In a country worried about its own internal divisions, public figures are increasingly calling for a return of the military draft, or at least some kind of mandatory national service. Wouldn’t it be good, they often reason, to reinforce for today’s young people the sense of common cause that animated the Greatest Generation? Universal service is a commendable effort to ... Read More »
According to the theory of warfare promulgated by the Air Force Association (AFA), Congress should reject President Trump’s proposal to establish a U.S. Space Force since it cannot apply lethal kinetic force. There is no point, they contend, in having a space service until we are ready to send troops into orbit or deploy weapons from space. Their policy position ... Read More »
The government of Afghanistan have been a trusted ally for over 18 years and can be trusted to bring an end to the Taliban insurgency, either by negotiations or by force. The current ANDSF operational strategy, their offensive mindset, and Senator Graham’s proposed 8,600 U.S. and NATO advisers will continue to keep the pressure on the Taliban. If funded, supported, ... Read More »
I was 14 when I arrived home from an early dismissal on Sept. 11 to find my father, a former naval aviator, sitting in his wheelchair beside our large box television set. We exchanged no greetings. I sat beside him in silence while we watched events we had already witnessed as they unfolded over and over again on the screen. ... Read More »
Speculation about the underlying cause of the latest incidents within the special ops community tends to focus on the rationale that they are the inevitable result of the stress imposed by a high operational tempo and repeated exposure to danger. I find this argument unconvincing. It would perhaps provide plausible explanation for a rise, say, in the number of DUIs ... Read More »
The Trump administration’s embrace of the defense industry and its determination to sell weapons to dictators and human rights abusers may be sowing the seeds of welcome change in the realm of U.S. arms exports. A new study shows a staggering 70 percent of Americans believe that such exports make the United States less safe. Congress must seize the chance ... Read More »
A reshuffling is imminent, one that restores confidence so we can be sure we’re seeing what we think we’re seeing. But it’s not going to happen tomorrow, so now, more than ever, it seems like we have to assume we’re being conned. More by Seth Godin below: Source: https://seths.blog/2019/09/the-end-of-reputation/ Read More »
Congress at no other time could draw on such a high number of women leaders who have active combat experience. To harness this bipartisan expertise of female and male lawmakers who often serve on committees with unrelated jurisdiction, congressional leaders should immediately create a bipartisan Women, Peace and Security Caucus. Laws and strategies are measured against their real-life implementation. Within ... Read More »
At the heart of President Barack Obama’s failed strategies in his first year of office to executive a policy shift in Afghanistan was a core concept: The Taliban, as a loose and fragmented organization, could be fractured, weakened, and rendered susceptible to talks. The notion of the Taliban insurgency as a fractured entity, rife with internal strife, has lingered in ... Read More »
As the Pentagon and the Air Force hash out the future of both a new Space Force and the sort of new Space Command, military leaders are asking this question: what role will military space power play in protecting commercial space assets? “Does the Defense Department have the responsibility to protect commercial space, if that commercial space becomes part of ... Read More »
SOFX The Crossroads of Special Operations