Fighting al-Qaeda in Iraq is in U.S. interests By James M. Dubik

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 …

American strategy in Afghanistan flunks Sun Tzu By GIAN GENTILE

DeM Banter: love the Sun Tzu quote the author uses below...and we have it posted several times here on the blog. What do we do about it? Interesting we have been saying...we (the US) won in Iraq...history would say...no...you simply retreated from the battlefield. The enemy gets a vote...and he's voting now. This situation demands …

The decay of the profession of arms By Maj. Matthew Cavanaugh

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 …

Pentagon on watch for disruptive technology worldwide by Ray Locker

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 …

CULPABLE COMPLACENCY & U.S. NATIONAL SECURITY STRATEGY by Frank Hoffman

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 …

The Pentagon’s Vision for the Future of Military Drones By Meghan Neal

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." …

Airmen to be evaluated on how they create positive work environment By Tom Roeder

DeM Banter:  I have been out of the office for a bit... but I did see the CSAF's email.  So we are looking to update our Performance Report system to grade "dignity and respect?"  Let me guess... it will be a Pass or Fail... and everyone will pass.  If you don't --it will nuke your career …

Should the Nuclear Triad Be Saved? By Mark Thompson

DeM Banter:  Wow...I gather the current threat (not to mention future ones) of nKorea, Iran, China, and a possibly resurgent Russia would not dictate such a force?  Decline of Empire? Priorities? Choices? ....ugh.... Nation presses ahead with wholesale upgrade as cracks appear in its value and utility The U.S. spent two generations building a nuclear …