December 2021 Online Exclusive Articles
Ashley Arensdorf, DPhil
A historian offers a detailed comparison of British and German officer training and opines that the German system better prepared its leaders at all levels for the Second World War.
Article published on: Online Exclusive Articles 16 December 2021
November 2021 Online Exclusive Articles
R. F. M. Williams
Forcible entry operations are the bedrock by which modern airborne forces justify their existence. As such, the ability of parachute-capable units to execute joint forcible entry operations is almost taken for granted.
Article published on: Online Exclusive Articles 18 November 2021
Maj. Mark Kloiber, U.S. Army
A few days before the New York Times reported on the front page, “Taliban Capture Kabul,” a friend of mine shared a screen shot of an email he received from a former interpreter in Afghanistan. It read only, “Sir please.” Those who have witnessed evil can infer the fear in this ally’s request. A mutual friend replied to his post sharing, “I’ve been working with one for a few weeks now trying to help him … It’s a f***ing disaster.” Much of the world wondered aloud on 16 August 2021 how the fall of Afghanistan happened so quickly. During the withdrawal of U.S. and North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) forces in the days and weeks prior, large regions of Afghanistan and even provincial capitals that were once bastions of the Afghan government’s presence and influence fell. Many did not see the speed of the collapse coming. Tragically, many of my brothers and sisters in the military saw the fall coming via social media like a cup that was dropped but can no longer be caught.
Article published on: Online Exclusive Articles 10 November 2021
August 2021 Online Exclusive Articles
Lt. Col. Edward J. Erickson, PhD, U.S. Army, Retired
The success of Azerbaijan’s 2020 campaign against Armenia during the 44-Day War is commonly credited to Azerbaijani use of Turkish and Israeli drones, but Azerbaijan’s success was actually the result of a sustained period of professionalization in its military institutions and complementary acquisition decisions.
Article published on: Online Exclusive Articles 06 August 2021
July 2021 Online Exclusive Articles
Maj. Gregory T. Isham, U.S. Army
There is an inherent tension between the current Army values and culture and the concept of a people-first Army. However, a people-first mindset, people-first systems, and a people-first culture will enhance commitment throughout the Army, which in turn will directly increase the readiness of the Army to deploy, fight, and win our Nation’s wars. A 2021 General Douglas MacArthur Military Leadership Writing Competition entry.
Article published on: Online Exclusive Articles 07 July 2021
June 2021 Online Exclusive Articles
Brig. Gen. Eric Strong, U.S. Army
Maj. Brett Reichert, U.S. Army
In a recent Warfighter exercise, the 4th Infantry Division demonstrated how employing three enduring command nodes increased the survivability of the division mission command infrastructure and kept the division commander and staff from being consumed with the close fight at the expense of setting future conditions.
Article published on: Online Exclusive Articles 29 June 2021
Col. James Kennedy, U.S. Army, Retired
An associate professor at the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College describes the six most common barriers to professional writing identified by his students and provides advice on how to overcome them.
Article published on: Online Exclusive Articles 17 June 2021
Col. Dwayne Wagner, U.S. Army, Retired
A retired Army officer relates his own experiences and those of his father to reflect on the changes in Army race relations.
Article published on: Online Exclusive Articles 09 June 2021
April 2021 Online Exclusive Articles
Gen. David H. Berger, U.S. Marine Corps
The commandant of the Marine Corps describes how the Marines are radically reorganizing and rearming to develop greatly expanded capabilities to support future joint operations in contested littoral areas of operation as a multi-domain reconnaissance and counterreconnaissance force.
Article published on: Online Exclusive Articles 20 April 2021
January 2021 Online Exclusive Articles
Anna L. Borshchevskaya
Originally published in Great Power Competition: The Changing Landscape of Global Geopolitics, this article examines the origin and evolution of Russian soft power, comparing and contrasting the current Russian view of soft power with that of the former Soviet Union and also with that of the modern-day West.
Article published on: Online Exclusive Articles 20 January 2021
Col. Richard J. Davis, U.S. Army
Lt. Col. Jonathan P. Graebener, U.S. Army
The author argued that the lack of shared understanding is due to varying levels of experience between the generations and a lack of mentorship and training of young staff officers.
Article published on: Online Exclusive Articles 9 January 2021
Col. Joseph E. Escandon, U.S. Army
In his “Message to the Force–Feedback on Diversity and Inclusion in the Military,” Secretary of Defense Mark Esper expressed the need to address and improve racial diversity in the Armed Forces, calling this the “first steps to drive a cultural shift and create lasting change in the DoD [Department of Defense].”
Article published on: Online Exclusive Articles 1 January 2021