Archive for October, 2010

A better way to resource the future

In his May 8 speech at the Eisenhower Library, Defense Secretary Robert Gates struck a powerful historical note in recalling President Eisenhower’s dedication to economy …

The stakes on the Ground Combat Vehicle could not be higher

What is the role of a heavy, mechanized force in an era of “hybrid” war? The Army thinks it knows and, …

TO GEN. NORTON SCHWARTZ for a peculiar speech that implied the Air Force’s best chance of staying relevant is to ally with the Navy. In his keynote address at the Air Force …

Ever-twisting tale of tanker replacement continues to surprise

All the Air Force wants is an airplane to replace the Boeing KC-135 aerial tanker, the last one of which was built in 1966. …

7 obstacles stand in the way of success in Afghanistan

Absent a major change in the status quo that currently dominates in Afghanistan, the U.S.-led military effort there will fail to accomplish …

TO THE WHITE HOUSE for finally awarding the Medal of Honor to a living hero. Army Staff Sgt. Salvatore Giunta braved heavy enemy fire to pull one wounded comrade to safety, then …

TO THE DEFENSE INTELLIGENCE AGENCY AND THE PENTAGON for their clumsy handling of a new book on the war in Afghanistan. The Pentagon tried to keep Army Reserve officer and former DIA …

This is one of the most incisive essays I’ve seen in the past decade and on a topic that has vast consequences: The institutionalized deference to seniors. My experience is that they …

The strategic importance of tactical reform

Slightly more than 40 years ago my unit was butchered by elements from the North Vietnamese 29th Regiment at a mountaintop firebase overlooking the A Shau …

An increase in U.S. civilians in Afghanistan has mixed results

While much of the public debate over the war in Afghanistan has focused on the “surge” of U.S. troops there and the …