The "fake news" phenomenon is still going strong, with talking heads throughout the political spectrum and on all levels throwing out accusations of lying and misinformation. As a business model, the mainstream media, collective thought and conventional narratives are ingenious, because it always guarantees a story that is palatable that the general public will not …
Continue reading Primary Sources: The Importance of First Hand Information
As we develop and field new technology in conflicts across the globe, we wrestle with the question of who to equip with the latest technology and how to ethically incorporate these added layers of lethality onto the battlefield. Like we said in an earlier article, commanders and leaders have a duty to make sure that …
In our most recent article I talked about how technology and the Rules of Engagement can make warfighting perplexing on the tactical level. Honestly speaking, I never felt encumbered or threatened by the Rules of Engagement, but they definitely limited our movement and use of supporting elements that could have, in at least one or two …
War can be a messy affair, and not just in the traditional sense of carnage and blood. The Law of War is a complex set of rules for engaging the enemy, when to engage the enemy and even dictates if a war or combat action is legal at all. It's easy to perfect laws and …
Continue reading Rules of Engagement and New Technology: Limiting Factors
After a bit of a layaway, we are back! I had to take some time off and devote to a new job for the past year or so. During this time I still wrote, I just couldn't maintain a regular writing/publishing schedule. Now that I've got my "sea legs" under me, I have been writing …
Through sheer military might, pragmatism and some good stoic thinking, Rome managed to dominate the Mediterranean for centuries. The Greeks were an amalgamation of city states and philosophers that could campaign and do battle quite good, but were too fractured to be a complete and dominating power. Compare this to some of the dynasties in …
Fighting a war in the mountains can be vastly different than fighting a war in a jungle. Some of the principles remain the same, like superior firepower, maneuvering into advantageous positions, and securing your resources, but the terrain and geography an Army fights in can dictate how a leader goes about establishing and maintaining certain advantages …
Continue reading Terrain and War: Terrain as an “equalizer” and constant of war throughout history
One of my favorite books is The Forever War by Joe Haldeman. It's an allegorical tale of his time in Vietnam, set in the "future" of 1996 (the book was published in the 1970's). A soldier goes on a journey through multiple planets, engagements and thousands of years to finally reach the conclusion of the war. …
Continue reading Criticism Through Literature: Science Fiction and a Combat Veteran Writer
Roman History is one of my favorite subjects. I have read about the Roman Legions, Caesar and the Republic since I was a boy. In college, I never really took any Ancient History courses, or studied Rome formally, but it is one of my favorite subjects to read up on and to write on. I …
In a previous article we looked at the Civil War and how The Union Army may have stacked the odds a bit in their favor by organizing their Army in a way that took distinct advantage of their superior numbers (both in men and material). This article will look at how the Roman Army kept …
Steel and Stylus 