Best Defense
Thomas E. Ricks’ daily take on national security.
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Shinzō_Abe_and_Donald_Trump_(3) Invasion of the Jareds
I rarely frequent posh places, but lately when I do, I am noticing young men who in attire, physique, and expression remind me of Jared Kushner, the youthful fellow who currently is the second most powerful person in the United States.
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031023-N-6967M-234 One member of Special Boat Team 22 (SBT-22) lays down cover fire with a minigun during a practice narrow river beach extraction. Photo by PH1 Shane T. McCoy Rate of fire: A Best Defense update
Studious little grasshoppers will remember that I’ve wondered aloud about the history of the rate of fire in combat.
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Bundesarchiv_Bild_101I-089-3779-07,_Russland,_Feldwebel_mit_Orden Quote of the day: On German NCOs
They seemed to have an inexhaustible supply of hard, competent N.C.O.s.
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The_Caproni_Ca.60_on_Lake_Maggiore,_1921 When Italy built a transatlantic aircraft
Laugh if you must, but I am quite sure it served a terrific arugula salad.
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rickscarrier21 ‘Proceedings’ braves fire from admirals as it reexamines the survivability of carriers
Congratulations to the editors of “Proceedings,” who once more waded into the debate over the future of the aircraft carrier.
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Screen Shot 2017-06-11 at 10.40.40 PM Book excerpt: WWAMD? (AKA ‘If Alfred T. Mahan were advising the president’)
As we seek to craft an international maritime strategy for the nation, Mahan’s point of view — adapted somewhat for today’s world — still presents a timeless message.
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Kampfpanzer Leopard 2 A5 bei einer Lehr- und Gefechtsvorführung. Best in the world? Nope. In fact, our small units are no longer as well trained as those of our allies, reports this Army captain.
At the squad, platoon, and company level, the U.S. Army is not as good as its allies, reports an Army captain.
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Daemon Reliefs, ousters, and military misdeeds
The sins of the commissioned.
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Chicago-fire1 Tom in Chicago this Sunday Afternoon
Come on down to the Chicago Tribune Printers Row Lit Fest, which strikes me as a mouthful.
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170506-Z-XH297-119C Where Capt. Geaney is wrong on the Air Force’s personnel problems: He’s confused management with leadership
I am a Major in the U.S. Air Force and I fly the F-16.
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Screen Shot 2017-06-08 at 10.20.23 AM Book excerpt: ‘Going Deep’ describes the first submarine attack in wartime
War on the high seas had changed forever.
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Screen Shot 2017-06-08 at 10.17.10 AM Tom’s new book a bestseller this Sunday
Churchill and Orwell: The Fight for Freedom will be no. 10 on the New York Times’ hardcover nonfiction bestseller list this Sunday.
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Billy_Lynn's_Long_Halftime_Walk_poster ‘Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk’: An interesting movie that I should have loved
I caught up with this film the other day when I was in airplane mode.
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Men_of_Virginia_to_the_Rescue!_(May_1861) Tom marches into Virginia
Ima be talking, signing and DJing tonight at the Barnes & Noble in Fairfax, Virginia.
