A new principle of war ‘Understanding’ must take its rightful place atop the pantheon

BY FRANK HOFFMAN Reflecting revered assumptions and long-standing paradigms, The Principles of War are a list of tenets enshrined since 1949 in the Army’s Field Manual 3-0 “Operations” and more recently in other service and joint doctrines. These foundations — Mass, Maneuver, Unity of Command, and the rest — have stood largely pat for a …

The Truth Behind Competing Claims About The Defense Budget By Kate Brannen

Defense News February 6, 2012 Pg. 6 The Truth Behind Competing Claims About The Defense Budget By Kate Brannen Depending on who you're listening to in Washington, you could think the defense cuts mandated by the Budget Control Act are going to cause the sky to fall or they're no big deal. Participants on each …

The Perils of Bad Strategy: JUNE 2011 • Richard Rumelt

Bad strategy abounds, says UCLA management professor Richard Rumelt. Senior executives who can spot it stand a much better chance of creating good strategies. Horatio Nelson had a problem. The British admiral’s fleet was outnumbered at Trafalgar by an armada of French and Spanish ships that Napoleon had ordered to disrupt Britain’s commerce and prepare …

4 Harbingers of BAD Strategy organized by J. William DeMarco (sort of…)

Bad strategy is more than just the absence of good strategy. All too often, bad strategy consists of nothing more than platitudes, unrealistic goals and warm-and-fuzzy sounding slogans. Good strategy, by contrast, specifies how an organization will focus its resources to respond to challenges and move forward toward greatness. After reading Does U.S. Need Grand …

Dempsey Downplays ‘Reversibility’ Concept By Emelie Rutherford

Defense Daily February 2, 2012 The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff warned yesterday against putting much weight on the term “reversibility,” which Pentagon officials said will guide budget decision to ensure the military can quickly respond to unforeseen threats. “I’m not sure where that came from,” Gen. Martin Dempsey told the Reserve Officers …

Joint Chiefs Line Up To Defend Budget Contraction By Kevin Baron

 Defense hawks eager to break through President Obama's austerity budget and post-war strategy for the military will face a formidable defense: the Joint Chiefs of Staff. As of Monday, all four service chiefs have gone public, lining up shoulder-to-shoulder to support their budget-saving and strategy-matching decisions as necessary and reasoned changes during a national economic …

Defense Strategy and Military Planning for an Era of Persistent Conflict

By Robert Tomes Journal Article | Jan 26 2012 - 5:17am Editor's Note:  This is a thought-provoking offering from Dr. Robert Tomes.  In particular, his generational interpretation of attitudes towards strategy and military options will generate some spirited discussion.  While he draws distinctions between the Generation X-ers and the Millenials, I think that many readers will see …