Best Defense
Thomas E. Ricks’ daily take on national security.
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Kampfpanzer Leopard 2 A5 bei einer Lehr- und Gefechtsvorführung. Metz’s critique: The problem is readiness means different things to the Army’s leaders and to company commanders
The thoughtful article by Captain J. Scott Metz in Armor magazine, shared by Tom Ricks here at Foreign Policy, has generated quite a bit of discussion in the senior ranks.
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51b6OdJG6sL._SX326_BO1,204,203,200_ Book excerpt: ‘The Frontline Generation’ veteran meets a snide college professor
I knew the drill — state your name, major, and something interesting about yourself.
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St Elmo's Fire Hey, Geaney and ‘Nimble’: The era of the ‘fighter mafia’ is over, and the Air Force actually is doing better with non-pilots
Capt. David Geaney and Maj. “Nimble” both offered some useful insights about leadership in the Air Force on the Best Defense blog, but both miss the mark.
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Praha-Smíchov,_amplion_na_nástupišti More from Dubik on mission command
This is a kind of commentary on the last item I ran by retired Army Lt. Gen. James Dubik on mission command.
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Hadba-16207v The significance of the battle for Mosul’s Great Mosque: This is where modern Iraqi history meets the medieval
A looming battle around Mosul’s medieval Great Mosque of al-Nuri as part of the final stages to push the Islamic State out of the city is expected to deliver another important tactical and even symbolic victory against the Islamic State.
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41qZXme3gCL._SY346_ Tom on ‘Morning Edition’
I like the interview that Steve Inskeep did with me about my new book on Churchill and Orwell.
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Su-22-flight 2 new worrisome precedents in the Syrian war: Iranian missiles, and U.S. vs. Russia?
A U.S. Navy F-18 shot down a Syrian Su-22. That’s the first air-to-air downing by a U.S. aircraft since 1999.
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170617-N-XN177-155 YOKOSUKA, Japan (June 17, 2017) The Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Fitzgerald (DDG 62) returns to Fleet Activities (FLEACT) Yokosuka following a collision with a merchant vessel while operating southwest of Yokosuka, Japan. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Peter Burghart/Released) A few names to consider:
Now who wants to tell me about their problems with diversity and immigration in today’s United States?
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D5LAUNCH A rocket of a warning on SEAL suicides
“They are from the same platoon and suffering the same overexposure to combat,” writes retired SEAL officer Ed Hiner.
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170506-z-xh297-119c Pilot management? The Air Force’s core problem is that we lack a strategy and so we do everything on a short-term basis
Anyone who’s uttered the immortal words “Hold my beer and watch this” knows the dangers of optimism.
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Bundesarchiv_Bild_183-H12751,_Godesberg,_Vorbereitung_Münchener_Abkommen Appeasement: A primer
Here’s the key thing to remember: Appeasement is a position of negotiating with a strong state from a position of weakness.
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Animals_at_War_1939_-_1945_H12985 ‘Mark’ delivers ammo for the Lewis gun
To these British troops.
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As the sun begins to set at Nellis Air Force Base, Nev., Oregon Air National Guard Lt. Col. Nick Rutgers, assigned to the 123rd Fighter Squadron, 142nd Fighter Wing, prepares his F-15 Eagle for a late day sortie, June 8, 2017. Over 120 Oregon Air Guardsmen are supporting the Weapons Instructor Course during their three-week duty assignment. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Master Sgt. John Hughel, 142nd Fighter Wing Public Affairs) Strategy advice: Thinking out of the box requires getting your head out of that box
It is past time that we recognize the relevance of the field of management to the military world.
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512UZA2MGHL._SX329_BO1,204,203,200_ An excerpt from ‘One Mission: How Leaders Built a Team of Teams’
Midway through my year with General Stanley McChrystal, I found myself in the back-seat of a well-worn and dented SUV.
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2014-04-15._Протесты_в_Донецке_001 Hybrid war’s sword arm: The Russians have found good tactical innovations
A quote widely attributed to Julius Caesar goes something like this: “Men worry more about what they cannot see than what they can.”
