Wild Blue Yonder

Feb. 17, 2020
Air Corps Infantry: The Original Cross-Functional Airmen

The planes droned by, filling the sky with a chest-rattling thrum. Allied material superiority was in full display as lines of over 1,600 C-47 Skytrains and C-46 Commandos stretched from airfields near London and Paris all the way to the Rhine. Fighters and medium bombers swept the skies and
Feb. 3, 2020
Between Theory and Practice: The Utility of International Relations Theory to the Military Practitioner

This article advances the argument that theory influences the policy makers’ view of the world in ways that impact policy development and, by extension, defense strategy. Thus, it is an indispensable weapon in the senior military advisor’s arsenal. However, these theories tend to overemphasize or
Feb. 3, 2020
Integrating Cyber Effects into the Joint Targeting Cycle

Using guidance presented in JP 3-0, JP 3-60 and CJCSI 3370.01C, cyber effects and targeting may be effectively presented for a combatant commander in the same format as “traditional” targets. With development of better “supported/supporting” command relationships between US Cyber Command and
Jan. 20, 2020
Techno-Fetishism and Meta-Rhetoric: Assessing the Nature and Character of Past and Future Warfare

What will future war look like? Answering this question requires first reflecting on wars of the past. Warfare, from antiquity to present, has been defined by a constant nature and evolving character heavily influenced by the technology-theory interaction. Future war portends more of the same;
Jan. 20, 2020
Building Partnership Capacity and Logistics

The US Defense Security Cooperation Agency administers Building Partner Capacity programs funded with US appropriations and administered as cases within the foreign military sales (FMS) infrastructure. One of these programs enables the agency to provide logistics solutions to allied countries.
Jan. 2, 2020
“It’s the People, Stupid!”: Step One of Fixing the DOD’s Software Challenges

The Department of Defense (DOD) is full of flawed software applications that create a frustrated workforce and result in countless hours wasted. In 2018, Congress was fed up and directed the Defense Innovation Board (DIB) to conduct a Software Acquisition and Practices Study to root out the problem.
Jan. 2, 2020
China and the Issue of the South China Sea

In this brief policy commentary, China’s “land reclamation efforts” and the historic origins of the international issue of this territorial dispute are discussed. Following an examination, various possible solutions are examined. Ultimately, a peer-level partnering with China may ultimately smooth
Jan. 2, 2020
Japan Reborn: Rearmament for Pacifism

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe seeks a bold and unprecedented constitutional amendment to expressly acknowledge Japan’s Self-Defense Forces (SDF) and their limits. But why? Abe’s proposal embodies one of the Japanese Liberal Democratic Party’s (LDP) central political platforms, yet according to
Jan. 2, 2020
Thinking through the Unthinkable: Reducing Terrorist Threats in and around the Straits of Malacca and Singapore

This article describes how the United States government can help shape a common sight picture of maritime threat detection in the Straits of Malacca and Singapore (Straits) by working cooperatively with Singapore’s Information Fusion Center to identify, target, and eliminate or reduce the threat of
Jan. 2, 2020
Energy and Leadership

Why is it important to know the different types of energy and how they relate to organizations? It is important because leaders are the custodians of the organizational energy. Leaders decide when and on what to spend the organizational energy. At any given moment, leaders are either adding to or