Of history, warfare, leadership, and alcohol
One of my mentors dropped this quote on me a few years back: "The United States military is obsessed with tactical solutions to strategic problems." After I picked my jaw off the floor because it was such an apt description of the last 20 years, I began to chew on the meaning of what they'd …
Continue reading "What Barbie Teaches Us About Tactics versus Strategy"
This is brought to you by the author having been subjected to two World War II airborne "experiences" in this year alone, which made them wonder if someone would ever try to encapsulate and commercialize the GWOT experience. This is a work of snark and should not be interpreted seriously. However, if someone does actually …
Continue reading "The GWOT Theme Park Experience"
With all due apologies to Charles Dickens. Marley was dead: to begin with. There was no doubt ever about that. Marley and Scrooge had been buddies ever since basic training. They’d shared a bunk together. But now, Marley was dead. As dead as a door-nail. Okay, not actually dead-dead, just dead on social media, where …
Continue reading "A Veterans Day Carol: Being a Ghost Story of Veterans Day"
Author's Note: This is a satirical article meant to highlight the absurdity of Russia’s reportedly low COVID-19 infection rate and it’s continued use of hybrid warfare in conflicts with its neighbors. After a frenzied 24 hours of military activity, President Vladimir Putin announced that the Russian military has sent assistance to the Baltic countries of …
Continue reading "Russian Military to Occupy Baltics to Prevent COVID-19 Infections"
The common perception of the 2004 film Mean Girls is a memorable teen comedy. This is wholly incorrect. Mean Girls is a primer on the risks of an unrestrainedly realist approach to hegemonic transition, and a stirring endorsement of multilateral arbitration. The story begins when Cady Heron, previously home-schooled, arrived at North Shore High School. …
Continue reading "Mean Hegemons"
December 24, 1863 Somewhere south of the North Pole My Dearest Hannah, This latest march has been our longest yet. We left northern Virginia in September, marches of 20 or 30 miles, worse than Gettysburg. I'm sure you have heard that we have been betrayed by the Northern Spheres - how our brave Lincoln calmly …
Continue reading "A Letter Home from the Civil War on Christmas"
WASHINGTON, DC. New reports have come to light that throws the much-publicized “Army National Guard 4.0” into near chaos. An unnamed officer inside of the National Guard Bureau, the head agency for the National Guard, revealed how Guard 4.0 was brought into existence.
By Dan Kim Author’s note: This is the second in a series of conflicts adapted into a children’s bedtime story, aided and abetted by both Angry Staff Officer and Toby Dickinson. Toby, I can’t thank you enough. I apologise in advance to any member of two particular regiments who may take offence to my portrayal; with …
Continue reading "Tommy and the Road to Stanley: A Bedtime Story of the Falklands Conflict"
By Dan Kim Author's note: This fantastical post is the brainchild of a friend who joked about me reading a story to my daughter, but instead wanted me to read him a bedtime story about the Iran-Iraq War. After a few lines, the friend and ASO planted the seed, like, why not turn one of …
Continue reading "The Schoolyard Bully: A Bedtime Story of the Iran-Iraq Conflict"
This is a guest post from Peter Lucier. Peter is a Marine veteran (2008-2013) and student at Montana State University. He writes as a member of the Council of Former Enlisted for The Best Defense blog, and is the editor of the soon to be launched Return to Base (rtbmag.com) You can follow him on Twitter …
Continue reading "Guest Post: The Warfighter’s Desire"
The Angry Staff Officer 
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