[September 26, 2018] Personal favorite lists of “military laws” are those collected under the rubric of Murphy’s Laws of Combat Operations. These so-called laws are both educational and entertaining in a way that only those who’ve lived and survived in the Armed Forces will know. What they have in common is that they are about important things in… Read More »
[September 25, 2018] In Disney’s movie The Lion King (1994), the song Be Prepared is one of five written specifically for the movie and features the villain Scar educating his Hyena allies about the undeniable benefits of ‘mission preparation.’ There is only one path to leadership and it runs through the requirement to be prepared. Scar:1 Just listen… Read More »
[September 24, 2018] A few months ago in one of my columns on the Middle East, I asked the question, “What’s happening in Iran?”1 My point, in asking the question, was that while Iranian leaders continue to support worldwide terrorism and the proliferation of WMDs, Iran could easily come into the civilized world by stopping their “unethical and… Read More »
[September 22, 2018] The other day I was talking with two recently-retired enlisted soldiers who had each served almost 10 combat tours; in Iraq and Afghanistan. That’s a lot of combat time by any measure. But what caught me by surprise was that they considered themselves just ordinary soldiers. To me, they are the epitome of selfless service.… Read More »
[September 21, 2018] A good friend of mine, a logistics Army Colonel, had a military signature block that read, “The answer is yes, what’s your request?” I found it appropriate that this officer put the needs of soldiers above all else. In 2006, we were preparing for the now famous troop “surge” in Iraq. Construction was fast and… Read More »
[September 19, 2018] The U.S. military sometimes embodies, not unlike other complex organizations what I will call, a “culture of slow change.” If there is, however, one thing that is quick, predictable, and helpful, it is the fact that our troops themselves are highly responsive. Want a mission accomplished? They are on it quick and decisively. What an… Read More »
[September 17, 2018] I’ve been asked on several occasions to re-publish a few of my older articles on the U.S. military as a way to reintroduce the concept of “effectiveness in teams.” Today I’ve done that with an article on battle-hardened troops. Enjoy! [Originally published September 2, 2014] There are few things more confusing in military debate circles… Read More »
[September 15, 2018] A few long-time readers will recognize this title from a similar article from early last year (see link). In it I wrote that great leaders understanding people are at the central theme of leadership. But there is more. Leadership is also influenced heavily by one’s culture. Culture is an accumulation of behavioral practices that both… Read More »
[September 13, 2018] In 1994, Yasser Arafat, Shimon Peres and Yitzhak Rabin won the Nobel Peace Prize “for their efforts to create peace in the Middle East.” The problem, as we can see 25 years after the signing of the Oslo Accords on this date, September 13, 1993, that the entire accords were a disaster and a failure… Read More »
[September 12, 2018] Today, I’m visiting Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri to witness an Engineer School graduation. Being here is a good time for me because I’m reminded of what the school’s Sergeant Major once told me. ‘When studying any conflict,’ he said, ‘remember that all wars begin before the first battle.’ I thought I understood what he meant… Read More »