In America’s past, America’s future?

Our collective understanding of irregular warfare, while far better than it was at the time of the invasions of Iraq and Afghanistan, is not what it might …

It sometimes seems that the Theory of Air Power is more revealed religion than science; to communicants, there can be no fact or countervailing doctrine that disproves the central tenets of the …

The Pentagon still imagines war as it should be, rather than as it is

The nature of this war has still to be understood. It’s now five years since the attacks of …

Is air power the new face of successful war-fighting? Much to the dismay of the boots-on-the-ground zealots, or BOTGZ (pronounced bow-togs), the answer for today’s democracies may well be “yes.” During the …

Chivalry and humanity, even in counterinsurgency, are not obsolete

Counterinsurgency has no “easy button.” As every soldier knows, insurgents don’t fight fair. Instead of wearing uniforms to signify their combatant status, they …

In the 1970s, when the military’s aptitude test was “misnormed,” Chu warns it “almost cost the volunteer force its future in this country.” When you’re not getting the answers you want, it’s …

Bridging the chasm between military and civilian worlds

Nathaniel Fick’s account of his time as a Marine Corps officer stands as a monument to this generation of warriors. Using vivid prose to …

The new struggle for Africa

frica has suffered many curses, from massive corruption to AIDS to dysfunctional borders drawn by cynical Europeans. Oppression, illiteracy, deadly ethnic and religious rivalries — Africa’s litany …

Looking stabilization square in the face

Old vaudevillians say dying is easy but comedy is hard. For American armed forces, conventional warfare is relatively easy, but stabilization and reconstruction operations are hard. …

The Pentagon’s fixation on long-range strikes is shortsighted

If the experience of the past five years means anything, it is that the Long War for the greater Middle East is most likely …