Ops Brief 049: Daily Drop - 20 May 2025 (Bonus Cuts & PCS Chao)

In this extended Daily Drop, Jared unleashes a tactical nuke of sarcasm on the Pentagon’s parade of WTF decisions. From billion-dollar contracts imploding to Airmen stuck in retirement limbo, it’s clear nobody’s steering this defense dumpster fire. Cyber Command wants to be SOCOM now (because that worked so well before), troops can’t move because the PCS fairy ran out of money, and SpaceX is somehow our last hope in space. Also: PFAS water, political drama, and Congress failing military families… again.

If you like your military updates with a side of rage and real talk, you’re in the right TOC.

🔥 Key Takeaways:

🍿 Pete Hexeth goes from DoD to NASCAR grand marshal. Sure, why not.
💾 Cyber Command wants to be SOCOM… but cyber.
🚚 $18B moving contract fails harder than a 3-level on their first TDY.
💸 Retirement and separation orders? Paused. Budget said “nah.”
☣️ Okinawa base flagged for PFAS contamination. Classic deflection incoming.
✈️ F-47s, B-21s, and AI test wings are cooking—finally some good news.
🌪️ McConnell evacuates tankers from tornados. Readiness meets reality.
🛰️ SpaceX still dragging the military’s orbital dreams across the finish line.
🧢 Airmen get screwed on SNAP benefits while Congress eats steak.
🫤 Elon Musk, Taiwan war plans, and transgender troop policy fights—just another day.
⏱️ Timestamps:

00:00 – Welcome to the double-length chaos
00:40 – NASCAR + DoD = WTF
01:15 – Cyber Command tries to SOCOM itself
02:35 – The $18B PCS disaster
03:50 – NSA/Cyber Command power struggle
04:25 – UAE signs on as a DoD tag-along
05:10 – Indo-Pacific: the PLA dilemma plan
06:00 – SOCOM = Pentagon’s new poster child
07:00 – DoD cuts university R&D funding
07:30 – Okinawa’s PFAS mess
08:20 – New AF Sec: Troy Mink steps in
08:40 – Paused retirements & PCS orders
09:30 – Vandenberg test launch incoming
10:00 – Diego Garcia gets F-15 muscle
10:40 – F-47, B-21, and AI flight ops
11:20 – EA-37 Compass Call debuts
12:00 – AI Center of Excellence coming online
12:30 – David Alvin: More jets, fewer tanks
13:20 – Aviano honors fallen Airman Velasco
13:40 – Tornadoes disrupt refueling ops
14:20 – Korea resurrects a busted F-35
15:00 – Space Force vs China/Russia threats
16:00 – Vandenberg SpaceX expansion
16:40 – Military families vs Congress on SNAP
17:15 – China’s Taiwan playbook explained
17:40 – Elon Musk under defense scrutiny (again)
18:15 – Trans troops push back on bans
18:45 – Immigration policy smackdown
19:00 – Denmark upgrades to more F-35s
19:15 – Special ops nominee gets benched
19:40 – SpaceX: still the DoD’s ride-or-die
20:20 – Skip the opinion pieces, keep your sanity

🎯 Call-to-Actions:

🔔 Subscribe and stay locked in—especially before your next PCS gets frozen
💬 Drop your comments—especially if you’ve been ghosted by finance
🧢 Snag your kit from the Ones Ready Merch Store
⭐ Leave a review. We’re angrier than a DEERS outage
📧 Two spots left for the Operator Training Summit (June 21–22 in San Diego)—hit us up now