “Be very, very careful about propaganda. … There’s a lot of information out there, but you can take information and make it into anything you want.”

To hear more, watch the video above.

Want more from Glenn Beck?

To enjoy more of Glenn’s masterful storytelling, thought-provoking analysis, and uncanny ability to make sense of the chaos, subscribe to BlazeTV — the largest multi-platform network of voices who love America, defend the Constitution, and live the American dream.

​Blaze media, Blazetv, Defense, Glenn beck, Jpl, Missing, Missing person, Missing scientists, Nasa, National laboratory, Nuclear, Researchers, Rocket propulsion, Scientists, Tech, The glenn beck program 

Last month, the Trump administration announced a brand-new White House app available for iPhone and Android. The move shocked the internet, causing some to warn that installing the app would give the government a window into every phone’s most private data. After reviewing the privacy policy, those early fears were somewhat overblown, though not completely invalid. Here’s everything we found.

The new White House app replaced the previous version that was launched by former President Barack Obama in 2010. After 16 years, the app was long overdue for an overhaul. Updated to version 47 as a nod to our 47th president, the app now entails a brand-new design and features optimized for the MAGA age.

There are some inherent flaws within its code.

A quick tour of the White House (app)

The new White House app offers a unique window into the presidency of Donald Trump. It’s comprised of five main sections:

Home: The home page displays announcements, goals/mission achievements, and other important messages from the Trump administration. These can include information on the MAHA movement, border security, cost-of-living improvements, and more.News: The news page showcases press releases and major updates directly from the administration as well as trusted media outlets.Live: The live feed displays long-form videos, shorts, and livestreams featuring President Trump and his various on-camera appearances, from diplomatic meetings, to important announcements, and a meme or two for good measure.Social: The social tab provides a live feed of various social media accounts connected to the president, including Rapid Response 47, the White House, and Donald J. Trump. There’s also a tab that lets you write to the White House, text President Trump himself, sign up for the White House newsletter, and you can even submit a tip to Immigration and Customs Enforcement if you suspect illegal immigration is taking place in your neighborhood or workplace.Gallery: The gallery displays photos of various events featuring President Trump and his administration, including important addresses, bill signings, Cabinet meetings, and more.

Zach Laidlaw/The White House app on iOS

Privacy concerns?

From the moment the new White House app went live, sleuths on social media were quick to warn others not to download it, claiming it to be government spyware that can gather users’ private data.

Based on its privacy labels on the App Store and Google Play, the White House app may collect your email address and phone number (both optional) for marketing purposes as well as app usage data for analytics. Notable components missing from the data collection notice include precise location data, microphone access, camera access, photos access, and browsing history.

In other words, the White House app doesn’t have permission to listen to your conversations, spy on you through the camera, or see your exact location.

RELATED: How the FBI can flout Apple’s privacy tools

ugurhan/Getty Images

Going a step further, we took a look at the White House’s privacy page. Based on this information, the White House website (and by extension, the app) may collect the following that developers aren’t required to disclose directly on the app page:

The device’s originating IP addressThe internet domain nameInformation about your computer or mobile setup (e.g., type and version of web browser, operating system, screen resolution, and connection speed)The pages on WhiteHouse.gov that you visitThe internet address, or URL, of the website that connected you to the site if you accessed WhiteHouse.gov via a link on another page (i.e., “referral traffic”)The amount of data transmitted from WhiteHouse.gov to your computer

At first glance, none of these seem out of the ordinary. Practically all websites you visit log this information about your device and usage habits.

So the White House app is safe to use, right? Not so fast …

Secrets under the hood

A self-professed web designer and former reverse engineer that goes by “Thereallo” decompiled the Android version of the White House app to see exactly what its code entails. Thereallo makes several censorious claims about the app that earned the White House’s announcement a community note on X. The highlights include:

Security risks driven by arbitrary JavaScript injection and an absence of certificate pinning that could leave the app open to hacks in the future.Dubious GPS tracking that logs the device’s location in the foreground (while the app is in use) every 4.5 minutes and in the background (while the app is not being used) every 9.5 minutes.User behavior tracking through various avenues, including cross-device aliases, notification interaction logs, in-app clicks, and more.

