A Curator of Strategy, Leadership, Spirituality, and Rock and Roll…. "Changing the world…one "contact" at a time…."
Part I: The Metaphysics of the Force: A Syncretic Foundation The enduring cultural resonance of the Star Wars saga is inextricably linked to its central metaphysical concept: the Force. More than a mere plot device, the Force serves as the philosophical and spiritual bedrock of its universe, a complex tapestry woven from the threads of …
The Hype Cycle: A Mirror for Institutional Behavior In the world of technological forecasting and organizational transformation, few conceptual tools have had the lasting impact of the Gartner Hype Cycle. Introduced in the mid-1990s by the research and advisory firm Gartner, Inc., the Hype Cycle sought to explain a recurring pattern: how emerging technologies rise …
Continue reading "The Innovation Trap: How the USAF Gets Stuck in the Hype Cycle: DeMarco Banter"
I’m always looking for patterns—connections across time, domains, and disciplines. If you’ve read this blog before, that won’t surprise you. What can Star Wars teach us about leadership? How does Jim Morrison reveal something essential about self-authorizing behavior? Can The Talking Heads actually teach us something about innovation? Lately, I’ve been turning back to one of the most well-read and enduring …
I came across this piece shortly after it was published in late October '24. I have left it open on my computer ever since and I go back to it often. It is quite telling, yet every time I ponder writing about it, I feel the pull of politics—and I hate that. This is not …
Continue reading "Time to Reload: Strategic Velocity, Defense Reformation: DeMarco Banter"
We had an AUiX teammate PCS this week. As is tradition, we give our PCSing officers a Star Wars-themed farewell gift—this time, a replica of Han Solo’s iconic blaster. I considered adding a plaque that simply read: “Who shot first?” But as I floated the idea, I realized only about half the room caught the …
As a squadron commander, I spent countless hours with our team in Air Operations Centers around the world, developing strategy, writing operational plans, wargaming, and wrestling with the ambiguity that defines modern conflict. We were serious about our craft—so much so that we garnered a nickname: The Masterminds. It wasn’t a boast, but a reflection …
There is something unsettling, even dangerous, about the iconoclast. From the origin of the word itself—a compound of the Greek eikōn, meaning "image," and klan, "to break"—the iconoclast has always been defined in opposition to sacred norms. In its earliest usage, the term described those who quite literally smashed religious images during the Byzantine Iconoclasm …
Continue reading "The Strategist with a Hammer: Iconoclasm and the Art of Leadership—DeMarco Banter"
In the evolving landscape of twenty-first-century conflict, traditional domains of warfare—land, sea, air, space, and even cyber—are now accompanied by a more elusive and insidious front: the human mind. Dubbed "cognitive warfare," this emerging domain does not target physical infrastructure or conventional forces, but the very frameworks individuals and societies use to perceive, interpret, and …
I’ve always been fascinated by great minds—those rare individuals who think across boundaries, lead with insight, and shape the world in ways most of us are still catching up to. Leaders, strategists, polymaths—they tend to emerge at critical moments in history, and their influence often transcends the disciplines they touch. Over the past few years, …
Continue reading "Strategic Firepower and the Logic of Genius — DeMarco Banter"
Grateful to the War on the Rocks team for publishing my piece on leadership development and the critical role of crucibles. You can read the opening below—and check out the full article on their site. A follow-up podcast conversation is coming soon. Stay tuned. A few years ago, a young U.S. military officer asked me a pointed …
Continue reading "CRUCIBLES, NOT COMFORT, SHAPE FUTURE MILITARY LEADERS: WAR on THE ROCKS"
Mastermind Century Group 