Best Defense

Thomas E. Ricks' daily take on national security.

What is it about 12 men?

I was reading a book about American Indian military formations and saw this:

Screen Shot 2015-11-11 at 10.32.53 AM
Screen Shot 2015-11-11 at 10.32.53 AM

 

 

I was reading a book about American Indian military formations and saw this: “The squaw sent as a messenger by Flores described the method of the Apaches in making a raid . . . . She said that all of the five chiefs would assemble and furnish about twelve men each for the raid.”

Twelve men. They make up a jury. They make up (in some places) a squad of soldiers. My Mormon ancestors had a “Quorum of the Twelve.” (A Jewish minyan needs 10, I believe.) And don’t forget the Twelve Imams of Shia Islam. Or the Apostles.

Photo credit: MGM Studios/Wikimedia Commons

 

Thomas E. Ricks covered the U.S. military from 1991 to 2008 for the Wall Street Journal and then the Washington Post. He can be reached at ricksblogcomment@gmail.com. Twitter: @tomricks1

More from Foreign Policy

Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping give a toast during a reception following their talks at the Kremlin in Moscow on March 21.
Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping give a toast during a reception following their talks at the Kremlin in Moscow on March 21.

Can Russia Get Used to Being China’s Little Brother?

The power dynamic between Beijing and Moscow has switched dramatically.

Xi and Putin shake hands while carrying red folders.
Xi and Putin shake hands while carrying red folders.

Xi and Putin Have the Most Consequential Undeclared Alliance in the World

It’s become more important than Washington’s official alliances today.

Russian President Vladimir Putin greets Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev.
Russian President Vladimir Putin greets Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev.

It’s a New Great Game. Again.

Across Central Asia, Russia’s brand is tainted by Ukraine, China’s got challenges, and Washington senses another opening.

Kurdish military officers take part in a graduation ceremony in Erbil, the capital of Iraq’s Kurdistan Region, on Jan. 15.
Kurdish military officers take part in a graduation ceremony in Erbil, the capital of Iraq’s Kurdistan Region, on Jan. 15.

Iraqi Kurdistan’s House of Cards Is Collapsing

The region once seemed a bright spot in the disorder unleashed by U.S. regime change. Today, things look bleak.