--- title: "Admiral in Charge of Nukes Brags About Crushing Tons of Monster Energy Drinks" description: "The 11th commander of the United States Strategic Command (STRATCOM) revealed that he crushed \"a couple of Monster [energy drinks] this morning.\"" date: "2021-08-13" modified: "2021-08-13" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/admiral-nukes-energy-drinks" categories: - "Energy" - "Future Society" - "Science & Energy" tags: - "nuclear weapons" - "the digest" - "US Navy" --- # Admiral in Charge of Nukes Brags About Crushing Tons of Monster Energy Drinks ![The 11th commander of the United States Strategic Command (STRATCOM) revealed that he crushed "a couple of Monster \[energy drinks\] this morning."]() *\Image: Futurism\* ## Crushing Energy Drinks Admiral Charles "Chas" Richard, 11th commander of the United States Strategic Command (STRATCOM) — the military's centralized command in control of the country's nuclear weapons — revealed that he crushed "a couple of Monster \[energy drinks\] this morning" at a briefing, as [quoted by *Breaking Defense* editor-in-chief Aaron Mehta](). It's a rather odd admission given the fact that Richard has his metaphorical finger on the nuclear trigger that could unleash World War III. Let's just hope all those energy drinks don't make him too jittery! Fortunately, there are a number of safeguards to ensure that Richard's energy drink habit doesn’t obliterate civilization. For one, president Joe Biden would have to sign off on his plans, [triggering a series of critical safeguards](). Still, it's enough to make us antsy. ## Steady Hand Richard sounds like a bit of an oddball. He likes to keep a poster of several of the world's dictators on a wall of his office, [according to Mehta](). "I keep pictures of Xi, Putin, Kim and the Ayotollah on my wall, under the words ‘Not Today,'" he said during an October conference, as [*Task and Purpose* reported]() at the time. STRATCOM was formed at the end of the Cold War to create a unified command in charge of the country's arsenal of nuclear weapons. Its main mission is to deter an attack, and, if need be, counter with nuclear weapons. We’d link to the [command’s official webpage](), but it appears to be down at the time of writing. Let's hope Richard is able to keep a steady hand after all those energy drinks. Nobody wants to be at the risk of a nuclear meltdown because of a tacky energy drink brand. **More on nuclear weapons:** *[China Is Building Even More Nuclear Missile Silos]()* ## Author I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()