US Army Appoints Palantir, Meta, OpenAI Execs as Lt. Colonels (opens in new tab)

it's too late for free elections, we haven't had one since pre-Bush I think. Most votes are programmed into people and they don't really know it, and if they do they just don't care. I think very few people actually study and do unbiased research prior to voting. Everyone votes based on what people around them think, and whichever party's social media "brainwashing" has affected them most.

No, it's called capitalism — capital has the last word. As we have seen clearly, even Trump is overwhelmingly limited by the constraints of capital.

There are many countries that have been in the position that the US has been, though few of them have been as strong democracies prior to falling to this state. I'd recommend the tactics in the two "Rules" section of this blog post:

https://verfassungsblog.de/the-authoritarian-regime-survival...

Though, personally, I'm having a lot of trouble following some of them...

It's a fascist measure.

Nice trick. I couldn’t stop myself from looking:

https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2025/06/09/curtis-yarvin-...

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/01/18/magazine/curtis-yarvin-in...

Giving federal employees 6+ month severance packages is a far cry from what Yarvin wrote ought to happen them.

Trump really can't get anything right.

*The people are too poor and disconnected to dissent.

Everything comes down to the desperation to survive in a world where abundant (ABUNDANT) food, shelter, and clothing still must be "earned" (so say our elites).

By your logic people also want to get into car wrecks, develop cancer in old age, get food poisoning, etc.

Just because there's risks with something or side effects with something doesn't mean people want the side effects

Dishonest sources can generate bullshit faster than honest people can debunk it. At some point you are obliged to dismiss consistently unreliable sources.

In fact, Wikipedia has already done this:

"The English Wikipedia formally deprecated the use of The Grayzone as a source for facts in its articles in March 2020, citing issues with the website's factual reliability."

(from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Grayzone)

That seems good too.

It is an Ad hominem against the source w/o addressing the actual content of the article.

Of course. Faux-news outlets peddling disinformation will always be happy to let you read their work for free. Serious journalists rely on your subscription for their paycheck, not Iranian state media, like the author of the OP link [1].

And paywalled links are allowed on HN [2].

[1]: https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2024/06/02/grayzon...

[2]: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10179596

That's a market, in defense a market segment would be "mortar rounds" or "tanks." Palantir's market segment is high-level integration of surveillance.

Exploding pagers are defensive? (Please don't wrap yourself into a logical pretzel responding to this purely rhetorical question.)

But medical providers aren't commissioned as advisors, they're commissioned to actually deliver services, right?

BUD/S /s.

> To punish or to learn?

Why can't it be both?

Rules matter. There are processes to change the rules officially. We are a nation of laws.

The DOD already has the Defense Science Board (and the services have their own advisory boards), so other than giving a few billionaires the chance to strut around in their freshly-pressed Class As, it's not clear what advantage this provides over existing civilian FACA entities.

Hopefully makes it easier to try them in The Hague

I asked Grok a related question about Robert Lee. Here is its response

Robert M. Lee, as the CEO and co-founder of Dragos, Inc., brings a wealth of expertise in industrial control systems (ICS) and operational technology (OT) cybersecurity, which aligns closely with the U.S. Army’s requirements for cyberspace operations and infrastructure protection. Commissioned as a Lieutenant Colonel in the Army National Guard in February 2025, Lee’s extensive background positions him to make significant contributions to the Army’s mission of securing critical infrastructure and enhancing cyberspace capabilities. His prior experience as a U.S. Air Force Cyber Warfare Operations Officer, where he developed a pioneering mission at the National Security Agency to identify threats to industrial infrastructure, equips him with a deep understanding of the cyber threats facing military and civilian systems. Additionally, his leadership in investigating high-profile cyberattacks, such as the 2015 and 2016 Ukraine power grid attacks, the 2017 TRISIS attack, and the 2021 Colonial Pipeline ransomware incident, demonstrates his ability to address sophisticated threats to critical systems, a key focus for the Army’s cyberspace operations.

Lee’s role in the Army National Guard, specifically with the 91st Battalion in Virginia, involves designing and leading OT cybersecurity and response efforts. The Army’s cyberspace requirements, as outlined in documents like the Army Cyberspace Strategy for Unified Land Operations 2025, emphasize securing mission-critical systems, protecting infrastructure, and developing resilient networks against advanced persistent threats. Lee’s expertise in ICS/OT cybersecurity directly supports these goals, particularly in safeguarding infrastructure like power grids, water systems, and transportation networks that the military relies on. His work at Dragos, including the development of the Dragos Platform for threat detection and response, and the discovery of the PIPEDREAM framework, showcases his ability to deliver scalable, OT-specific solutions. These skills could be applied to enhance the Army’s defensive cyber operations, improve real-time threat intelligence, and strengthen partnerships with private sector entities to protect national infrastructure.

Furthermore, Lee’s experience as a SANS Fellow and creator of ICS515 and FOR578 courses highlights his commitment to education and workforce development, which could bolster the Army’s efforts to train cyber warriors. His strategic vision, evidenced by his testimony to Congress and advisory roles with the Department of Energy and World Economic Forum, positions him to help the Army develop policies and strategies for public-private collaboration in cyberspace. By leveraging his technical expertise and leadership, Lee could drive the integration of OT cybersecurity into the Army’s broader cyber operations framework, ensuring robust protection of critical infrastructure and enhancing national security in an increasingly contested digital domain.

That looks ideal, thanks!