Of history, warfare, leadership, and alcohol
With all-due apologies to Dylan Thomas. As Christmas rolls around, my all-too willing mind is pulled back to Ohio, to the wide and rolling drab-colored fields dotted by stout wood copses, to the gray and leaden skies that sat like a lid on a silent universe. Snow, never early, always late, sometimes on time, would …
Continue reading "A Child’s Christmas in Ohio"
This article contains significant spoilers for Season 1 of The Legend of Korra Season 1 of The Legend of Korra is an insightful depiction of a counterinsurgency campaign which should be required watching for security studies students everywhere. It captures key elements of how insurgencies operate and highlights common pitfalls of counterinsurgents in a compact …
Continue reading "The Legend of Korra – An Insurgency Masterclass"
There's a lot of talk about recruiting and retention in the Army these days, as we try to build the right force for whatever lies in the future. Without a doubt, we need to have the right people in the right places. But too often we are hidebound by organizational issues or habits that keep …
Continue reading "Army Organizational Issues that Prevent Talent Management"
For years, I was blessed with a marvelous ability: to be able to just sit down and begin writing. And then to finish writing, with an actual product. And like with most abilities, I took it for granted. I would jest about writer’s block as if I truly knew what it meant, even though for …
Continue reading "When the Words Stopped"
OPORD 11-26-21 (OPERATION TURKEY DAY) (U) SITUATION. Thanksgiving holiday necessitates high intake of Class I itemsTerrain and weather: White and drifted snow; biting wind MISSION. Your unit moves to Grandmother's House IOT complete Pumpkin Pie consumption operations EXECUTION.Scheme of Movement and Maneuver: Over the river and through the woodCoordinating instructions: The horse knows the way …
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Ok, so, as most of you know, I normally don't do book reviews on this site. I'm breaking my own rule because I lost a bet to an author about who could run more during one specific weekend. 17 miles and some extra sprints later, she got .2 miles on me and here we are. …
Continue reading "Pantheon Book Review: Or, How I Lost a Bet"
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"
“Well this couldn’t have worked out better, Rislen,” said the admiral, chuckling. Ian’s blood went cold - then hot. Rislen. General Rislen Zaros was known all too well in the Army community. As a colonel, he’d led the massacre of an entire US Army scout platoon that had been overrun and had surrendered. No one …
Continue reading "Finding Space – Chapter Sixteen"
The whole patrol stood stock still, staring up at the ambush in the trees that had yet to ambush them. Everyone, that is, except for Sasmont , who continued to direct his UAV demining process as undeterred as if he was having brunch back home. Sasmont loved brunch. “Uh, sir, what do we do now?” …
Continue reading "Finding Space – Chapter Fifteen"
Assessment is how the military determines “the overall effectiveness of employing capabilities during military operations.”. That said, the military does not practice this dark art well. If an objective is clear-cut, measuring its performance is also straightforward. Broader objectives cause problems. This was the challenge in Iraq. It was also at the heart of the …
Continue reading "Forget Love in the Time of Cholera, How About Assessment in the Time of COVID-19?"
The Angry Staff Officer 
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