Of history, warfare, leadership, and alcohol
Last week, the U.S. hit a Syrian airfield with 59 cruise missiles as retaliation for Syria’s alleged use of banned nerve agents on its own civilian population. Some have questioned whether or not the strike went too far or perhaps did not go far enough. Many - including myself - equated it to the Clinton …
Continue reading "Use of Force: 7 U.S. Military Actions You’ve Never Heard Of"
One hundred years ago this week, the United States entered World War I. “Too late to make a difference!” say some, often British or Commonwealth. “Should never have joined it at all,” say others, usually non-interventionist Americans. “World war what?” say many, usually all other Americans. “Thank you,” say a great many, almost always French. No …
Continue reading "” Look! Here are the Americans!” The U.S. in World War I and Popular Memory"
Carl von Clausewitz famously wrote, “War is the continuation of politics by other means.” In today’s climate, it would be truer to say, “Star Wars is the representation of politics by other means.” From the echoes of Vietnam in A New Hope and company in the 1970s and ‘80s to the heavy-handed anti-imperialistic tones of …
Continue reading "Star Wars by Other Means: Rogue One and Foreign Policy"
The idea of a militia - that is, groups of armed citizens that enter military service in time of need - has a long and contentious history in the United States. The idea of what constitutes the militia under the Constitution is has stirred up a lot of debate these past few years, and was …
Continue reading "A Short History of the Militia in the United States"
In case you haven’t noticed, sexual harassment and assault in the military is back in the news. This time, Marines and retired Marines have been caught sharing nude photos of women Marines inside a closed Facebook group. These photos were either shared or taken without consent. But that was merely the beginning. Digging deeper, investigators …
Continue reading "The U.S. Military Photo Scandal: Whose Fault is It?"
Disclaimer: this should not be read as not wanting more Rogue One-type movies; we need more Star Wars films like this. Also: SPOILERS. There's a common phrase that you're apt to hear in discussions on Army readiness: "No more Task Force Smiths." For reference, Task Force Smith was a rapidly cobbled together unit of infantry and artillery …
Continue reading "No More Task Force Rogue Ones: A Tactical Analysis of the Raid on Scarif"
How Wind in the Willows can teach us about small unit actions in warfare. That sound? Oh, that’s just the clunking of heads hitting desks, as people react to their beloved childhood book being brought under the scrutiny of the military microscope. But really, we’d be doing an injustice to that mighty asymmetric warfighter, the …
Continue reading "Warfighter: Toad Hall"
“War is a human endeavor—a fundamentally human clash of wills often fought among populations. It is not a mechanical process that can be controlled precisely, or even mostly, by machines, statistics, or laws that cover operations in carefully controlled and predictable environments. Fundamentally, all war is about changing human behavior. It is both a contest …
Continue reading "War as a Human Endeavor: How do we train for that?"
Scene: the ghostly apparitions of the Jedi Council can be seen seated around the room in the familiar circle of the Jedi council. Yoda shifts uneasily in his small seat, which is odd, because he's a ghost . Yoda: "So, wondering as to why we are here, you are." Qui-Gon Jinn: "We've gathered the Joint …
Continue reading "Jedi Council After Action Review"
Time is a strange thing. This coming April 6, World War I and the United States turn 100. 100 years since Congress declared war on the German Empire. 100 years since U.S. Doughboys, carrying automatic weapons and wearing steel helmets, marched off to war in France, in Belgium, in Italy, and in Siberia. These troops …
Continue reading "Not in our Time: A Warning"
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