by Micah Zenko On February 15, General Martin Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told the House Armed Services Committee: “I can’t impress upon you that in my personal military judgment, formed over thirty-eight years, we are living in the most dangerous time in my lifetime, right now.” Two weeks later, during a …
World More Dangerous, Top General Tells Harvard
By Bryan Bender, Globe Staff WASHINGTON -- The nation's top military officer told Harvard's Kennedy School Thursday that despite the death of Al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden, the exit of longtime dictators from the world stage, and no mortal enemy in the form of a nation-state the United States is more vulnerable. Army General …
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The Maddow Doctrine: We Need to Make War Hard Again
(Bloggers note: Not a Rachel Maddow fan by any stretch, usually try to avoid the politically charged banter on either side of the spectrum...but the book came to my attention through work and the argument seems very sound... might need to consider picking it up) By Kevin Drum I finished reading Rachel Maddow's Drift a couple of …
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The Coming Drone Arms Race By Alejandro Sueldo
Politico.com April 11, 2012 Another terrorist overseas dies in a U.S. armed drone strike. This far from uncommon occurrence is an impressive reminder of the U.S. drone program’s remarkable success rate. Washington’s success, however, is proving a double-edged sword. Drones' reliability and cost-effectiveness have made them the U.S. weapon of choice. Most notably, drones play …
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HBR: Develop a Strategy the Smart Way
Strategic planning fails when it has fuzzy objectives, too many people, and a rushed schedule. When your company faces uncertainty and needs to develop a strategy fast, do it the right way: Define the challenge. Your leadership team can't settle on a path forward unless everyone agrees on the problem you're trying to solve. Once …
Next Air Force Chief Likely To Be Former CIA Military Deputy; ‘Absolute Best Pick’
AOL Defense (defense.aol.com) April 10, 2012 By Colin Clark WASHINGTON--The likely pick for next Air Force Chief of Staff possesses acquisition experience and would bring a vibrant leader and strong communicator to head the nation's air and space force. Gen. Mark Welsh, commander of U.S. Air Forces in Europe, served under both Mike Hayden and …
Disruptive Thinkers: Military Entrepreneurship, Terms and Concepts
by Jonathan Jeckell Business, military and political leaders claim to value innovation, and leaders of many organizations develop formal programs to foster innovation. Professionals have an obligation to develop and improve the profession’s processes and body of knowledge. Military organizations in particular struggle with innovation because they receive little feedback on how well they are …
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American National Security Strategy: The Leadership Factor by Richard Wetiz
The Making of US National Security Policy: The Leadership Imperative Successful policy development, implementation, and outcomes are often associated with direct and sustained presidential engagement. For example, the study of U.S. policy during the East Timor crisis found that it was only after President Clinton intervened to enforce a coherent U.S. interagency approach that the …
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Being ‘Army Strong’ Gets Weak Backing With Obama’s Strategy
Washington Times April 9, 2012 Pg. 1 Being 'Army Strong' Gets Weak Backing With Obama's Strategy Equipment plans left behind as technology forges ahead By Rowan Scarborough, The Washington Times The Army is coming out of a decade of war beat up and strapped for cash. The force that arguably did most of the fighting …
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New Refueling Voyager Planes Found Incompatible With British Jets
Defenseworld, 5 April 2012, Unattributed In a major setback for the Britain’s Royal Air Force, a fleet of supersize refuelling planes meant for the RAF were found incompatible with British jets, according to local media reports. Tests conducted on the massive new Voyager air-to-air tankers revealed that they are not compatible with the RAF Tornados. …
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