Skip to content
DUFFEL BLOG

Free military brief. No CAC required.

For more than a decade, we've deployed pitch perfect satire to service members around the world.

Join thousands of troops, veterans, and defense insiders who read Duffel Blog before breakfast.

“A must-read for national security nerds.”

—The Daily Beast
Subscribe form

Free. No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.

14years publishing
4,200+dispatches filed
17,000+readers briefed

The Duffel Brief · the free edition, Monday, Wednesday and Friday

Vol. 15 · No. 120 · Wednesday, 7 October 2026

Pentagon

DTS works properly after hack by rogue AI

Pentagon scrambling to restore slow load times, incomprehensible errors and traditional user experience

Lincoln sailor returning from deployment already broke

Paste-eating Marine praised for unmatched commitment to unit

Three editions a week, paid for by our subscribers

Vol. 15 · No. 120

Worldwide edition

Reader supported

Delivered 3× weekly

America's most trusted military news source

Duffel Blog

Established 2012 · Deployed worldwide

Vol. 15 · No. 120 · Deployed worldwide

Wednesday

7 October 2026

0220 Zulu

Next edition Friday

← Front page
Pentagon · Page 3

Hegseth blames fog of war after wrapping car around tree

Pentagon staff unsure whether to update safety briefs or call a meteorologist.

Filed · 0500

THE PENTAGON — Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth on Monday blamed a recent car accident on the "fog of war," marking the second time the rare meteorological/metaphysical phenomenon has intervened in his personal decision-making. Pentagon sources confirmed his McLaren GT was completely totaled, while Hegseth escaped with only minor scrapes — an outcome several officials attributed to the enduring spite of a vengeful God.

“Yes, I know what I’ve said about my blood-alcohol level in the past,” Hegseth told the assembled press pool of MAGA bloggers and Turkish state propagandists. “But this time it really was the fog of war. Honest.”

Members of Congress, suddenly remembering they are constitutionally allowed to give a shit, pressed Hegseth for details. A memo from the House Armed Services Committee asked how he managed to wrap a 2022 McLaren GT around a “perfectly innocent white oak” on a back road in Goodlettsville, Tennessee, near his family home. Several lawmakers questioned what exactly could have prevented the crash, with some openly wondering whether “fog” was simply a new operational term for “blacked out.”

Senior enlisted leaders also voiced frustration. Sgt. Maj. Alexa Stork of the 323rd Military Intelligence Battalion at Fort Meade said she was already busy enough warning junior soldiers about winter driving hazards.

“Now I have to tell Private Joe Snuffy to beware of the fog of war, too? This is bullshit,” Stork said, noting that the Army had not yet updated its POV safety brief to include metaphysical combat conditions.

Also on this page

Your Cart

Your cart is empty

Browse the shop to find something you like.

Continue Shopping →
Subtotal

Add more for free shipping.

✓ You qualify for free shipping!