Articles by: Bradley Peniston

Echoes of 1863

Armed Forces Journal published its first issue — under the banner Army and Navy Journal — on Aug. 29, 1863. The Civil War then was at its height, with the North winning …

Read more ›

The Taliban lost the war in Afghanistan, but still bedevils coalition efforts to establish security

After the two Chinook helicopters descend from the cobalt sky and land amid a flurry of whirring rotors and flying grit, 48 figures emerge from their ramps.

At their head is 2nd …

Read more ›

To Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz.

For his legislation demanding that the Army’s field manual on prisoner treatment be used as the Defense Department standard. In the wake of scandals at Abu Ghraib in Iraq and elsewhere — …

Read more ›

They were able to retask it during the execution of a preplanned mission ?

Pity the poor noun “task,” so frequently verbed and now subjected to prefixing as well. If adding “re-” to a verb generally means “to do it again,” shouldn’t retasking an aircraft mean …

Read more ›

The warrior’s pen

How to write on military subjects

A follow-up to October’s column on why veterans should write for publication.

One oddity of military service is that you meet men and women who are …

Read more ›

To Sen. Ted Stevens, R-Alaska., and the Bush administration

For opposing the McCain amendment on the grounds that it limits the executive branch’s ability to fight the war as it sees fit. In fact, the legislation is a proper exercise of …

Read more ›

Friend or foe?

China’s military rise is no longer an issue. The question is: How will Beijing use its power?

The remarkable economic growth of the People’s Republic of China during the past two decades, …

Read more ›

Tighter budgets await next secretaries

To a person, Senate Armed Services Committee members signaled support for the two men nominated to be Air Force and Navy secretaries. But after two hours of hearing senators describe the services’ …

Read more ›

To the U.S. intelligence community

Yes, you heard us right, the intelligence community — for intercepting the letter from Osama bin Laden’s lieutenant and top strategist, Ayman al Zawahiri, to Abu Musab al Zarqawi, head of al-Qaeda …

Read more ›

Acquisition for the information age

Mass customization must replace mass production

The Pentagon’s acquisition system, with roots that stretch back to World War II, is rapidly approaching a precipice. In the Cold War, the acquisition process was …

Read more ›