They don’t celebrate Christmas. They celebrate our complacency.
Make no mistake: while American families gathered around trees and unwrapped gifts, adversarial nations were wide awake. Working. Planning. Watching. The Christmas security threat level doesn’t decrease because we’re feeling festive.
I woke at 4:30 AM this morning. Not because I was excited about presents—I’m 41 years old—but because someone has to maintain situational awareness. Patton, my German Shepherd, understood. He was at the window with me, scanning the tree line.
Christmas Security Threat Assessment
Consider the strategic implications of December 25th. America’s attention is divided. Families are traveling. Defense contractors are on skeleton crews. Meanwhile, in nations that don’t observe Western holidays, it’s just Thursday.
This is precisely when the probing occurs. Not the invasion—they’re not ready for that yet—but the testing. The signal intelligence. The positioning. As I’ve noted before, our enemies study our patterns. Christmas is a pattern. A predictable one.
Soft Power Meets Soft Targets
The Christmas security threat isn’t limited to military vectors. We must consider the full spectrum. Cyber operations don’t pause for Santa Claus. Economic warfare doesn’t take a holiday. Influence campaigns run 24/7/365—including the 365th day.
Do you think hostile actors aren’t studying which streaming services Americans watched today? Which products they purchased? Which opinions they shared? Data is the new ammunition, and we just handed them a full magazine.
What Must Be Done
I’m not saying Americans shouldn’t celebrate Christmas. I’m saying we should celebrate it with our eyes open. One eye on the tree, one eye on the threat horizon.
Additionally, I’m calling on leadership to maintain readiness posture through the holiday period. Thirty percent of our forces should remain at elevated status. Minimum. Ideally forty.
The enemy doesn’t respect our traditions. We shouldn’t let our traditions blind us to the enemy.
Enjoy your Christmas. I’ll be at the window again at 0430. Patton and I don’t take holidays off.
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