Author Degrade and Destroy. Co-author The Endgame, Cobra II and The Generals' War. National Security Correspondent, Wall Street Journal [email protected]

Washington, D.C.
Joined May 2009
“Degrade and Destroy.” My inside account of the counter-ISIS campaign. Coming June 14.
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Michael R. Gordon retweeted
This war is notable for the fact that it is largely fought by men in their late 30s and 40s. On the Russian side, there had been one partial mobilization in 2022 of 300k, while more than 1.3M were contracted to fight via payouts and benefits, a notable number also came form the prison system.
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Republican candidates are being pressed on why now is the time to go soft on Putin. Some of them are breaking with Trump rather than defend his Russia-friendly decisions. With @meridithmcgraw and @erinmulvaney wsj.com/politics/policy/trum…
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RT @ByChrisGordon: Tremendously honored to win the 2026 Defence Media Awards honor for Best New Journalist. Thank you to the @ASForcesMag t…
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SCOOP: Kalshi has launched an investigation into a series of suspicious trades on their platform on President Trump's selection of Katie Zacharia to be his next White House press secretary. Zacharia was at about a 1% odds favorite to becoming press secretary prior to today's developments but at least three traders placed "yes" bets on her getting the job prior to any news of Trump selecting her. Story w/ @PhilipWegmann and @KThomasDC wsj.com/finance/regulation/k…
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Michael R. Gordon retweeted
There it is: the General License allowing sale of Russian diesel, proceeds of which support Russia’s war against Ukraine. Not a promising start to the imminent talks on ending the war. @ACGeoEcon @ACEurasia ofac.treasury.gov/media/9372…
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Michael R. Gordon retweeted
Additional Zelensky statement on the U.S.-Russia diesel agreement: “Right now, our Ukrainian team, our negotiating team, is in Florida for a 2-day visit, holding talks with the U.S. team about ending this terrible war, at minimum regarding a ceasefire. The start of a ceasefire could be an energy ceasefire, an energy-related cessation of hostilities. This is very important for our people, for our families. And at this very moment, while our team is meeting with the U.S. team in Florida, the U.S. President is having a conversation with the Kremlin leader, the leader responsible for this war and this aggression, and they reach an agreement under which USA gives Russia the opportunity to export diesel fuel. This is additional money for this war. This is additional money for the suffering caused to us, without question. This only fuels Putin and gives him the power to keep fighting even more. And at this very moment, when we are talking about peace, America is giving Russia the opportunity to export diesel fuel. That’s, I don’t know, millions, billions (of dollars). In any case, all of this goes toward the war against our people, against Ukraine, against all of us. I believe they are simply using our team as a cover. And this is clearly unfair. This is clearly not acting in good faith as a partner. And this, in my view, is a weak decision. Unfortunately, unfortunately, it is a weak decision from strong partners”
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Michael R. Gordon retweeted
Kimberly Guilfoyle was preparing for her congressional hearing to become U.S. ambassador to Greece when she reached out to a Trump donor with an urgent request: She needed $100,000 that she said she owed American Express—in a way that wouldn’t leave a paper trail. “It won’t show up anywhere if you wire money to American Express,” she wrote on Signal, according to messages reviewed by The Wall Street Journal. “Please.” w/@DanaMattioli @drewhinshaw @JoeWSJ wsj.com/politics/policy/guil…
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Michael R. Gordon retweeted
“As much transparency as possible will help calm fears of further international spread,” @HayleyAnneDC Severance of @NTI_WMD tells @mgordonwsj regarding the Siberian lab death. Full article ⤵️
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Michael R. Gordon retweeted
The Congressional Research Service report on damage to U.S. military aircraft during the war with Iran cites @ASForcesMag’s reporting along with great work from our colleagues at other outlets.
At least 81 US military aircraft are known to have been destroyed, lost or otherwise damaged / knocked out of service during the war with Iran, according to a new Congressional Research Service report:
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The U.S. has warned Moscow in a demarche that its failure to disclose details about the death of a lab worker from a plague research center in Siberia runs counter to its international health obligations. With @RobbieGramer, @VeraMBergen, @tggrove wsj.com/world/russia/u-s-esc…
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Michael R. Gordon retweeted
US Bombers at Fairford - That's all Folks! #IranWar‌ Just over 7 months after they began arriving at RAF Fairford (EGVA), the last of the 29 US Air Force bombers deployed to the base have gone home. Over the coming weeks I'll release more of the in-depth data collected by MATA team members since March, but for now - a tribute to the aircraft that have dominated the skies over the south-west of England in the largest US overseas bomber deployment to Europe we'll likely ever see. 255 missions tracked - combat and training #OSINT @MATA_osint
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Michael R. Gordon retweeted
RAF Fairford has been under increased security for days, and the threat level at the base was raised before the arrests of individuals on terrorism charges this morning. UK Thwarts Suspected Terrorist Plot Against Base Used by US Bombers for Strikes on Iran airandspaceforces.com/uk-ter…
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Michael R. Gordon retweeted
A U.S Air Force spokesperson provided this statement regarding the apparent bomb threat and terrorism related arrests of 5 men near RAF Fairford, U.K., which houses U.S. B-1B Lancer bombers that have been used against Iran and remain stationed at the base: “U.S. Air Forces Europe and the 501st Combat Support Wing appreciate the swift response and continued support of our local law enforcement partners. The safety and security of our Airmen, families, and surrounding communities remains our highest priority. We remain in close coordination with our UK partners to help ensure the safety and security of both our military and local communities. For operational security reasons we will not discuss specific force protection measures. The 501st Combat Support Wing and our other UK-based Wings remain vigilant and will take appropriate actions to ensure the safety and security of our U.S. service members, civilians, contractors, and their families. We constantly assess a variety of factors that determine what measures we institute or modify to protect our installations, our people and their families.”
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Michael R. Gordon retweeted
U.S. Northern Command plans to sign an agreement with its European and Pacific counterparts to enhance coordination and close security seams in the Arctic, a strategically vital region where all three commands converge, U.S. officials tell me. airandspaceforces.com/northe… The agreement, to be signed by NORTHCOM’s Gen. Guillot, EUCOM’s Gen. Grynkewich and PACOM’s Adm. Paparo, aims to strengthen information sharing, facilitate the movement of forces and ensure that adversaries cannot exploit the geographic boundaries among the commands.
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Michael R. Gordon retweeted
The White House has proven reluctant to more seriously confront Beijing over its support for Iran, which has continued launching attacks on U.S. forces and oil infrastructure in the Middle East. Read our story on the elephant in the room at today's Trump/Xi summit (with @RoryWSJ @JonathanEmont @summer_said) wsj.com/politics/china-iran-…
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