Are bilateral exercises some of the most important activities of a peacetime military?
I think so.
I think so. So I was pleased to see that the February edition of the Marine Corps Gazette had an article on how to do them well. Any unit can slog through a bilat, complaining all the way. But to really learn and benefit from them, advises Capt. Dilan M. Swift, you have to throw yourself into them. “What elevates the professionals is the subtle and communally understood shift in emphasis and focus,” he writes. “We are guests and they are the hosts. All that one can do is be patient, adapt, and accept that the true essence and center of gravity in bilateral training is relationships.”
Photo credit: SUB SONIX/Flickr
More from Foreign Policy

Can Russia Get Used to Being China’s Little Brother?
The power dynamic between Beijing and Moscow has switched dramatically.

Xi and Putin Have the Most Consequential Undeclared Alliance in the World
It’s become more important than Washington’s official alliances today.

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.

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.