Paid Subscription Tier Incoming

Just a friendly reminder

Hey friends, Wes here.

After posting for free to Substack for a year, I just wanted to let my subscribers know that a new paid tier will be arriving this week. (Don’t worry, I’m still posting once weekly for free.)

Why a Premium Tier?

The premium tier will be your backstage pass to deeper analysis, exclusive insights, and behind-the-scenes perspectives. Think:

• Deeper analysis of breaking geopolitical events.

• Exclusive content I don’t share anywhere else, because not everything fits in a free post.

• Early access to projects I’m working on, like my upcoming nonfiction book on hilarious military blunders, a documentary film on the Vietnam Veteran homecoming, and a Clancy-esque novel that I’m writing about a conventional World War III.

It’s like going from economy to business class—not a necessity, but man, is it nice to stretch your legs and sip champagne once in a while.

Also, keeping my most scathing anti-authoritarian content behind a paywall keeps me and my family marginally safer from the people who will soon be roaming the streets looking for dissenters who speak out against the regime.

What’s Staying Free?

I know it’s difficult to support more than a few Substack newsletters at a single time. After all, you can’t pay a premium for everyone you enjoy reading. That would be insane. I’m in the same position myself. Who do I look like, Daddy Warbucks?

Free subscribers, you’re still getting weekly posts packed with thoughtful analysis, storytelling, and hot takes about military tech. But the premium tier will let me go above and beyond, diving into topics with more depth and delivering more value an additional two times a week.

Let’s Do This Together

Out of 1,600 subscribers, 40 of you have pledged to premium already. Your support means the world to me. I believe you will be billed as soon as I ‘push the button.’ So, if you’re thinking to yourself ‘Dear God, I’ve made a terrible mistake!’ then now’s your chance to opt out.

Creating this premium tier isn’t really about locking content behind a paywall—it’s about offering more value to those who want to go deeper into the topics we explore together.

And honestly? Cash helps me dedicate the time and resources needed to keep this newsletter thriving and evolving.

I’m also currently on the hunt for a few key contributors with a background in intelligence and military technology who can write for my publication “Eyes Only” to make sure that you get your bang for the buck.

So here’s the new schedule to start with. Additional expert contributors will mean more content weekly. But until then:

Sunday: Premium Post

Wednesday: Premium Post

Friday: Free Post

One last thing… One of my readers mentioned that $8 per month is pretty expensive for a single writer - especially since you can get a subscription to the entire [digital] New York Times for $14.99 per month. So I know this tier is not for everyone. Just remember, I don’t report the news - I report my opinion of the news. If you subscribe to me, you likely align with my values and want to hear me talk smack about authoritarians with a heavy dose of military technology.

Thanks again! And I’ll see you on the other side.

Wes