Of history, warfare, leadership, and alcohol
While attending a Working Group during my deployment to Romania, my fellow Field Grade Officers and I were discussing the Initial Operating Capabilities (IOC) and Full Operating Capabilities (FOC) for our Tactical Command Posts (TAC) within the context of Large-Scale Combat Operations (LSCO). As we discussed these capabilities, we briefly touched on the criteria to begin breaking down our TAC …
Since the origin of armed conflicts, commanders have demonstrated a need to know more about an opposing force and their capabilities. During the American Revolution, George Washington kickstarted what would become the American intelligence community with his own spy ring tasked to gather accurate battlefield intelligence on British military movements throughout the colonies. In WWI …
Continue reading "Military Intelligence in a Galaxy Far, Far Away"
In 1954, General Anthony McAuliffe wrote a letter to General Henry Hodes describing “an urgent and vexing problem” within the Army: “It is my understanding that assignment to command of a company or a battery is not a popular one, a pronounced contrast to the attitude existing prior to World War II…We must give …
Continue reading "Guest Post: Dear Senior Leaders, It’s Not Us, It’s You"
Language is a window to thought. In the Army, we often say that “words have meaning” and they do. But even more so, the manner in which we crystalize thoughts into language colors the thoughts themselves. The goods somewhat assume the shape of the vessel in which they are carried. Learning a language beyond one’s …
Continue reading "NATO Operations and the Unifying Power of a Common Language"
By Garri Benjamin Hendell Everyone in the American military community watched the (most recent) fall of Kabul with their mouths agape. For a generation who grew up in the shadow of Vietnam, to watch another ignominious American retreat was shocking and painful. This was, presumably, an immeasurably worse experience for those that served and lost …
Continue reading "The Day After Kabul"
This past week, I had the utter delight of participating, in full Jedi Rey cosplay no less, in the 2021 NavyCon. My last panel was a wonderful mix of fellow science fiction nerds and we talked about the intersection of science fiction and military strategy. (If you missed the panel, the replay can be found …
Continue reading "Is Saw Gerrera a Terrorist?"
The armored JLTV’s diesel engine growled as the transmission downshifted to avoid getting stuck in the rutted, muddy road. The hulking four-wheeled truck’s right front tire splashed into a deep puddle, cascading windshield with brown water and banging the soldiers inside hard against the armored doors. “Goddamn it, Cisneros, who the fuck taught you how …
Continue reading "#NextWar: A Fictional Cautionary Tale"
China is regarded by many defense and strategy experts as a significant threat to U.S.’s national security and global influence. This sentiment was shared by former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and current Undersecretary of Defense for Policy John Rood. Conversely, China views the U.S. in a similar light. On March 5, 2021, General Xu …
The Legend of Korra is not only a good primer to study insurgencies, it can also be used to study operational art. The Battle of the Bay which took place between the Equalists and the United Forces over control of Republic City in season one episode eleven is an especially suitable example. The United Forces …
Continue reading "Operational Lessons from Legend of Korra"
The Army is not for everyone. More often than not, this phrase is a not-so-thinly veiled critique of those leaving the service, either on their own terms or not. Proponents of this phrase tend to mention how only a small percentage of the population serves and how much more selective the military is compared to …
Continue reading "The Army is Not for Everyone"
The Angry Staff Officer 
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