Some interesting bits in this Telegraph report from last week:Top British commanders angrily described in the documents how they were not even told, let alone consulted, about major changes to US policy which had significant implications for them and their men.When the Americans decided, in...
counter-insurgency
I endorse most of what Gian Gentile says here about the Vietnam War, especially in the context of this quote from George Herring:…the war could [not] have been ‘won’ in.
First, I don't think that there's quite enough appreciation of this:But the choice between a mindset that says “the main purpose of the military is to scare China & Russia”.
This is the fourth installment of a seven part series on the Patterson School's Summer Reading List.World of Nations, William KeylorThe Bottom Billion, Paul CollierHide and Seek, Charles DuelferSecond World, Parag KhannaThe Accidental Guerrilla, David KilcullenSeven years ago, David Kilcullen was an obscure officer in...
Creative COIN:U.S intelligence officials use "novel incentives," but this is not limited to Viagra. Sometimes, "notoriously fickle warlords and chieftains" can be won over with tools, school equipment, and surgical.
If Hillary comes out with a proposal for a Department of Anti-Robot Affairs, I'll switch my support. More seriously, the overall effect of "robot surges" seems to be to shift.
This article by Major Niel Smith and Colonel Seth MacFarland on the foundations of the "Anbar Awakening" strategy is a must read. Smith and MacFarland detail how they helped bring a new set of methods to Ramadi in 2006, methods which played a key role...
I've been waiting a bit before posting any thinking on the Surge and the drop in violence in Iraq, but I think it's time now for a few observations.First off,.