Of history, warfare, leadership, and alcohol
For anyone who watched television in the early 2000s (oh, woe be upon us before the era of on-demand, streamable drama), Battlestar Galactica was a staple of the weekly line up. For anyone who was not an avid fan, the show featured an ensemble cast and their struggle against the Cylons, a race of …
Continue reading "The Case Against Starbuck: Why Talent is Not Enough"
Much ink has been expended on the follies of the Army of the Living at the Battle of Winterfell. But the antics of Jon and Daenerys stand as military genius compared to the Night King. He could have won the entire war without risk through manoeuvre. Only his obsession with a decisive battle doomed his …
Continue reading "The Real Failure at Winterfell"
"You're in the Army, you must not have any problems being assertive. You just say things and people do them, right?" Sitting in my counselor's office, these words fell on my ears and caused me to smile. Even in parts of the public where people are more familiar with the military, the idea of the …
Continue reading "The Importance of Being a Self-Aware Leader"
The Lord Intelligencer was first on the schedule. After the Crown Prince sat down and nodded to him, he rose and walked to the map on the wall. He smoothed his blue robes and cleared his throat. ‘Highness, my Lords and Ladies, colleagues. As you all are aware, our long term planning has been organized …
Continue reading "A Fantastical Council of War"
Guest post by LTC Scotty M. Autin Let’s do a test. Close your eyes and tell me what you think about when you hear the words “dreams”, “creativity”, “fantasy”, “smiles”, “magic”, and “generation”. Odds are, you probably thought about some variation of Disney. If so, then you’re a product of Disney’s brilliant brand language strategy. …
Continue reading "Want to build a combat focused culture in your unit? Start with your language"
Light flickered in and out of the cabin where Ian sat, gazing across at the frigate just a few kilometers away. A frigate that was unresponsive. Sure, there were signs of life in it, and Ian felt confident that Rafario still had control of his ship. That being said, they still couldn’t talk to each …
Continue reading "Finding Space – Chapter Eleven"
On Veterans Day, at my son’s request, I sat in a crowded elementary assembly as part of a Veterans Day ceremony. I listened uncomfortably to fifth and sixth graders repeat what they had been taught in their classrooms about veterans and about military service: that veterans represent the best our country has to offer, that …
Continue reading "Fixing Veterans Day"
Veterans' Day. I am one of hundreds of thousands of service members. You are one of millions of people. You see me, and thank me for my service. I thank you for your support, and we go on our ways. It's a tried and true formula; I am thanked, and therefore gratified for public support, …
Continue reading "What is Our Service?"
As often happens around this time of year, I was asked to give a talk on Veterans Day to a local high school assembly. But while usually the words come more easily, this year I was sort of at a loss as I thought about what to say. How do I convey my complex and …
Continue reading "On Service: A Veterans Day Introspective"
Enemy forces in depth. Mass over maneuver. As an engineer officer, I care passionately about just a few things: castles, engineer buttons, and combined arms breaching. And while there were no engineer buttons at Helm's Deep - a simple oversight, I'm sure - that engagement encompasses a wide swathe of engineer lessons learned. Yes, this …
Continue reading "Warfighter: Helm’s Deep"
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