Rick Wilson sits down with retired Lieutenant General Mark Hertling to break down the rapidly escalating war with Iran under the Trump administration — from the growing threat to global shipping lanes to the shockwaves already hitting oil markets and regional stability. Drawing on decades of battlefield command, Hertling explains what real wartime leadership looks like, why lawful orders and military ethics matter, and how quickly reckless politics can collide with the brutal realities of modern warfare. Together, Rick and Hertling cut through the cable-news noise and Washington theatrics to talk about the hard truths of war, the responsibilities of command, and the kind of steady, serious leadership democracies need when the stakes are life and death.
•
•
•
•
•
You can find Lt. Gen. Mark Hertling on X @MarkHertling. His new book, ‘If I Don’t Return: A Father’s Wartime Journal,” is available now, wherever fine books are sold.

Rick Wilson is on X at @TheRickWilson, on Bluesky at @TheRickWilson.bsky.social, and you can check out Rick's Substack at therickwilson.substack.com. You can check out more of LP's work at www.lincolnproject.us and on X at @ProjectLincoln.

Visit www.ethos.com/lincolnproject to find out how you can protect your family with life insurance from Ethos. #ad

Head to www.superpower.com and use code [LINCOLN] at checkout for $20 off your membership. Unlock your new health intelligence. 100+ biomarkers. Every year. Detect early signs of 1,000+ conditions. #superpowerpod #ad

Go to www.growtherapy.com/lincolnproject to find the right therapist for you. #ad

Make the switch to Sundays. Go right now to www.sundaysfordogs.com/LINCOLN50 and get 50% off your first order. Or, you can use code LINCOLN50 at checkout. #ad

#Trump #IranWar #MiddleEastWar #RickWilson #LincolnProject #USMilitary #WarLeadership #MilitaryEthics #MarkHertling #WarInIran #Geopolitics #BreakingNews #USPolitics #ForeignPolicy #MilitaryLeadership #IranConflict #GlobalSecurity #LeadershipMatters

War Is Not MAGA Cosplay: Lt. General Mark Hertling on the Iran War Dumpster Fire

The Lincoln Project

War Is Not MAGA Cosplay: Lt. General Mark Hertling on the Iran War Dumpster Fire