Office Hours with Retired Army Colonel George Mason

The Wisconsin Committee of Safety, a veteran‑led nonprofit, spent recent election day deploying observers in Madison and Milwaukee. Their on‑the‑ground report highlighted smooth operations, noting only a single absentee ballot marked with a marker and a brief delay at a Milwaukee school polling site. A duplicate mail‑in ballot in Green Bay was identified, corrected, and the voter cast a new ballot in person, underscoring the group's commitment to transparency and countering the narrative of widespread fraud.

Looking ahead, the Committee is mobilizing for an August rehearsal and full‑scale November deployment. Mobile observation teams will patrol likely federal installations, watch for DHS, ICE, or National Guard presence, and coordinate with other voting‑rights coalitions to cover high‑risk districts such as the third congressional district’s blue‑leaning cities and urban Latino precincts. Their strategy includes informing voters of their rights, alerting law‑enforcement to potential Title 18 violations, and preparing legal defenses should the governor face federal pressure to mobilize troops for election security.

Beyond state politics, retired Colonel George Mason warns of a broader shift in U.S. global security. He argues that NATO’s relevance is eroding as European nations pursue independent defense initiatives, exemplified by the EU’s “Europe up, Russia down, America out” stance and Canada’s interest in alternative fighter programs. Diminished intelligence sharing and waning trust among allies, he says, leave the United States increasingly isolated, demanding a reassessment of military budgeting and domestic resilience to maintain strategic influence.