Best Defense
Thomas E. Ricks’ daily take on national security.
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fp-placeholder-social-share-3-2 A salute to Washington, the essential man
George Washington, in his person and actions, bound the nation together.
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fp-placeholder-social-share-3-2 Coup thoughts and questions: Has an Air Force officer ever led a successful one?
The unsuccessful coup d'état in Turkey in mid-July was led by an Air Force general.
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fp-placeholder-social-share-3-2 Suicide doesn’t end pain, it multiplies it
People say suicide doesn't end the pain, it just passes it on to someone else.
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fp-placeholder-social-share-3-2 Lesson from the past: Sometimes it’s good to have a breaking point, at least in a ship
If the Sept/Oct issue of "Wooden Boat" hasn’t yet arrived in your mailbox, there’s a surprisingly interesting interview with an expert in traditional ship rigging.
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fp-placeholder-social-share-3-2 Things I didn’t know: Naples & Nablus
Naples, Italy, and Nablus, on the West Bank, essentially have the same name, derived from Greek.
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fp-placeholder-social-share-3-2 James Jay Carafano’s (mainly) good thoughts on military personnel policy
On the strategic level, it is good that the military looks as diverse as America.
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fp-placeholder-social-share-3-2 Good books about the Afghan war???
If there is a book that really covers the Afghan war from the beginning to now, I’ve missed it. Is there one? If not, why not?
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fp-placeholder-social-share-3-2 In the submarine force, unconventional career paths are more normal: A response
The submarine community is proof that the Navy is already successfully sending its officers to complete numerous unconventional programs.
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fp-placeholder-social-share-3-2 Hey Tom, I read all your columns about the military bleeding talent, but I didn’t realize you were talking about me!
I've followed your columns on why the military is bleeding talent. Then the Navy O-4 list just came out (72 percent promotion rate), and I wasn't on it.
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fp-placeholder-social-share-3-2 While we were out: An essay about why soldiers (and the rest of us) need to think
An essay about why soldiers need to think seriously about American history.
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fp-placeholder-social-share-3-2 Helping soldiers sleep
Good dogs.
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fp-placeholder-social-share-3-2 What’s a soldier? What’s a warrior? Well, do you want to live in a state or in a tribe?
"Warrior" is not the synonym for "soldier" that pop culture believes it is.
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fp-placeholder-social-share-3-2 What comes after we retake Mosul?: The case for using ‘Tactical Economics’
When the U.S-backed Iraq military clears Mosul of Islamic State insurgents, let’s get the post-conflict part right this time.
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fp-placeholder-social-share-3-2 Always be careful of the thinking behind proposed changes in Army force structure
Do senior decisionmakers truly understand the models and analyses that ground this force structure choice?
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fp-placeholder-social-share-3-2 How to fix the Army in six difficult steps
Six recommendations for fixing the Army.
