Military History, Book Reviews, and Other Things

Category Contemporary Security & Statecraft

Structural evaluations of active geopolitical realignments, modern defense procurement, and ongoing international conflicts. These analyses apply established military theory to present-day diplomatic maneuvering and asymmetric security developments.

Book Review: In The Company Of Heroes by Michael Durant

I picked up In The Company Of Heroes by Michael Durant recently  because it was something I always wanted to read but never got around to. I am glad I did. For those in the military back in the early 1990’s… Continue Reading →

Reading and Military Service

There is an interesting piece on Medium.com recently about basic training and encouraging new soldiers to read.  I read, and read a lot, and have always tried to encourage others to read, not only my fellow soldiers when I was… Continue Reading →

Book Review: House of War by James Carroll

House of War: The Pentagon and the Disastrous Rise of American Power is one of those books that when you are done reading it you cannot quite decide if it was worth reading or not. If you want to know what… Continue Reading →

The House on Pooh Corner

The below photo is the House at Pooh Corner (Our name) in Bosnia in the summer of 1996 as my platoon was returning to our camp after spending the day guarding some UN folks who were excavating a Mass Grave nearby…. Continue Reading →

I am about half convinced a this point given the level of rhetoric that the first open Russian incursion into eastern Ukraine will happen by the end of the month.  I would guess it will be an aerial incursion, probably… Continue Reading →

I apologize in advance for the blatantly political tone of this piece but I am flabbergasted by what I see happening on the eastern periphery of Europe and the anemic reaction to state on state aggression by the rest of… Continue Reading →

The Evolution of Warfare and the Crimea

“History” is a problematic concept because it is very much tied to a specific culture. History departments derive from the medieval university culture of Europe and we have to accept that most people, at most of the time, have lived… Continue Reading →

Call for submissions

I need your aviation stories. The anthology will be titled SkyWriting: Essays on the Art and Craft of Aviation. See my website for submission guidelines, and send your flying tales for inclusion. Proceeds benefit Angel Flight, the service that flies… Continue Reading →

Taliban Capture a War Dog

The Taliban capture a British dog of war Just before Christmas last year the Taliban in Afghanistan apparently captured a British War Dag and true to form have posted a capture video of it. Now that is going too far…. Continue Reading →

Originally posted at The Sky Behind Me blog January 14th 2014.   Oooops… Recently (and once again) a commercial airliner landed at the wrong airport. Southwest flight #4013 from Chicago enroute to Branson Missouri landed at a nearby college airstrip… Continue Reading →

The definition of military confusion: A firefight at night in the middle of a town

Jihadis must be sodomized – A Fatwa says so

The truth is really stranger than fiction.  I first heard about this one in a National Review opinion piece then I had to actually watch it.  Apparently, a Muslim cleric has made the claim that repeated sodomy is a requirement for Jihadis… Continue Reading →

Machiavelli? Try Clausewitz!

Full disclosure: I consider the NYT to be a gang of flabby, post-modernist girlymen who stroke each other(‘s egos) all day long, and try to get an emotional response out of their dwindling readership. So today I saw a comment… Continue Reading →

The Duffel Blog: If you have ever been in the military, especially if you were an NCO, you will get some awesome belly laughs from the fictional but could be true satire on this site.

The Phonetic Revolution

You are on a hill, a commander. Your troops are aligned in a phalanx. Your commanding officer is guarding the bridge on the opposite side of your fortress. He sends his messenger to you: By ths rdr ttck t th… Continue Reading →

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