Pentagon bans cartoons |THE SWAMP LOG

Your weekly dispatch from the nation’s capital

 

THE SWAMP LOG: Dire Strait, Pentagon Bans Cartoons, . .

 

Caden Olson Mar 16 ∙ Preview

(Illustration by Daniel Medina)

PRESENTED BY: Racket Readers Like You.

THE EXECUTIVE

1. The president arrived in D.C. late Sunday evening, and will participate in a meeting with the Trump Kennedy Center Board Members at the White House at 11:45 AM. 
2. Trump will meet with the United States Ambassador to Japan at 4:00 PM in the Oval Office.

DIRE STRAITS: News of the war in Iran this week could turn on President Donald Trump’s success in persuading allied countries and China to send warships to pry open the Strait of Hormuz, through which 20 percent of the world’s oil flows.

“We are talking to other countries on the policing of the Strait,”
--- Trump said in a press gaggle aboard Air Force One on Sunday.

“I think we’re getting good responses.”
“I’ll say this ... we will remember,” ---Trump emphasized.

So far, Japan and Australia have said no. The United Kingdom has been noncommittal. If China declines, it could jeopardize Trump’s scheduled summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing slated for March 31 to April 2.
 

Trump has repeatedly claimed victory in the war of attrition against Iranian military and naval assets. But on another front, Iran is winning the battle against global energy supply. Because of the narrowness of the Strait — reaching just 21 miles at its slimmest point — targeting tankers requires no more than a drone, shoulder-fired missile launcher or seabed mine.
“If there’s no response or if it’s a negative response I think it will be very bad for the future of [the North Atlantic Treaty Organization],” Trump later told the Financial Times. 

Europe has more minesweepers than the U.S., the paper reported.
“I’ve long said that NATO is a one-way street,” he said.
So far a full-blown crisis has been abated..."

 

“i’ve long said that NATO is a one-way street,”

President

Donald Trump

made this statement on March 15, 2026, during an interview with the Financial Times while criticizing NATO allies for their lack of military support in the escalating conflict in the Strait of Hormuz. 

The remark was part of a broader warning that the alliance faces a "very bad future" if member states do not contribute more to U.S.-led operations against Iran. 

Context of the Statement

• Request for Support: Trump expressed frustration after allies, particularly the United Kingdom, reportedly declined his request to send ships to the Persian Gulf.
• "One-Way Street" Argument: He argued that the U.S. has historically protected European interests—citing aid to Ukraine as an example—but is not receiving reciprocal help when seeking to secure global energy routes like the Strait of Hormuz.
• Military Status: Trump claimed the U.S. and Israel had already "decimated" Iran's naval and anti-aircraft capabilities, suggesting that ally involvement would now involve minimal risk.
• Allied Pushback: Many NATO members have hesitated to join, noting that the alliance's Article 5 mandate for collective defense applies only when a member is attacked, not when a member initiates an offensive campaign outside of Europe or North America.