Warfighter: Bunker Hill

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When trying to understand Army doctrine, we tend to get too tied up in the gritty little details of doctrine itself. An example of this would be any number of the required briefings that come with with Military Decision Making Process (MDMP). Staffs spend more time formatting the briefing products - whether on PowerPoint or … Continue reading Warfighter: Bunker Hill

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Leaning into the Belt of Obedience, or, How I Stopped Worrying and Learned to Love the Reflective Belt

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Author's note: At the current moment, the world is in a state of fraying tempers, dangerous actors, and uncertain agreements. Suffice to say, the news can be stressful. With that in mind, this week's post is ludicrously silly.  It’s well known that we have a serious problem in the military: how to quit our addiction … Continue reading Leaning into the Belt of Obedience, or, How I Stopped Worrying and Learned to Love the Reflective Belt

Guest Post: a Current Officer’s Thoughts on Robert E. Lee

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By Butters' Bars In the aftermath of the abhorrent racism and bigotry put on display in Charlottesville, Virginia three weeks ago, it is easy to lose sight of the root cause of this violent outburst. The question at the center of Charlottesville is whether or not General Robert E. Lee, most famous for his role … Continue reading Guest Post: a Current Officer’s Thoughts on Robert E. Lee

Guest Post: Celebrating the Army’s Positive Past

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With racial tensions growing since the events in Charlottesville, the debate of the U.S. military's continued use of Confederate names has been brought back in the limelight. The Chief of Staff of the Army General Mark Milley tweeted out “ The Army doesn’t tolerate racism, extremism, or hatred in our ranks.”  https://twitter.com/ArmyChiefStaff/status/897742317897093121 However, there still … Continue reading Guest Post: Celebrating the Army’s Positive Past

The Different Types of Army Staff Officers by Branch

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As you progress in the Army as an officer - and sometimes as an NCO – you’re bound to end up on staff at some point or another. Like death or taxes, it is inevitable – and sometimes as equally dreaded. One of the perks of staff – besides the feeling of constant dread and … Continue reading The Different Types of Army Staff Officers by Branch

Guest Post: Who is Achilles Anyways? A Millennial Fires Back

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By Butters' Bars Recently a couple friends and I turned to the internet to answer a very important question: are we millennials? A number of sources place the millennial generation between 1980 and 2000—with some variation—putting the most recent group of college graduates (recently minted 2LTs) right at the end of the millennial generation. The … Continue reading Guest Post: Who is Achilles Anyways? A Millennial Fires Back

“I Would’ve Served, But…”

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If you've been in the military, you've had this conversation before: "Oh, you're in the Army? That's cool, I almost joined up once, but..." Random excuse follows. (Caveat: unless it is a medical issue, because there are those who desperately want to serve in the military but can't because of medical issues, and that can … Continue reading “I Would’ve Served, But…”

Hogwarts Houses as Army Branches

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In the Army, we battle more about whose branch is superior than we do about who has to eat the vegetarian omelette MRE. The infantry, of course, are the most aggressive in asserting their primacy over all others. That is, until special forces rolls in and glares at them over their beards. Cavalry and armor … Continue reading Hogwarts Houses as Army Branches

Is the Army’s Professional Military Education System Broken?

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The Army takes the education of its soldiers very seriously; so seriously that it developed the term “professional military education,” which it then turned into an acronym, PME. That’s how you can tell that the Army is serious about things: proliferation of acronyms. But seriously. Military Education Military education is incredibly important - it sets … Continue reading Is the Army’s Professional Military Education System Broken?