DeM Banter: wow, lots of stuff here...agree and disagree all at the same time...so I'm going with the F. Scott Fitzgerald quote "The test of a first-rate intelligence is the ability to hold two opposed ideas in the mind at the same time, and still retain the ability to function." ( I use "function" loosely) …
Of Machines And Men, And Fires And Fastballs By Al Kamen
DeM Banter: now who doesn't like C3PO in a Nats Cap...but still pondering what this looks like in a decade with no solid strategy or plan as we move forward with drones in the Air, under the Sea, and on the Ground...could just be me. Washington Post October 10, 2012 Pg. 19 In The Loop …
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America Just Can’t Help It By Tom Engelhardt
DeM Banter: when all you have is a hammer...everything looks like a nail...perhaps we are still using Industrial Revolution type tools to fight in an Information Age...something to ponder...Greater Things... Los Angeles Times October 9, 2012 Pg. 11 A great power without a significant enemy? That's what the U.S. has become. Osama bin Laden is …
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NO ESCAPE FROM THE MIDDLE EAST By Fred Hiatt
DeM Banter: Still wondering how that pivot to the East is going? The message is confusing to say the least...we are pivoting East (well notionally)...with massive strategic issues still in the Middle East....and cutting defense--There are no easy solutions and we need to make some tough choices. Washington Post October 8, 2012 Pg. 19 Before …
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SEA POWER FOR ROBOTS By Martin LaMonica
DeM Banter: As my good friend Nick...Nick Lowe always says..."And so it goes...and where it's goin'... no one knows" Apologies to my Navy counterparts... no idea if the photo is really what the Navy is working with....there are a myriad of AUV photos out there. As always...pondering what the Air, Land, and Sea world of …
To Save Lives, Learn The Afghan Culture By Javid Ahmad
DeM Banter: not sure I buy the entire argument below...but I do know Cultural Understanding is of an extreme importance...something we pondered years ago while at Hoover/Stanford. But what is interesting here is how the enemy evolves...and that is key...where we see innovation is needed to counter innovation....but our innovation is hindered by an Industrial …
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Former General McChrystal Speaks About Complex World By Torsten Ove
DeM Banter: need to find the transcripts as the article seems a bit shallow, but could not agree more with the General ... "It's the tsunami coming." Drones are an issue and our education system is well beyond "in crisis." More than anything we need Strategy, Vision, and Leadership...still...wondering where the lions are.....thoughts? Pittsburgh Post-Gazette …
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Shooting On Suspicion by James Kitfield
DeM Banter...my head hurts.... National Journal October 6, 2012 The president says he doesn't bluff, and Iran keeps enriching uranium. If everyone’s telling the truth, we're headed for a preventive war. Otto von Bismarck famously equated it to committing suicide out of fear of death. Former Air Force Gen. Curtis (Bombs Away) LeMay, the inspiration …
Missing From Our Two Wars: Clear Goals, Joint Forces By David Deptula
DeM Banter: nice piece from Gen Deptula...I would have to offer EBO is about dead...killed several times over, the concept in and of itself may not be totally wrong, but the term has way too much baggage. Not sure we need the Airpower barb at the end either...but minor points to an excellent piece on …
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Ten Lessons The U.S. Should Learn From Afghanistan’s History By William Byrd
ForeignPolicy.com October 1, 2012 The AfPak Channel Afghanistan provides all too many examples of the wisdom of Winston Churchill's saying "those that fail to learn from history, are doomed to repeat it." Great Britain forgot the hard-learned lessons from the First Anglo-Afghan War (1839-42) and got caught in the misadventure of the Second Anglo-Afghan War …
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