Starting wars is easy. Ending wars, as we have sadly seen over the last few decades, is a far more complicated process that requires an incredible amount of planning...
Articles
Fight the closest alligator to the boat. A useful maxim in the tactical realm but never a prudent method of prioritization at the strategic level. While Russia wages war...
In 1988, the Department of Defense produced a revision of "The Armed Forces Officer." Originally published in 1950 and authored by Brigadier General S.L.A. Marshall, the book has undergone...
Change is hard. Cultural change in a large, complex organization, like the U.S. military, is incredibly hard. Contrary to misconceptions, you can't just order someone to abandon their thoughts,...
Innovation. It can occur at any organizational level, and it's absolutely necessary to maintain superiority on the battlefield. But true innovation at the institutional level is often much harder...
Service members in the U.S. military are subject to the Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ). Within the 146 articles of the UCMJ is a system designed to ensure...
With each generation the military has adjusted the means and methods of recruitment to appeal to the changing sensibilities of the target audience. But what if appealing to the...
So you've received orders to serve in NATO. The next few years of your career could be incredibly rewarding or it could be arduous; much of it is up...
Professional historians often dismiss alternative or counterfactual history as nothing more than entertaining—the fodder of fantasy sci-fi novels. But a team of analysts and academics has recently incorporated the...
The U.S. Army War College (USAWC) continually adapts its curriculum and methodology to meet rising challenges in the national security arena. In response to recent Joint Staff guidance as...
Nesting tactical operations, objectives and training into the operational and strategic goals and guidance of higher headquarters can be an incredibly difficult task. And when it's happening in the...
For any organization to operate in a coherent, unified manner, there must be a shared philosophy of purpose and intent amongst the members. The U.S. Army, like any organization,...
In our recent four-part series on learning lessons from present conflicts, Gian Gentile questioned whether all lessons observed should be learned. Specifically he questioned the value of counterinsurgency operations...
You might have noticed the U.S. government has had a few problems keeping secrets in recent years. Everything from junior underlings walking out the door with classified information to...
It's time for another entry in the Dusty Shelves series. Rick Chersicla dusts off Anthony Quayle's Eight Hours from England. Originally written in 1945 and recently re-released by the...
The word strategy gets overused. People have a strategy for getting fit. They have a strategy for dealing with relatives during the holidays. They have a strategy for getting...
In 2019, we published our first holiday message. This year, we continue the tradition with a reprint of the first official Presidential Christmas message to the American people, written...
In every conflict, there are lessons to be observed, but should they all be "learned"? Should the U.S. military incorporate the insights that are gained from these observed conflicts...
How is it possible the holidays are upon us already? It seems like summer just ended, and the new class at the Army War College arrived just a few...
When a new piece of technology arrives in your unit, your service, or your national defense organization, does it enhance your operations and capabilities, or is it a disruptor...