I have just published a new book, which you can find on the My Books page. This book is about more than just battlefield leadership.  Tactical skill and masterful maneuver is not enough.  Leaders need to master the principles of command.  Command skills are building blocks.  Leadership is the mortar that binds them together.  Years ago, NATO became enamoured of a uniquely German leadership philosophy called Auftragstaktik (translated as Mission Command).  But as … Continue reading Leadership

The continuing tragedy unfolding in Eastern Ukraine is at risk of becoming so commonplace as to lose the world’s attention. In light of this risk, I set about reviewing the underlying political motives, which sparked the invasion. Before the Russians crossed the border friends asked me if Putin would invade. I was convinced that he would not, since I believed that he had already achieved … Continue reading Invasion of Ukraine

We continue to watch the perfidy and the unspeakable criminality involved in dealing in any way with Vladimir Putin. Of course he will agree to allow the grain to leave the port of Odessa – but first he will have to strike the port with missiles. His attack on Ukraine is not a war; it is a ‘special military operation’ … I have refrained from … Continue reading Russian Warfare Redux

The Arbour Report on sexual misconduct in the Canadian Forces was tabled this week and considering the author, the report held few if any surprises.  Justice Arbour is an unrepentant social justice warrior and good for her, but what the learned Justice seems unwilling (for she is certainly capable) of understanding is that the world is not a classroom in a law school or a … Continue reading Fixing the Canadian Military

Winston Churchill once said: Battles are won by slaughter and maneuver. The greater the general, the more he contributes in maneuver, the less he demands in slaughter. What we are seeing in Ukraine is generalship of the worst kind. Like the child in the midst of a temper tantrum, the Russian military is attempting to bring Ukraine to its knees by senseless slaughter and wanton … Continue reading Russian Warfare

One of the conclusions that Carl von Clausewitz reaches in his study On War is that the defence is the stronger form of war. (There are only two forms, hence the comparative tense.) Many of my students have found this difficult to understand, especially if they were American and raised on the idea that the ‘best defence is a strong offence.’ “The defensive form of … Continue reading Offence vs Defence

Public intellectual Tariq Ali once said that history echoes. Mark Twain said that history does not repeat itself, but that it often rhymes. In other words, the names and places and even the circumstances change but often we see the lessons of the past needing to be relearned in the present. It is a sad truth; it is part of the human condition. Learning is … Continue reading History Echoes

Like most people, I have been watching the Ukrainian military’s stalwart defence of their country. I have tried not to watch too many videos or listen to too many talking heads because, let’s face it, most of these people tell us NOTHING. The internet is full of click-bait and newspapers are not far behind. Friends and neighbours have been asking me what I think will … Continue reading The Fate of Ukraine the Brave

The Invasion of Ukraine offers a lesson to all those would would know more about military operations. Although this tragedy has not been going on for long, there is one lesson that stands out above all others. It is arguably the least ‘sexy’ but the most important: logistics. During my early life as an armour officer, I knew little of logistics and cared even less. … Continue reading Logistics

Russia’s Military Was Great Until It Wasn’t (msn.com) The essay above from The Atlantic is an excellent reminder that those interested in trying to understand war and warfare should stop listening to people who depend on counting and measuring in order to predict the future.  As Yogi Berra famously said, “Predictions are hard, especially when they are about the future.” Naturally, we need to consider what is … Continue reading The Fallacy of Metrics