In the last three years, Hollywood, along with independent film companies and some documentarians, have begun producing films related to the wars against terror in Iraq and Afghanistan. The fact that the conversation has started is a vast improvement from the early years when all that was available were short news segments from embedded reporters and insurgency propaganda. In the following selection of films, the viewpoints range from the soldier’s view and the families they left behind to the political woes of elected officials trying to manage the conflicts and the public opinions back home. Are they getting the story right? You decide.
A Month Later, DADT Survey Participation Lags
On August 12th, the Navy Times, which has been closely covering the DADT survey sent out to 400,000 service members last month, reported that only a quarter of the troops returned the survey in advance of the August 15th deadline, leading Secretary of Defense Robert Gates to issue a statement pleading with troops, “If you have not yet responded, please participate. Your response will help us assess the impact of a change in the ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ law”. In light of the low response level, it begs the question, why are troops not responding to a survey that could help smooth or derail the path towards DADT reform?
Needs of the Nation: ROTC at Columbia University and the Quadrennial Defense Review, Part II
Part I: Capabilities and Capacity introduced Columbia University in New York City as the ideal partner for ROTC to produce officers with the capabilities and capacity called for in the 2010 Quadrennial Defense Review. Needs of the Nation is quilted entirely from QDR text to provide a contextual basis for the partnership, while the links match QDR-identified needs to Columbia sources to further illustrate the investment potential of Columbia ROTC for the nation.
A Response To Nicholas Kristof; We are still at war, let’s fight together.
In a recent editorial for the N.Y. Times Nicholas Kristof plays upon his fiddle a familiar tune; building schools is better for peace than firing missiles. In the abstract this theme is undoubtedly true. Collectively we know that education is the key to a better, safer world. It is not a question of whether building schools is better for peace then firing missiles, the question is actually whether building schools is better for peace in Afghanistan.
Float like a starfish, sting like a spider
The day someone becomes CEO of a large corporation, it is classic to warn them about the dangers of hierarchy by saying “yesterday was the last day that anyone will tell you what is actually going on in the company”. Conventional thinking is that the military is even more hierarchical. In reality, however, it is impressive how the Army is at the cutting edge of non-hierarchical thinking.
Military Regulations Shouldn’t Stop at the Golden Arches’ Front Door
Recently I wrote on the U.S. military’s experimentation with “non-traditional” exercise plans in order to stem the tide of rising obesity within the ranks. However, many have suggested that changes in fitness programs are only half the battle, and that what the military sorely needs is to stop supplying soldiers with nutritionally deficient meal options.
Most people are well aware that the military is an excellent option for those looking to serve their country and learn leadership in a demanding and structured environment. Most people are unaware that the military is also the obvious option for those looking to serve their bodies with high calorie and fat laden meal choices.
Petraeus takes command and the dust settles, now what was McChrystal thinking?
We may never know what drove Gen. Stanley McChrystal to say the things he did to Rolling Stone. But now that the dust has settled we should closely analyze McChrystal’s misstep for hints or suggestions as to what he was really trying to tell us.
Wikileaks leak an opportunity for frank discussion
Wikileaks has given President Obama the opportunity to hold a long-overdue frank discussion – a Melian dialogue – with the American people about Afghanistan and the War on Terror.
U.S. Military Experiments with Yoga to Cure Our Most Preventable National Security Issue
Tony Horton of P90X fame has suggested the military include yoga in traditional fitness training. Horton stated that “the days of pushups, sit ups, and long runs in the military are over.” Instead of the usual routine that most soldiers have grown too accustomed to over the years, Horton has suggested yoga because of its ability to lubricate joints and utilize push up or other postures which magnify strength exercises.
Re-Tooling
Wall Street Journal does a little chicken-egg on what Petraeus has managed in the last few weeks and what was McChrystal’s work. Basically counterinsurgency vs. counterterrorism, though it appears to be a fine, and disputed line. The upshot is WSJ reports a re-tooling is underway with greater emphasis on counterinsurgency, while the White House still wants to hold to its troop withdrawal deadline. WSJ figures Petraeus may manage to slow that a little, but not substantially delay halt or reverse.
Command Assumed
For all the wrong reasons, and entirely by accident, President Obama may have finally committed himself to victory in Afghanistan.
It has been a particularly bizarre time in these strange wars in which we have been engaged this past decade, as fissures between our political, diplomatic and military branches were widened into a gaping crisis by a recent Rolling Stone article. But the crisis as well as the fissures, contrary to popular misconception, were the result of the president’s failure of leadership, not Gen. Stanley McChrystal’s.
What Defense Acquisition can learn from Apple
Why do people love apple? Why do they line up around the block days in advance to buy an iPhone? Why is there a dating site set up exclusively for apple users to date other apple users? Is there something I’m missing? Since when does a personal computer preference say to someone of the opposite sex, “hey, I’m the one for you”? Even the military is falling in love with the company. The next frontier in technology will be driven by software, networks, and mobile devices, and the Defense industry would be foolish to not leverage existing consumer capabilities for military applications. If Defense Acquisition is going to learn how to make these future products successfully, it might as well emulate the best in the business. Here are a few quick thoughts on why Apple has been successful in its latest endeavors and the lessons Defense Acquisition can take from those successes.
ROTC in New York City: An Untapped Resource
The long-standing contention surrounding the presence of ROTC on university campuses has not been limited merely to a select number of Ivy League institutions, though they have often been the most prominent and vocal in opposing the program. Moreover, they are not solely to blame. As the WSJ has shown, the military has been slowly but surely reducing its presence in the urban Northeast in favor of institutions in the South and Midwest. Despite having a population comparable to that of entire states, for example, the resources afforded to New York City for officer training and recruitment appear paltry when compared to its corollaries in other parts of the country. The city deserves better. Here are just a few reasons why.
LTG Sorenson Discusses Apps For The Army
LTG Jeffrey A. Sorenson, the Department of the Army’s Chief Information Officer speaks about the Apps for the Army contest at the Gov 2.0 Expo.
More Like This, Please
That the Pentagon and White House are willing to countenance the fact that a soldier can show extraordinary courage and live is important not only for the reality it represents but for the message it sends. Homefront war coverage in our time has focused heavily on death, PTSD, and the poor treatment of soldiers by their own government, while the actual war front coverage has been largely about despair and failure, even when we win. For all the “support the troops,” there has been very little effort to understand and appreciate those who chose this life and have soldiered on through all the setbacks and political vitriol, or to highlight their extraordinary actions and accomplishments. If the White House wants to win the shooting war,** it needs to remember it has a homefront battle that it has been on the wrong side of. Honoring a live American hero, not least one who stood up in selflessly what is now being deemed a failed effort, could be a good start.
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Operation Hollywood: Tinseltown’s recent wave of films on the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan
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A Month Later, DADT Survey Participation Lags
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Needs of the Nation: ROTC at Columbia University and the Quadrennial Defense Review, Part II
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A Response To Nicholas Kristof; We are still at war, let’s fight together.