Note that these points were only confirmed in the Android version of the White House app. Due to the closed nature of Apple’s mobile platforms, decompiling iOS apps are far more complex.

So is the White House app really safe to use?

While the new White House app looks good on the surface, there are some inherent flaws within its code that could open users up to cyber security threats and data tracking. If you’d like to use the app, consider these options first:

Enable a trusted VPN to mask your IP address from the app’s location-monitoring protocols.Revoke any permissions from that app that request location data or access to see nearby devices to ensure it can’t tap into your GPS data or connected Bluetooth devices.Install the app within a secure sandbox, either inside a Private Space on Android or within an iPhone that isn’t attached to your primary Apple account, to ensure any future cyber attacks on the app can’t attempt to access the rest of the data in your device.Don’t download the White House app. Simply visit whitehouse.gov for the latest information from the Trump administration.

If you’re still interested in checking out the White House app for yourself, you can download it from the Apple App Store for iPhone and the Google Play Store for Android.

​Tech, White house app, Android, Ios, Security 

A 42-year-old stepmother is denying allegations that she tortured her 8-year-old stepdaughter after school officials alerted Florida police.

The girl was allegedly dropped off on April 9 at Tedder Elementary School in Pompano Beach with black eyes and dried blood in her ears, which immediately alarmed school staff.

‘I’ve never read anything like this. … I’ve got serious concerns for the safety of the victim.’

A school counselor called police, who arrested Melirose Joncky after an investigation.

An arrest report said the child was suffering from a large contusion on her forehead and scratches on her arms and neck in addition to the blood and black eyes.

The child allegedly told the counselor that her wounds were caused by her stepmother, and she was wearing a cast from previous wounds also caused by Joncky.

The victim was transported to Coral Springs Medical Center by Broward Sheriff Fire Rescue.

Scans revealed that the child suffered from swelling of the neck, scalp hematomas, and fractures to her arm, foot, and ribs.

When questioned by police, the child detailed monstrous alleged physical abuse that involved beatings with a pot and whippings with phone chargers.

The arrest report said a member of the Broward County Child Protection Team confirmed that the child’s injuries were consistent with the abuse described by the child to police.

She also allegedly claimed that her father sexually assaulted her in Indiana.

Joncky was arrested when she went to pick up the child from the school, and she admitted that she knew about the girl’s injuries. However, she claimed that they were from acne and also from the girl running into a door a week before.

The stepmother was charged with aggravated child abuse and child neglect with great bodily harm.

RELATED: Former teacher sentenced to 132 years in prison for horrific abuse of her two stepsons

Lindsay Chase, the attorney representing Joncky, told the Miami Herald that they would present in court the full context of what happened.

“My client maintains her innocence and denies these allegations,” she said. “The facts are not as they have been portrayed, and there is significant context that has not been presented publicly. We look forward to addressing these issues in court, where the evidence, not speculation, will determine the outcome.”

Joncky appeared in court on Friday, where a Broward County Circuit Court judge expressed disbelief in the facts of the case.

“I’ve never read anything like this. … I’ve got serious concerns for the safety of the victim,” the judge said.

She was denied bond and remains in jail. The child was placed into the custody of the Department of Children and Families.

Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

​Stepmother tortures daughter, Melirose joncky, 2nd grader tortured, Stepchild alleges torture, Crime 

The conflict in Iran has put a spotlight on the vulnerabilities of fossil fuels. Over the last few weeks, we’ve watched the Strait of Hormuz close, cutting off 20% of the world’s oil supply and resulting in a 55% jump in oil prices. Every industry is feeling the impact of this. But no sector is more exposed than defense.

The U.S. military is the largest single institutional consumer of oil on the planet, and right now, that’s a strategic problem.

Modern warfare is increasingly fought by small, agile teams using robotics and autonomous systems on discrete, short-duration missions.

Estimates report that the United States armed forces consume approximately 4.6 billion gallons of fuel per year. If the Pentagon were a country, it would rank among the top 60 oil-consuming nations on earth. That demand doesn’t pause during a geopolitical crisis.

What the Hormuz disruption exposed is a fundamental issue: The machines that project force are the same machines most vulnerable to fuel supply disruption.

