The First Order Complains

Official complaint logged by Human Resources Division, I Division, Stormtrooper Corps Dear Sir/Ma'am/Alien/Droid, This is a closed complaint from troopers of the I Division, who wish to remain numberless, for very obvious reasons. This complaint is being registered in accordance with General Order Number 139, Complaints and Open Door Policy for First Order Personnel, Starkiller …

Seven Military Leadership Lessons from Calvin and Hobbes

When I was seven, my mother did the worst thing I could conceive of: she took my Calvin and Hobbes books away from me. Why, why would she do such a horrible thing, I asked her at the time, probably kicking and screaming and waving my tiny fists. It was a very simple answer: I was acting too …

First Order After Action Review for Operations on Jakku

After Action Review – Operations on Jakku Scene: Platoon room for 1st Platoon, 2nd Company, 4th Battalion, 225th Legion, First Order Stormtrooper Corps. Platoon sergeant SG51 is conducting the after action review for operations on Jakku. SG51: Alright, settle down troopers, settle down. Let’s get this whole AAR finished so that I don’t get an ass-chewing from …

A Day in the Life of a Rebel Alliance Logistician

Today's guest post comes from Eamon Hamilton (@eamonhamilton), who,  like a modern day Bruce Wayne, has two lives. By day, he does Public Affairs with the Royal Australian Air Force. By night, he stands with those who over-analyse the Star Wars films. He can be found writing here. Mom, I suppose it's too early to hope …

A Day in the Life of an Imperial Staff Officer

Dear Dad, You mentioned that you would like to know what my days are like now that I have graduated from the Raithal Imperial Academy, and since I'm on staff duty with not a lot to do, I figured I'd tell you. As you know, I did not get my first choice of assignment to …

Battle Staff Made Human

  Everything we do in the Army seems somehow dehumanizing. We remove individual identity at basic training, in order to meld individuals into a cohesive group. Individuals are referred to by their rank or just their last name. Our entire careers can be summed up on one or two sheets of paper (usually incorrectly). While …

Center for Galactic Lessons Learned

This past weekend, I spent some time re-watching Star Wars episodes IV, V, and VI, or as I call them, Star Wars. Watching them with a critical eye towards leader development, tactics, and strategy, I was struck by a number of critical flaws on both sides that could have been fixed with some basic organizational …

How Forward Operating Bases Created the Illusion of War in Iraq and Afghanistan

There’s a common phrase among military members who have deployed to Afghanistan or Iraq as part of the Global War on Terror: Fobbit. It is a play on the words “hobbit,” from J.R.R. Tolkein’s fantasy works, The Lord of the Rings, and the acronym for Forward Operating Base: FOB. Fobbit tends to also be synonymous …

The Birds of War: Twitter as a Professional Development Tool

This is a response to the CCLKOW post by Gary M. Klein on Social Media and the Military Leader. Read the post and join the discussion on Twitter #CCLKOW. Last week I was privileged to take part in a Military-Twitter Exchange Summit hosted at Twitter headquarters in San Francisco, which brought leaders from across the …

Thoughts On Beauty

As I boarded my flight yesterday morning I realized that it was my first since my trip home from Afghanistan. As we took off, I looked at the New England countryside disappearing below me and I stared, captivated, at the glorious panorama that is America. It was similar to the way that I would stare out …