Summary: As we start a new war, will we remember the lessons of our last wars? Most importantly, will we continue to run like hamsters on the wheel? We kill our foes, and nearby citizens. As infidel foreign invaders, the locals consider our actions illegitimate. The insurgents gain support and members. So we ratchet up …
As we start a new war, have we learned from our wars in Iraq and Afghanistan? Read More »
Summary: Yesterday’s post continued a long series describing problems facing our military. Today we look at solutions, given in a new book by Donald Vandergriff (Major, US Army, retired — a co-author on the FM website). He strikes at the very heart of the Army’s power and traditions to make it a stronger instrument for …
Don Vandergriff strikes sparks that might help reforge the US Army Read More »
Summary: Since we are about to elect a President largely on the basis of his charisma, the FM blog is running a few articles on this topic. Know it before you buy it! Here is a comment by Donald Vandergriff (Major, US Army, retired) about the opening salvo in the series, Does America need a charismatic President?: We must …
More about charisma, by Don Vandergriff…(#2 in the “getting ready for Obama” series) Read More »
Cultural and demographic changes could make recruiting more difficult over the next generation or two, perhaps even limiting the size of our volunteer military forces. Urbanization and cultural change The US military recruits most effectively from a relatively small and shrinking fraction of the US population. This has ominous implications for the future. Just as our imperial ambitions might …
Will the aging and urbanization of America limit the size of our armed forces? Read More »
Wars are the ultimate stress-test of an Army. Designed to wage 2.5 wars, after five years of fighting two “small wars” our Army shows signs of breaking under the strain. That is unfortunate, as these wars are like those we will likely fight in the future. Worse, experts tell us that such struggles often take a decade or more to …
