After the fall of Saigon on April 29, 1975, military and civilian strategists sought “lessons learned.” Many were tactical or technical, such as the operational effectiveness of precision-guided munitions and the continuing need for guns on jet fighters. At the … Continue reading
On March 19, speaking at a Morris Township, New Jersey Democratic Party fundraiser, Vice President Joe Biden provided what may be the mother of all election year bumper stickers when he asserted, “Osama Bin Laden is dead and General Motors … Continue reading
Late in the summer of 1961, President John F. Kennedy asked the Air Force to plan a nuclear first strike on the Soviet Union. The plan involved 55 B-52 bombers hitting 80 targets to degrade Soviet Long Range Air Force … Continue reading
Much ink has flowed over the recent apologies from President Barack Obama, Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, and General John Allen, commander of NATO forces in Afghanistan, following the burning of copies of the Koran … Continue reading
From Damascus to Tehran, a test for world leadership is underway. Daily, the Syrian military—well-armed, highly trained thugs whose current mission is to keep dictator Bashar Assad in power—kills up to 200 or more of its own citizens. Protests from … Continue reading
With breaking news of a U.S. Navy SEAL team successfully rescuing two hostages from pirates in Somalia, military pundits are quick to note how the deployment of small, elite units will fit in with President Barack Obama’s vision for modernizing … Continue reading
President Barack Obama’s vision for modernizing the U.S. military is little more than an exercise in “back to the future.” Consider: Back in 2001, the armed forces were nearly a decade into positing what 21st-century warfare would entail. These considerations … Continue reading
Once again, tensions between Iran and the international community are on the rise as the United Nations’ nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency, released a new report that warns of concealed attempts by Iran to produce an atomic bomb. … Continue reading
Editor’s note: This article is Part III in a series. Click here to read Part I & Part II. Armed forces, and the way they fight, reflect national cultures. That means that the United States will have the kind of military the people, through … Continue reading
Editor’s note: This article is Part II in a series. Click here to read Part I & Part III. The U.S. Department of Defense must restructure to accommodate deep budget cuts and, more importantly, be ready for the challenges of 21st-century warfare. Those challenges … Continue reading
Editor’s note: This article is Part I in a series. Click here to read Part II & Part III. In 1914, on the eve of the Great War, the Duke of Cambridge wrote, “There is a time for all things. There is even a … Continue reading
The Warrior River borders the University of Alabama campus, separating old Tuscaloosa from up-scale housing developments to the north. Tuscaloosans know a “north of the river” address connotes six-figure incomes. The schools, public and private, are excellent. It’s the country … Continue reading
History holds that during World War II the Army executed only one American soldier, Private Eddie Slovik. There was another, a footnote to history. In 1944, B-24 Liberators taking off from a base in Italy began exploding when they “rotated,” … Continue reading
During his recent Middle East and European tour, Senator Barack Obama stated his strategic positions on Iraq and Afghanistan, which involves a timetable for withdrawal of most, if not all, U.S. forces from Iraq, and redeploying some forces to Afghanistan, … Continue reading
In the mid-1960s, the Pittsburgh Steelers drafted Notre Dame’s Rocky Bleier. Unfortunately, Steeler management failed to protect the prized rookie with the paperwork necessary to take advantage of a myriad of available conscription-law loopholes, and Bleier ended up in Vietnam … Continue reading
Each year, in early August, debate reemerges over the use of atomic weapons to end World War II. Some historians justify their use given the prospects for a long, bloody invasion of Japan. Conversely, other historians, along with liberal theologians, … Continue reading
Kim Jong Il, North Korea’s psychotic “Dear Leader,” specializes in “guerrilla diplomacy.” He backs it up with a half-dozen or so nuclear weapons squirreled away deep inside mountain storage facilities that cannot be reached by our bunker-buster bombs, and an … Continue reading
“Deterrence is the art of producing in the mind of the enemy the fear to attack.” — Dr. Merkwurdichliebe, 1964 “War kills men, and men deplore the loss; but war also crushes bad principles and tyrants and so saves society.” … Continue reading
As soon as Israeli air strikes began striking Hamas-controlled Gaza, many American church leaders started calling for an immediate ceasefire based solely on human suffering rather than the political realities of the situation. Operation Cast Lead, Israel’s ongoing effort to … Continue reading
The Hamas Charter proscribes peace with Israel. Ceasefires are possible only when advantageous to Hamas and always are temporary. Accordingly, as soon as the latest ceasefire expired, Hamas operatives fired a barrage of rockets and mortars from Gaza into Israel. … Continue reading
