MOVE OVER, DRONES: U.S. NAVY TESTS NEW ROBOTIC BOAT FOR FIRING MISSILES FROM AFAR By Michael Walsh

DeM Banter:  The continued RISE of the drones... my crystal ball says... there will be a lot more of this as we attempt to drive costs down...not that there is not an initial huge cost in these robots, but over time... savings could be realized, but what does that do for the ethics of war? …

A WORLD OF CHALLENGES AWAITS THE PRESIDENT By Jay Solomon

DeM Banter:  Life in the US Democracy... or should we say Republic, for or against the results, that's largely irrelevant now... as always, we must focus on the strategic... So... we all ready for this?   Wall Street Journal November 7, 2012 Pg. 15 President Barack Obama's reelection will provide him with little time to celebrate in the …

Span Of Control – 5 Things Every Leader Should Know by Mike Myatt

View Original / Forbes / Mike Myatt DeM Banter: Another great post by Mike Myatt...thing to ponder...all the time...everyday... Ask 5 people for their opinions on optimizing “span of control” and you’ll likely receive 5 different opinions. These well meaning opinions will often cite a few different rules of thumb on size and composition, and …

IN PENTAGON’S ‘PIVOT’ TOWARD ASIA, HAS EUROPE BEEN FORGOTTEN? By Anna Mulrine

DeM Banter: More on the pivot that does not seem to be, but there are second and third order effects and impacts even in the concept. Tag onto that the shrinking military budget and ponder what do we do about Europe? Who have we turned to time and time again and who turns to us …

Pat Conroy’s eulogy to Lt. Col. Thomas “The Boo” Nugent Courvoisie & one question

DeM Banter: Reading through Pat Conroy's "My Losing Season," great book....but listening to Mr Conroy talk about "The Boo" made me re-read the eulogy from the Colonel's funeral...if you ever wonder..."did I live a life that mattered?" Col Courvoisie did...the world is indeed a slightly lesser place when I ponder the loss of Col Courvoisie …

Become a World-Changing Thought Leader by Leigh Buchanan

inc.com / view original / Leigh Buchanan DeM Banter:  Good scoop on thought leaders...always wondered, but afraid to ask? Read on... Inc. editor-at-large Leigh Buchanan interviews Clay Christensen's publicity advisor about how entrepreneurs can be thought leaders too. Clayton Christensen, Professor of Business Administration at Harvard Business School. All CEOs lead their companies: that's line No. …

THE PERMANENT MILITARIZATION OF AMERICA By Aaron B. O’Connell

DeM Banter:  Good historical rundown  with present day implication... but short on solutions.  What would a solution look like? Straight cuts? New choices? Thoughts?  New York Times November 5, 2012 Pg. 27 Annapolis, Md.--IN 1961, President Dwight D. Eisenhower left office warning of the growing power of the military-industrial complex in American life. Most people …

Make Or Break Arguing complexity is killing aerospace, Darpa seeks simpler and faster design process By Graham Warwick

DeM Banter: something will have to give... Aviation Week & Space Technology November 5, 2012 Pg. 76 By Graham Warwick No one could accuse the U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency of lacking imagination. But to rethink the entire design, development and manufacturing process used by aerospace for decades is ambitious, even for the agency …

Defense In 2013: By Kevin Baron, Gordon Lubold and John Reed

DeM Banter: don't have much to say...in days we will know...but the authors need to be careful, their unbiased bias (or is it bias unbiased) is showing...along with their epidermis... ForeignPolicy.com November 2, 2012 Who wins, depending on who wins. No matter which man wins the presidency, the Pentagon is going to keep taking that …