Of history, warfare, leadership, and alcohol
Much has been written elsewhere regarding the unforgivable sin of failing to plan for known contingencies. Whatever one thinks of the current changes undergoing our Army here in the United States, the least controversial thing to be said about them is that they certainly represent a change from what has come before. And regardless of one what thinks, or refuses to …
Continue reading "“After me, the flood:” recovering the Army’s accountability"
Perhaps no period characterized chaos about the future of the Republic than the years 1866-1868. And perhaps no one individual did so much to save it in those years as the man who had labored so hard to preserve it from 1861-1865: Ulysses S. Grant. Pres. Andrew Johnson (LoC) One would think that having put …
Continue reading "The General Who Defied a President"
So there I was the other day, just minding my own business and falling down some social media algorithm-caused rabbit holes of a Saturday night, like ya do, when I came across this image: The Lion of Atlanta, image sourced here. Now, for those of you who are war monument nerds like myself, you may …
Continue reading "Copycats: The American Civil War Lions of Lucerne"
There’s an interchange on I-185, right outside of Fort Benning. It’s a big, glorious waste of taxpayer money, featuring statues of eagles and Old Bill and Iron Mike, embodiments of Armor/Cavalry and the Infantry, respectively. Big fountains that must be hell to maintain in the soul-sucking Georgia summers. And twenty American flags; ten on each …
Continue reading "Guest Post: Hashtags are not Enough"
Carl von Clausewitz famously wrote, “War is the continuation of politics by other means.” In today’s climate, it would be truer to say, “Star Wars is the representation of politics by other means.” From the echoes of Vietnam in A New Hope and company in the 1970s and ‘80s to the heavy-handed anti-imperialistic tones of …
Continue reading "Star Wars by Other Means: Rogue One and Foreign Policy"
Today’s guest post comes from writer David Bruns. David is a former US Navy submarine officer turned corporate executive turned science fiction writer. In his spare time, he co-authors contemporary thrillers with retired naval intel officer, JR Olson. They write stories based on current events that seem less like fiction every time they read the news. …
Continue reading "Writing a Novel about Terrorism: When Fiction Becomes Reality"
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. The …
Continue reading "How the Current Generation Is Dishonoring the Greatest Generation"
This is a guest post from Peter Lucier. Peter Lucier is a Marine veteran (2008-2013) and student at Montana State University. He writes as a member of the Council of Former Enlisted for The Best Defense blog, and is the editor of the soon to be launched Return to Base (rtbmag.com) You can follow him …
When I sat down to write this post, I had planned to say a few things about current veterans’ organizations and ask where the new generation of veterans fits in. However, in doing my research on past veterans organizations, I found that veterans issues have been rife with problems since the very founding of our …
Continue reading "We know Old Soldiers just fade away, but where do Young Soldiers Go?"
The Angry Staff Officer 
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