Of history, warfare, leadership, and alcohol
Assessment is how the military determines “the overall effectiveness of employing capabilities during military operations.”. That said, the military does not practice this dark art well. If an objective is clear-cut, measuring its performance is also straightforward. Broader objectives cause problems. This was the challenge in Iraq. It was also at the heart of the …
Continue reading "Forget Love in the Time of Cholera, How About Assessment in the Time of COVID-19?"
It’s not the Generals and Admirals, resplendent in their perfectly pressed uniforms or artfully crafted Rebel style, who write strategy. No, it’s some poor neglected Rebel equivalent of a staff weenie making best guesses in the back of an Empire cubical farm of Rebel hangar deck.
Sometimes, as you trod along the road of life, you look up, trying to get a glimpse of what lies ahead. Sometimes it's dark and gloomy, and you realize it's been been growing so for some time. There isn't much to see. Peering through the murk is exhausting, as is trying to navigate with the …
Continue reading "Mental Health in the Military: A Parable"
Most people think of the military as a no-nonsense place, where everyone is filled with rigid discipline and chock-full of common sense. And while that might be the image that we often like to have portrayed of ourselves, there's a lot more that goes on that would definitely elicit a few, "WTFs" if they were …
Continue reading "5 Ways the Military is an Absurdist Organization"
Two shots. Three. Six more, in quick succession. Ian woke with a start. Sharp cracks and deep echoes twanged in his ears, shaking him awake and out of his hammock. Even in sleep, he'd noted the familiar pattern of sounds that overlaid his subconscious. Nine shots in total. The bay was shrouded in complete darkness. …
Continue reading "Finding Space – Chapter Fourteen"
On July 18, 2020, an African-American woman took command of a military unit that once used to be part of rebel general Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson's famous "Stonewall Brigade." Captain Candice Bowen became the first woman to command an infantry company in the Virginia National Guard, assuming command of B Company, 3rd Battalion, 116th Infantry Regiment. …
Continue reading "A Tarnished Legacy: Confederate Battle Honors and the Army National Guard"
Sure, at first glance, you wouldn't think that a TV show about a doctors, nurses, and a crazy janitor at teaching hospital would have anything to do with the military. However, both the military and the medical professions have a lot in common: life and death decisions, long periods of boredom punctuated with brief moments …
Continue reading "How “Scrubs” Characters are Basically Your Military Unit"
Step aside Clausewitz, a new thinker has entered the professional military education (PME) ring – Sir Terry Pratchett. Military theory and history are the bedrock of PME. They should remain so. However, popular fiction, even books which at first blush have very little to do with the military, can contain very useful insights for leaders. …
Continue reading "Put Down Clausewitz, Pick Up Pratchett "
The ideas presented by the founders - debated, argued, and finally articulated in the Declaration of Independence in 1776 - were not just meant for the people of that century. They were meant for all who would come after them. They stand as an idea, not as something that has been enshrined into existence. The …
Continue reading "An Ongoing American Revolution"
The Army, specifically Fort Hood, has been in the spotlight due to the recent events surrounding the disappearance of PFC Vanessa Guillen—and it’s not going to change anytime soon. What we are seeing is the surfacing of the issues regarding consent, power dynamics, and the inability of junior and senior leaders to foster an …
The Angry Staff Officer 
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