Of history, warfare, leadership, and alcohol
It's a simple sentence. Deceptively simple. And yet, it's one that people resist answering or get awkward if it gets brought up. What is worth fighting for? And further, what is worth dying for? Home? Family? Religion? Way of life? Economic pursuits? Safety and security? How about this one: what is worth killing for? Yes, …
Continue reading "What is Worth Fighting For?"
Today’s guest post comes from Major John Q. Bolton. Maj. Bolton is an officer deployed to Afghanistan. He holds a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from the United States Military Academy, an MBA from American Military University, and a Master of Military Arts and Sciences from the Command and General Staff College. An Army Aviator (AH-64D/E), his …
Continue reading "Guest Post: Military Scrutiny Isn’t a Bad Thing; In Fact, We Need More"
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"
She had a senior non-commissioned officer buy her lingerie, passing it off as a joke. I didn’t know. She was mentally broken down and denigrated, day after day, by a male officer who was her commander and who felt threatened by her presence. I didn’t know. She was propositioned - openly - by higher ranking …
Continue reading "I Didn’t Know"
Right. So I’m just going to put this out here right off: if I have to listen to yet another stumbling, rambling, mispronounced, mumbled, dry, and generally boring as hell briefing from one of my peers, I’m going to find a way to beat someone over the head with their own PowerPoint slides. Seriously, we’ve …
Continue reading "An Army Officer’s Guide to Public Speaking"
The Last Jedi promises something not seen before - a Star Wars equivalent of a strategic heavy bomber. To date, the Star Wars Universe has provided a science fiction examples to many real-life military roles (with varying degrees of artistic licence). Imperial Star Destroyers have largely stood in for the Navy, whilst the Army and …
Continue reading "The Star Wars Bomber Gap"
Scene: Interior of a First Order Star Destroyer. A First Order Army officer takes a seat at a desk, apparently well pleased. There’s a knock at the door and another officer walks in. Captain Arlis: Come on in XO, how are you today? Lieutenant Fivret: Good morning, sir, I’m fitter than a Mandalorian helmet, thanks. …
Continue reading "First Order Change of Command"
If you’re like me, you discovered the TV show Firefly well after the time it first ran in 2003. While we were spared the original heartbreak that came when the show was not renewed for a second season - damn you, Fox - we are still reminded of our loss every time we watch the …
Continue reading "If “Firefly” Characters were in the U.S. Military"
Today's guest post comes from Major John Q. Bolton. Maj. Bolton is an officer deployed to Afghanistan. He holds a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from the United States Military Academy, an MBA from American Military University, and a Master of Military Arts and Sciences from the Command and General Staff College. An Army Aviator (AH-64D/E), his …
Continue reading "Guest Post: The Flag, the Military, and Patriotism"
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"
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