Mike Drop

Iran fired a surface-to-air missile at a U.S. fighter jet over the Strait of Hormuz, and U.S. forces struck back at Qeshm Island on the eve of Election Day.
MIKE DROP NEWSROOM | 3 NOVEMBER 2026
U.S. officials say Iran's Revolutionary Guard fired on an American jet Monday evening, and U.S. forces answered with a limited strike on Qeshm Island, the largest island in the Persian Gulf. Officials called it defensive and say it does not signal a return to major combat. In Europe, U.S. European Command launched a "See Something, Do Something" campaign urging troops and families to vary their routes, turn off geotagging on fitness apps and limit posts about travel.
Mike Ritland breaks down whether a measured response is enough of a deterrent when Iran is still shooting at U.S. aircraft during talks, why EUCOM's warning to families in Europe is a big deal, and why letting aid lapse for Navy families evacuated from Bahrain would be an unforced error.
Also covered: Navy families evacuated from Bahrain could lose safe haven housing aid, Russia's posture ahead of talks with the U.S. and the future of U.S. support for Ukraine, China hosting Oman's sultan and Iranian officials as it pushes to reopen Hormuz, and Election Day.
Should the U.S. answer Iran with a measured strike, or take the gloves off? Tell us in the comments.
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0:00 Iran fires on a U.S. jet; U.S. strikes Qeshm Island
4:05 EUCOM warns troops and families across Europe
9:05 Navy families evacuated from Bahrain could lose housing aid
12:40 Russia, Ukraine and the upcoming U.S.-Russia talks
17:20 China steps into the Hormuz fight
19:55 Election Day

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Former Navy SEAL Justin Hughes, BUD/S Class 293, SEAL Team Five, JTAC, and BUD/S second phase instructor, informally known as a professional drowner, joins Mike Ritland. He’s also a self-taught oil painter, and Mike calls his work spectacular. They dig into second phase training and the pool comp test, where students get bloody noses, teeth ripped out, and end up throwing up underwater and blacking out. Justin also explains how often he had to pull drowning students up and resuscitate them, and why he refused to lower the standard.

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Iran's Supreme Leader has ordered an immediate response with no geographic limit to any new attack, and Mike Ritland lays out how he thinks about being ready at home.
MIKE DROP NEWSROOM | 2 NOVEMBER 2026
Iran's Supreme Leader ordered the military to meet any attack with an "immediate, impactful and geographically unrestricted response," and to update its target bank so all kinds of U.S. and Israeli assets are within reach. President Trump says one or two sites in Iran remain, including Pickaxe Mountain, and Secretary of State Marco Rubio says no decision has been made on resuming strikes.
Mike Ritland breaks down what an unrestricted threat could mean here at home, then answers the question viewers keep asking: what does being prepared actually look like? He walks through a simple 10-to-14-day plan for water, power, food, medical supplies and light, plus what to do if it runs longer than two weeks. For deeper training, he points viewers to Clint Emerson and Mike Glover.
Also covered: the standoff in the Strait of Hormuz as both sides claim control; North Korea's latest weapons test; China's coast guard pressing in off Taiwan; and why the U.S. is getting involved in Russian gas to Europe.
Could your household last 14 days with no power and no store runs? Tell us what's in your kit in the comments.
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0:00 Iran orders a response with no geographic limit
1:30 Prepping at home: the 14-day plan
3:15 Water first
5:35 Food and power
6:30 Medical, firearms and light
8:15 Past two weeks: a secondary location
10:20 Hormuz standoff: who controls the strait?
12:20 North Korea tests during U.S. air drills
13:25 China's coast guard off Taiwan
16:45 Russian gas, Europe and the U.S.

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Iran went after America's radars first, then hit hangars, warehouses and troop housing at 26 bases across the Middle East.
MIKE DROP NEWSROOM | 1 NOVEMBER 2026
A new AP satellite analysis found more than 115 drone and missile strikes claimed by Iran or its militias damaged or destroyed structures at 26 bases and sites with U.S. equipment through August. Iran hit early-warning radars first, including a radar in Jordan that is one of only 13 the Army owns, then went after aircraft hangars, warehouses and barracks. Ali Al Salem Air Base in Kuwait was hit at least 30 times, and a Congressional Research Service report says 15 U.S. aircraft were damaged.
Mike Ritland breaks down why the order of those strikes matters: it is the same playbook the U.S. uses, and it shows Iran can now reach every base in the region if strikes resume after Tuesday's election. He also explains why he doesn't think the Pentagon should publish its own damage assessments.
Also covered: Trump says the U.S. still has one or two sites to hit in Iran, including Pickaxe Mountain; the Navy blockade has now turned back 144 ships as Iran offers to reopen the Strait of Hormuz; a report that Russian satellites helped Iran's allies target Saudi Arabia; the U.S., South Korea and Japan on North Korean denuclearization; and what Tuesday's midterms mean for war powers and the troops.
Should the Pentagon tell Americans how badly our bases were hit, or keep it classified? Tell us in the comments.
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0:00 Iran hit U.S. radars first, then 26 bases
5:15 Trump: one or two sites left, including Pickaxe Mountain
7:40 Navy blockade turns back 144 ships
10:45 Report: Russian satellites helped Iran's allies
13:35 North Korea denuclearization talks
15:55 Tuesday's midterms and the war decision

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The Pentagon's top war planner has been fired and his case referred to the Justice Department after he was accused of leaking classified information about the Iran and Ukraine wars.
MIKE DROP NEWSROOM | 30 OCTOBER 2026
Army Lt. Gen. Brett Sylvia, the Joint Staff's director for strategy, plans and policy, coordinated the options for the Iran campaign. A Pentagon official accused him of leaking classified information to reporters, and an internal investigation report seen by Axios says he admitted it. Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said classified information is "not personal property."
Mike Ritland breaks down why a leak like this could cost U.S. lives, why the punishment at the top looks lighter than it would for a lower-ranking service member, and whether this should be treated as treason.
Also covered: about $35 million in U.S. military aid to a Cameroonian unit tied to a third-country deportation deal, U.S. economic growth of 3.4% last quarter, the national debt passing 100% of GDP, and a federal judge refusing to set aside 20,000 California ballots the administration says are linked to non-citizens.
Should leaking war plans be prosecuted as treason, or is firing enough? Tell us in the comments.
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00:00 Pentagon's Iran war planner fired over leaks
04:33 Military aid to Cameroon tied to deportations
16:03 U.S. economy grows 3.4%
16:55 National debt passes 100% of GDP
19:59 Judge rejects bid to set aside California ballots

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