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DeM Banter: interesting thoughts, we are indeed shaped by our experiences...wonder how that will play here. Washington Post January 20, 2013 Pg. B3 Foreign policy scholar Fouad Ajami says Hagel and Kerry will lead a U.S. retrenchment The men who fought in Vietnam, a war that symbolizes America’s overreach and failures abroad, haven’t ascended to …
Continue reading "How The Vietnam War Will Shape Obama’s Second Term by Fouad Ajami"
DeM Banter: any strategy that is beyond talk would be most welcome....what does American stand for, want to be known for...and it can not just be about one man's legacy. Washington Post January 20, 2013 Pg. B3 Former State Department official Anne-Marie Slaughter reviews some new ideas to guide U.S. foreign policy First terms are …
Continue reading "Need A Grand Strategy, Mr. President? Or Three? By Anne-Marie Slaughter"
DeM Banter: Once again...history is an excellent teacher... Wall Street Journal January 19, 2013 Pg. C1 Unconventional wars are our most pressing national security concern. They're also the most ancient form of war in the world. Max Boot on the lessons of insurgency we seem unable to learn. For a student of military history, the …
DeM Banter: And so it goes...eh? And yes...we all have the memo....trying to figure out the impacts now. U-T San Diego January 17, 2013 Pg. B7 Many Americans breathed a sigh of relief when the outgoing House compromised and agreed to the Senate’s bill that averted the so-called fiscal cliff. Members of Congress demonstrated they …
Continue reading "Abdicating Our National And Economic Security By Dale A. Lumme"
DeM Banter: this going to be sporty...still wondering if there will be any "strategy" adjustments as ops normal seem unlikely to be able to continue. Appears the 1970s are repeating....Saturday Night Fever anyone? National Journal January 19, 2013 By telling defense officials not to specify sequestration cuts, the White House put them in a terrible …
DeM Banter: as we sit around table and attempt to define "mission critical" events that we hope to fund...more warnings from The Pentagon...curiouser and curiouser.... USA Today January 17, 2013 Pg. 2 Military service chiefs outlined spending cuts, including a 30% reduction in operating costs for Army posts, as part of their plans to deal …
Continue reading "Budget Or No, Military Spending Cuts Ahead By Tom Vanden Brook"
As we sit here and wrestle with budget cuts and the way forward... I have to fall back on the above statement... Vision is everything. Even with budget cuts or a change in mission... if the leader has a clear vision of where he/she is going... you can still get there...and your leaders will follow …
DeM Banter: don't know how many have seen the memo....we are living in interesting times... National Defense Blog (ndia.org) January 15, 2013 Air Force leadership sent a directive to the service's major commands on Jan. 14 to enact funding cuts in advance of sequestration. The guidance directs the commands to freeze civilian hiring, cancel nonessential …
Continue reading "Air Force Makes Cuts To Help Mitigate Sequestration Threat By Valerie Insinna"
DeM Banter: interesting Mr Pincus quotes Arnold L. Punaro, chairman of the board, a former top staffer on the Senate Armed Services Committee as saying “The all-in cost of the all-volunteer force is one of the time-ticking bombs that could explode our defense capabilities if not dealt with responsibly.” Wouldn't the same apply to a …
Continue reading "The Unaffordability Of The All-Volunteer Military By Walter Pincus"
We spend a good bit of time in the office sorting through records. Records of accomplishment... sometimes these are HUGE accomplishments...sometimes they are life and death type accomplishments--and sometimes NOT. Sometimes we suffer from the "everybody gets a trophy" syndrome. How in the world did we get here? I am not an expert, but can …
Continue reading "Value, Praise, and Rewards: DeMarco Banter"
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