Of history, warfare, leadership, and alcohol
We’re in the early months of the centennial of U.S. participation in World War I, the so-called, “War to end all wars.” With the vantage of 20/20 hindsight, we now know that rather than “making the world safe for democracy,” as Woodrow Wilson hoped, World War I instead set the stage for the next round …
Continue reading "How Experience in WWI brought the U.S. Army to Victory in WWII"
In the future, will wars be fought with non-conventional means? Will engines designed for bringing people together and opening lines of communication be used for destruction instead? Some might say that they already are - all we need to do now is to militarize them. Like this. “Sir, we’ve got enemy movement, possibly up to …
Continue reading "Hashtag 6: the Social Media Wars"
When some search for the roots of the First World War, there is a tendency to look towards the Balkans. After all, it was the assassination of the Archduke Franz Ferdinand of the Austro-Hungarian Empire in Sarajevo in 1914 that precipitated the kick-off of the greatest and most deadly bar-brawl in the history of the …
Continue reading "Why 1866 Set the Stage for Two World Wars"
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?"
Today’s guest post comes from Barefoot Boomer. Boomer is a career Army officer and strategist. He is also a historian with an emphasis in American and German military history. The content and opinions of this article are the author’s only and do not reflect the opinions of the United States Army or the Department of Defense. Prologue: …
Continue reading "Guest Post: It Takes A Leader: Successful Integration of Combat Arms"
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?"
Cover photo: Gen. Vincent K. Brooks, U.S. Army Pacific commanding general speaks with a Soldier currently training on the Gulkana Glacier near Black Rapids, Alaska, March 10, 2015. (Sean Callahan/US Army) Taking care of Soldiers. That’s a favorite catch-phrase used by leaders, usually of the sergeants major variety, to describe any number of things: extra duty, …
Continue reading "Taking Care of Soldiers: What Does that Mean?"
The Angry Staff Officer 
You must be logged in to post a comment.