Journal

Afghanistan required a different approach yet we failed in our analysis, strategy, and application of resources.

The Surge was only one piece of a broader confluence of events, critically the Shiite victory in the civil war, the formation of “Sons of Iraq” groups, the cease-fire of the Mahdi Army, and the role of regional actors. 

A model for the Iraqi military that seeks to minimize the threats of sectarianism, insurgency, and rampant unemployment over the next five years through mandatory conscription—a strategy designed to forge a national consensus.

Insurgency has evolved in five seminal ways since Mao's time. Ideas and literature on it should too.

Scott balanced risk and opportunity through a combination of careful planning and preparation, combined with strategic and operational understanding and patience.

The growth of Islamism in the Pakistan Army is a distinct threat to US interests in the region.

The Joint Force requires culturally “savvy” leaders capable of developing a global perspective, able to synthesize diverse viewpoints, and with the ability to collaborate across a range of cultures.

Military historian Martin van Creveld argues that women’s presence in the military is little but an expensive charade.

Operators must understand local culture and must harness the power of local institutions to fight an irregular enemy. A proposed method to do so.

When an adversary arrives in a form that was unanticipated, an intellectually curious officer will be able to draw upon years of education tested not in the classroom, but in the real world.

Terrorism can and should be defined for the discrete purpose of developing international counterterrorism strategies by countries with common interests and shared objectives. 

An interesting entree into the utility of game theory: There is an application of mathematical logic which illustrates why peer evaluations are bad.

True to its name, Syed Saleem Shahzad’s Inside Al-Qaeda and the Taliban goes beyond the common misperception of Al-Qaeda as a static organization serving the whims of Osama Bin Laden.

For COIN, a trinity of attributes is needed to complement traditional military acumen: analytical intelligence, openness of mind, and broad culture.

The military would benefit from more officers with hard science backgrounds enabling them to solve the challenging problems the military faces in modern wars.

 If you’re afforded the opportunity to lead a critical team at a critical juncture in our nation’s history…  see the big picture and embrace it from the beginning.

Observations from a month-long secondment in Afghanistan with DCOMISAF.

The most frustrating moment for the J2 occurs when the operations summary contains more useful intelligence-producing data than the official intelligence reporting.

Transnational criminal organization violence is spilling over the southern border of the US, but without a definition the extent of the epidemic is unknown.

Re-evaluate exactly what we want from our educational system and to strip away the non-essential.

Mexico's new president Enrique Peña Nieto has trumpeted its proposed reforms, but there are more similarities than differences with the Calderon Administration.

The war in Afghanistan is a war of perceptions on progress made thus far. A widening gap in perceptions will complicate the transition .

An advocacy for social media and digital collaboration in the military.

Platoon/Company sized elements are being tasked with the execution of security handovers that have been in development for over ten years.

Lebanon's national rejection of returning to civil war coupled with the buoyancy provided by the Lebanese Armed Forces will keep it from sinking into the Syrian abyss.

Though discredited, the phased framework of shape-clear-hold-build remains applicable over time when adapted to local circumstances by harmonized independent stakeholders.

Forward-leaning, informed speculation on the future operating environment can make the difference between being able to respond to unexpected events or failing to adequately address these challenges

This diplomatic triumph is due in large part to legal advances in international relations, peace processes, mediation and conflict resolution designed and applied by Western powers in other conflict-affected areas around the world. 

Roman discipline was built upon a belief in the virtues of austerity and frugality, the dignity of labor and an acceptance of hardship – but tempered by a willingness to acknowledge the basic humanity of soldiers and not to castigate them for sins they committed away from the battlefield.

Comparing Past and Current Challenges to Afghan Local Defense.

The key to successful advisor preparation lies in understanding the operational environment.

Intelligence shortcomings lie in how we share and utilize the information and data we have at our disposal.

Many German officers learnt their practice during this war and tactics that were first employed in the fighting against the Hehe became typical for other colonial wars fought by German forces.

Many modern internal conflicts defy basic definitions, so use a composite framework instead.

History is with replete with former armies that prepared for the wrong type of conflict and received the unflattering result of becoming failed military systems.

Log in, tune in, don’t drop out.

Current strategic guidance documents rely upon catchphrases and hyperbole to defer tough national security decision-making.

As cyberspace operations continue to evolve, they raise some unique questions regarding the nature of conflict and how it should be discussed and regulated.

"To robbery, slaughter, plunder, they give the lying name of empire; they make a solitude and call it peace." -Calgacus, Chieftan of the Caledonian Confederacy

Dr. Kevin Woods and his colleague Williamson Murray have brought to life the Iraqi perspective on various conflicts, ranging from Operation Desert Storm to their latest work on the Iran-Iraq War.

In war of any character, the basic principles are the same, but two sides may fight it differently or interpret the principles differently based on capacity and capability.

War is the coherent execution of all means to bring about sufficient adherence to a nation’s will in the international (global) arena; resulting in armed conflict only when all other means fail.

It took the British a full century of trial-and-error to come up with the organization of a stable native army in India, a feat the US believes it has accomplished in less than a decade in Afghanistan.

“The Family doesn’t kill for money; it doesn’t kill for women... only those who deserve to die, die... [T]his is divine justice.”

Our physical world instincts often fail us when thinking about cyberspace.

Is a major FSA operation underway?

There are some issues that are too important to remain unsolved.

It is time to rethink the role of conventional U.S. military medical assets in COIN operations.

When the balloon goes up... A new look from an old tool.

Design is to MDMP as the universe is to apples. All we can do now is apples.