The true cost of a gallon

The cost of military fuel is much deeper than a dollar amount. Defense logistics professionals use a metric called the fully burdened cost of fuel, which accounts for procuring, transporting, and protecting a gallon of petroleum from the point of purchase to the point of use.

In some cases, the cost has been reported as high as $1,000 per gallon when shipping to the theater of war in the Middle East. In future major contested conflicts (particularly in the Pacific), fuel logistics could be pushed to the breaking point, with the challenges far greater than those faced in Iraq and Afghanistan.

We aren’t just paying for fuel in dollars. Fuel convoys cost lives. According to an Army Environmental Policy Institute study, U.S. forces sustained one casualty for every 24 fuel and water resupply convoys in Afghanistan. Between 2003 and 2007, an estimated 3,000 American soldiers and contractors were killed or wounded in attacks on fuel and water convoys.

The reason those convoys were so frequent comes down to raw consumption. A large Army division may use up to 6,000 gallons of fuel per day. The M1 Abrams tank gets less than 0.6 miles per gallon. The Army’s generator fleet, which powers lighting, communications, and base operations at forward locations, consumed approximately 357 million gallons per year during peak wartime operations in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Rethinking energy at the edge

Addressing this challenge requires rethinking not just how energy is sourced, but how much of it we need in the first place, where it’s going, and what we’re using.

The U.S. military spent an estimated $20.2 billion annually on air conditioning structures in Iraq and Afghanistan, making heating and cooling one of the largest energy expenses on a forward operating base. Simple interventions like spray foam insulation can cut climate-control costs by 50%, according to Army research at the National Training Center. Less demand means fewer convoys, fewer casualties, and greater operational freedom.

Modern warfare is increasingly fought by small, agile teams using robotics and autonomous systems on discrete, short-duration missions. Military logistics are evolving to match, minimizing the need to resupply fuel to smaller, distributed bases.

On the supply side, the answer isn’t a single alternative fuel. It’s an all-inclusive energy strategy: small-scale nuclear, solar paired with battery storage, hydrogen, wind, and hybridized fossil fuel generators working in concert.

Some real-life examples of this strategy include:

Nuclear microreactors as part of the Pentagon’s Project Pele have demonstrated that a reactor powerful enough to run a forward operating base can be packaged into standard shipping containers and airlifted by a C-17.Solar power and hydrogen allowed the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to run 24/7 perimeter security and surveillance at the White Sands Missile Range, completely unmanned, with zero power outages for 13 months.The Air Force has certified biofuel blends across its fleet. And companies like AirCo are using captured CO2 and hydrogen to create synthetic fuels, earning them a $65 million contract with the Department of War.

RELATED: Why the US should stake a claim to Antarctica

Sebnem Coskun/Anadolu/Getty Images

From logistics to resilience

Reducing fuel dependence improves force protection by minimizing resupply missions. It increases operational flexibility by allowing units to operate independently of fixed supply lines.

A 2023 U.S. Naval Institute Proceedings article warned that in a future Pacific conflict, the entire fuel logistics chain would be exposed to attack at every point, making energy resilience a priority the military cannot afford to delay.

Energy resilience also supports the realities of modern warfare. Future conflicts will be increasingly unmanned and robotic. Autonomous systems, persistent surveillance, and distributed command-and-control networks all require reliable, long-duration power.

Modern conflicts are more distributed, which means supply chains are more contested. The solution is not to find a single replacement fuel, but to build an energy strategy that is diverse by design while simultaneously reducing energy demand through better insulation, smarter base design, and leaner logistics.

The goal is an energy posture resilient enough that no single choke point — not the Strait of Hormuz, not a convoy ambush, not a supply line disruption — can degrade our ability to operate.

The question is no longer whether alternatives exist. It is whether we have the strategic will to build the energy architecture modern warfare demands.

This article was originally published by RealClearDefense and made available via RealClearWire.

​Army fuel consumption, Defense sector exposure, Fuel demand challenges, Oil supply impact, Fuel logistics casualties, Us military, Modern warfare, Drone warfare, Opinion & analysis 

My fellow Protestants need to know that after I get done with Pope Leo in this column, I’m coming for them next at next week’s TPUSA pastor summit in Dallas. So enjoy it while it lasts, and don’t get too proud.

