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DeM Banter: how many times have we heard..."do more with less?" Or... we need to be more "agile" or more "efficient and effective?" As a car guy... I get it... you can always squeeze a little more horsepower from your motor--but there does come a point where your gains are extremely small versus the cost. …
Continue reading "What would a smaller military look like and how would it fight? By Tom Vandebrook"
DeM Banter: If all of the sudden we are high-fiving ourselves for this great measure and budget cutting--isn't it interesting that no one is talking about the 900lb gorilla in the room or the very large pink elephant in the corner? None of these distinguished gentlemen are affected by the budget cuts and if we …
DeM Banter: I know... we keep harping on this...but it is REALLY ALL ABOUT LEADERSHIP AND STRATEGY. Here's the big problem...the enemy has a very well thought out strategy that is fluid and adaptable...and we have none. The plan that Gen Dubik mentions below is something we have talked about for a long time.. AND...when …
Continue reading "Fighting al-Qaeda in Iraq is in U.S. interests By James M. Dubik"
DeM Banter: Something we have discussed at great length here at the m100Group. Where is the innovation, the deep thinking, the dynamic, the disruptive? As my good friend Elvis Costello once said... So where are the strong? And who are the trusted? And where is the harmony? … What’s so funny about peace, love, and …
Continue reading "The decay of the profession of arms By Maj. Matthew Cavanaugh"
DeM Banter: I thought the US were the ones doing the disrupting? Hasn't that always been part of our history...isn't that what we do? Now we are "watching" for disruptive tech? Several years ago DoD belittled China for simply mimicking US technology--but what is the first step on the road to mastery? To mimic? Interesting …
Continue reading "Pentagon on watch for disruptive technology worldwide by Ray Locker"
DeM Banter: So... if the Army is doing this...why not the USAF? There are many issues with the article below and I am not sure "toxic leaders" are the cause for all the issues mentioned--we are the military after all : there is discipline, there is rigor, and then there is hazing. THERE is NO …
Continue reading "Army Takes On Its Own Toxic Leaders by Daniel Zwerdling"
DeM Banter: The most troubling similarity between 1914 and now is complacency...great quote from the article below and something we have been harping on here for the two years the blog has been up...a couple of other great quotes to ponder as we step into the new year... Anne Applebaum, writing recently in the Washington Post. “We are …
Continue reading "CULPABLE COMPLACENCY & U.S. NATIONAL SECURITY STRATEGY by Frank Hoffman"
DeM Banter: Well...there you have it..."the upside of smart autonomous drones is that they cut costs; one of the DoD's biggest expenses is manpower, according to the report. Not to mention drone pilots are susceptible to human error, and have the ethically sound but strategically inconvenient tendency to incur psychological damage when drone strikes go wrong." …
Continue reading "The Pentagon’s Vision for the Future of Military Drones By Meghan Neal"
DeM Banter: I have to admit... I really love this stuff. Sure I know... one can not re-write history, but it is fun to play with the concepts. The contrarian view is good...but I did not see this one coming. Any thoughts? www.theguardian.com / View Original / December 25th, 2013 David Cameron visits the graves of first world war soldiers in …
Continue reading "What if the Germans had won the first world war? By Owen Sheers"
DeM Banter: Oh...if we would just attempt to understand history... some great quotes and concepts in the article below. http://www.businessinsider.com / View Original / December 22nd, 2013 AS NEW YEAR approached a century ago, most people in the West looked forward to 1914 with optimism. The hundred years since the Battle of Waterloo had not been entirely free of …
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