Blog Posts

"If Iraq was, very arguably, counterinsurgency's success story, Afghanistan looks increasingly like the place COIN went to die."

One they got right - Major General H.R. McMaster

Today the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction released three reports on Afghanistan. Water projects that SIGAR reviewed showed mixed results.

Middle East Studies (MES) at Marine Corps University is pleased to announce the publication of Middle East Studies In Review 2012-13.

Continue on for the latest publications from the US Army War College's Strategic Studies Institute.

Our Debating Military: Here, If You’re Looking by Matt Hipple, Center for International Maritime Security

Continue on for today's SWJ news and opinion roundup. (Updated w/ Afghan insider attack)

“Cutting the fleet of A-10s will save the Air Force about $4.2 billion, he said. 'You just don’t make big savings unless you cut fleets.'”

"The current Mexican administration has underemphasized the need to develop a robust law enforcement strategy, focusing too narrowly on socioeconomic factors."

What we left behind in Iraq: “An increasingly authoritarian leader, a return of sectarian violence, and a nation worried for its future.”

Continue on for today's SWJ news and opinion roundup.

A Letter to the West Point Class of 2014: No Combat Patch? That’s No Problem! By Major Crispin Burke, Best Defense

Many of you have by now have at least heard of, if not read, William S. Lind’s latest, “An Officer Corps That Can’t Score.”

Landpower Update: Addressing Unrestricted Warfare While Energizing Our Alies and the Masses

Yemen drone war update via CNN and Reuters.

The Texas Department of Public Safety has released the updated Texas Gang Threat Assessment.

Continue on for today's SWJ news and opinion roundup.

"The number of US troops in Afghanistan may drop well below 10,000 - the minimum demanded by the US military to train Afghan forces."

"A recent opinion piece at The American Conservative had a number of military officers scratching their heads."

Continue on for today's SWJ news and opinion roundup.

"To those who will listen, the lessons of Abu Ghraib are unmistakable."

I encourage everyone to think about their Personal Learning Network, and how they can strengthen it.

Rise of the Junior Officer by Joe Byerly, The Barefoot Strategist

"Major battles in the 21st century will be confusing and disorganized affairs more similar to the clashes of a pre-digital age than the ‘network-centric' combat we've become accustomed to."

"As Iraq prepares for its first national election in four years on April 30 it is hard to imagine democracy activists rallying weekly in Iraqi streets."