But this pope, man.

And I quote: “Communion between Christians and Muslims takes shape … as children, within our rich diversity, in our shared aspiration for dignity, love, justice, and peace.”

Seriously, if what Pope Leo just articulated is an “apostolic journey,” then I am a Speedo swimsuit male model centerfold.

I’m actually looking for a pope who has serious theological disagreements with an evangelical like me and isn’t afraid to express them.

Why didn’t St. Peter think about asking his executioners to consider their shared aspiration of dignity, love, justice, and peace when they were crucifying him upside down? It was the least he could do. Maybe the Romans are the real victims, I guess.

As my Catholic editor has said, the pope keeps saying and doing things that don’t comport with obvious scriptural, historical, or current realities on the ground. We are getting a Mr. Rogers papacy, when the plumb line for true apostolic journeys is defined thusly: Peter went to Antioch, then Rome; he was crucified upside down. Andrew journeyed to Scythia and Greece and was crucified in Patras. James the Greater preached in Spain and was executed by sword in Jerusalem. John remained in Ephesus, was exiled to Patmos, and died peacefully. Philip went to Phrygia in Asia Minor and was crucified upside down. Bartholomew traveled through Armenia and India and was flayed and beheaded. Thomas preached in Persia and India and was struck by spears. Matthew carried the gospel to Ethiopia and was stabbed to death. James the Less stayed in Jerusalem and was thrown from the temple. Thaddeus Jude went through Syria and Mesopotamia and was martyred in Beirut. Simon the Zealot preached in North Africa and was killed in Persia. Matthias, who succeeded Judas, went to the Caspian region and was stoned and beheaded.

So the truth is out there if we want it in full, cross and all, instead of a Pope Leo soundtrack that comes across as a mix of John Lennon’s “Imagine” and Taylor Swift’s “You Belong with Me.”

Such social justice dreamscapes are always the conceit of weak men. They refuse to faithfully make the main thing the main thing but instead chase off after a preferred narrative. That’s how you go on a pleasant walk in an Algerian mosque while Nigerian Christians are presently being slaughtered on the very same African continent.

Pope Leo’s comments often frame violence as due to multifaceted, generalized causes based in things like economics or land rights instead of daring to take on Islam directly, either theologically or criminally. For example, among his many tweets, he has never specifically condemned Islamic radicalism for the attacks of October 7 against Israel by Hamas, a known proxy for Iran. Mere condemnations of generic terrorism have been his preference instead, as if all religions have similar levels of bloodlust at the present time.

Any ChatGPT query will tell you that such narrative casting also defined Leo when he was tweeting as Robert Prevost, which is probably why he was chosen as pope last year. The medicine for global conflicts is always focused on more dialogue, missionary work, and synodality rather than the obvious evils in our midst that are demonically vanquishing body and soul with impunity. That’s not a uniquely Catholic problem, though. You’ve all met David French and Mike Pence, right?

RELATED: The hottest part of this message isn’t political

Simone Risoluti – Vatican Media/Vatican Pool/Getty Images

Strangely enough, I’m actually looking for a pope who has serious theological disagreements with an evangelical like me and isn’t afraid to express them, because then I will know that firstly, he understands the true nature of the battle, and secondly, he is convicted to win it. That I can deal with. That’s a man in full, not a chestless minstrel reciting peacenik poetry while hanging out with David Axelrod.

Yes, in terms of relationships, the job of the pope and of all Christians may indeed be to make some very strange bedfellows when we live out Matthew 28 and go to Nineveh, but the language used to do it and the environment it is done in must never compromise the whole counsel of God in favor of a preference for “being nice.”

I also know from a search of ChatGPT that Pope Leo has spoken very frequently on things that evangelicals care a great deal about, like sin, repentance, and redemption. Thus, I think the way to confront this pope is with actual Catholicism instead of Protestant trolling.

We must remind him of the deep history and teaching of his own church — one that inspired, saved, and preserved Western civilization in ways too numerous to count.

In other words, do you even chair of St. Peter, bro? That’s the path forward, not taunts of illegitimacy.

We just want the pope to actually be Catholic. I hope and pray that isn’t too much to ask.

​Opinion & analysis