How a Military Safety Program Is Punishing Troops Instead of Protecting Them with Max Goldberg
Point Of Impact With Aaron Hale · Aaron Hale
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Show Notes
A program designed to protect service members from dangerous supplements is instead ending careers for some of the very people it was meant to safeguard.
Aaron Hale speaks with Marine defense counsel Max Goldberg about Operation Supplement Safety (OPSS) and why its current implementation is creating unintended consequences across the military.
Max Goldberg explains how a constantly changing prohibited substance database, unclear guidance, and weak education systems are creating situations where young service members unknowingly violate policy and face administrative separation.
The discussion is not about defending harmful substances or ignoring discipline–it focuses on responsibility inside the chain of command and the difference between education and punishment.
The deeper question is whether a bureaucracy built to manage risk can still exercise judgment when real people and real careers are involved.
*The views expressed are those of the speaker's and do not represent the views of the Department of Defense or its components.
0:00 Intro 05:17 What Led to the Marines 12:03 Policy Implementation and Enforcement Failures 19:53 Challenges with the OPSS Website 24:20 Why the List Is Masked 30:49 Not Entitled to an Adversarial Proceeding 33:26 Advice to the Troops 36:26 Attacking the Problem on Different Levels 43:51 Commanders Need to Be Aware 47:42 The Highest Level National Security Challenges 52:09 Raising the Issue Publicly 55:22 Countdown to Impact
Resources Mentioned:
📚 The Digital Fourth Amendment by Orin Kerr https://www.amazon.com/dp/0190627077
📚 Democracy in America by Alexis de Tocqueville https://amzn.to/4bsd6Ru
📚 Pnin by Vladimir Nabokov https://amzn.to/4udZn8a
🌐 Operation Supplement Safety https://www.opss.org
Disclosure: Some of the links in these show notes are affiliate links, which means we may earn a small commission if you purchase through them (at no extra cost to you).
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