What are the key takeaways from this The Bulwark Podcast episode?

Key insights include: **ICE Agent Accountability:** Masked federal agents operating without identification mirrors early Iraqi security forces who wore masks due to corruption and fear. Professional security forces display pride through visible identity, as Iraqi forces demonstrated by removing masks and launching billboard campaigns featuring named officers.; **Iran Military Planning:** Effective Iran strategy requires all four elements of national power—diplomacy, information, economics, and military—not just airstrikes. The IRGC and Basij forces total 800,000 personnel, exceeding US Army size, making surgical strikes insufficient without comprehensive planning for post-regime governance and stability.; **Ukraine Humanitarian Crisis:** Russia shifted tactics to fire ballistic missiles at local power substations rather than generation facilities, leaving Kyiv at 3°F without electricity for fourteen days. Over 110 American volunteers have been killed fighting for Ukraine, a fact receiving minimal media coverage.

What did Mark Hertling discuss on The Bulwark Podcast?

Retired Lieutenant General Mark Hertling analyzes masked ICE agents' tactics, compares them to Iraqi police forces, examines military contingencies for Iran and Greenland, and discusses Ukraine's deteriorating humanitarian crisis amid Russian attacks. Key topics include: **ICE Agent Accountability:** Masked federal agents operating without identification mirrors early Iraqi security forces who wore masks due to corruption and fear. Professional security forces display pride through visible identity, as Iraqi forces demonstrated by removing masks and launching billboard campaigns featuring named officers.; **Iran Military Planning:** Effective Iran strategy requires all four elements of national power—diplomacy, information, economics, and military—not just airstrikes. The IRGC and Basij forces total 800,000 personnel, exceeding US Army size, making surgical strikes insufficient without comprehensive planning for post-regime governance and stability..

How long is this episode of The Bulwark Podcast?

This episode is 56 minutes long. SignalCast provides an AI-generated summary so you can get the key insights in about 3 minutes.

The Bulwark Podcast

Mark Hertling: The Cowards of ICE

January 14, 2026

56 min episode · 2 min read

Mark Hertling

Episode

56 min

Read time

2 min

Topics

Science & Discovery, Economics & Policy

AI-Generated Summary

Published Jan 14, 2026

Key Takeaways

✓ICE Agent Accountability: Masked federal agents operating without identification mirrors early Iraqi security forces who wore masks due to corruption and fear. Professional security forces display pride through visible identity, as Iraqi forces demonstrated by removing masks and launching billboard campaigns featuring named officers.
✓Iran Military Planning: Effective Iran strategy requires all four elements of national power—diplomacy, information, economics, and military—not just airstrikes. The IRGC and Basij forces total 800,000 personnel, exceeding US Army size, making surgical strikes insufficient without comprehensive planning for post-regime governance and stability.
✓Ukraine Humanitarian Crisis: Russia shifted tactics to fire ballistic missiles at local power substations rather than generation facilities, leaving Kyiv at 3°F without electricity for fourteen days. Over 110 American volunteers have been killed fighting for Ukraine, a fact receiving minimal media coverage.
✓Greenland Invasion Logistics: JSOC specializes in counterterrorism and extraction missions, not territorial invasion planning. Greenland's 50,000 citizens live on 20% of the island, with 80% ice coverage. The US already operates Pituffik Space Force Base with Danish cooperation, making invasion militarily nonsensical.

What It Covers

Retired Lieutenant General Mark Hertling analyzes masked ICE agents' tactics, compares them to Iraqi police forces, examines military contingencies for Iran and Greenland, and discusses Ukraine's deteriorating humanitarian crisis amid Russian attacks.

Key Questions Answered

•ICE Agent Accountability: Masked federal agents operating without identification mirrors early Iraqi security forces who wore masks due to corruption and fear. Professional security forces display pride through visible identity, as Iraqi forces demonstrated by removing masks and launching billboard campaigns featuring named officers.
•Iran Military Planning: Effective Iran strategy requires all four elements of national power—diplomacy, information, economics, and military—not just airstrikes. The IRGC and Basij forces total 800,000 personnel, exceeding US Army size, making surgical strikes insufficient without comprehensive planning for post-regime governance and stability.
•Ukraine Humanitarian Crisis: Russia shifted tactics to fire ballistic missiles at local power substations rather than generation facilities, leaving Kyiv at 3°F without electricity for fourteen days. Over 110 American volunteers have been killed fighting for Ukraine, a fact receiving minimal media coverage.
•Greenland Invasion Logistics: JSOC specializes in counterterrorism and extraction missions, not territorial invasion planning. Greenland's 50,000 citizens live on 20% of the island, with 80% ice coverage. The US already operates Pituffik Space Force Base with Danish cooperation, making invasion militarily nonsensical.

Notable Moment

Hertling reveals he received messages from Swedish military officers thanking him for Bulwark articles, noting Sweden now considers developing nuclear weapons as NATO's reliability collapses under current US leadership, reversing decades of non-proliferation policy among advanced democracies.

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