The title this morning’s quick note is a nod to writer Anne Applebaum’s recent article in The Atlantic titled“Illiberalism Is Not Inevitable” (12 April 2026). Her hopeful title referred to the surprising election results in Hungary, where the 16 year kleptocratic reign of Viktor Orbán came to a precipitous end. Hungarians gave Orbán’s opponent, Peter Magyar, a super majority, or greater that 2/3 of the … Continue reading Autocracy is not Inevitable

My friend Marty has just dropped our latest podcast on our You Tube channel. Here is the link to the channel: https://www.youtube.com/@TheEnlightenedMilitary-y4q Today’s podcast is The Future of Canada s Military Industry Balancing Peace with Power In this podcast episode, Marty and I explore Canada’s evolving military dynamics, focusing on the burgeoning defence industry and its potential collaboration with European arms manufacturers. We discuss how … Continue reading Marty Has Posted a New Conversation

For more than two decades many well-qualified writers and pundits have been foretelling of the death of the “American Empire”, but I have never been one of them. Until recently, I have remained convinced that the structural strength of the US economy, guided by the innate goodness of the majority of its people would stem any sudden or drastic decline in America as a world … Continue reading Death Throes of Empire (Part I)

The pundits that inhabit the blogosphere are daily announcing the death of NATO — or at least that it is on its deathbed. Like so much uninformed speculation in the media, those pronouncements and a Loonie will buy you a small coffee at your local McDonald’s drive through. Clearly, I am not in agreement with those who have begun the planning the funeral services of … Continue reading The Death of NATO

I am pleased and honoured to announce that my publisher, Phil Halton, and I are in the final stages of preparing our latest collaboration for release of a new book. We gathered an exceptional group of experts and asked each of them to write a short essay on Canada’s future. Together, we edited the texts and what has emerged is an anthology focused on our … Continue reading National Strategy for an Unstable World

It’s been a while since I talked solely about war and warfare, so here we go. In my first book, Praxis Tacticum: The Art, Science and Practice of Military Tactics, I discussed some commonly held myths regarding war and warfare. I will not reiterate them in full but since I wrote that book, I have found some more. Here they are. Myth 1: The nature … Continue reading 10 Myths Regarding War and Warfare

On 29 December 1940, almost a full year before entering WW II, U.S. President Franklin Roosevelt called America the “Arsenal of Democracy.” The phrase was an evocation that with Europe at war, the United States would build, sell, lend, or lease the democracies fighting Nazism and Fascism, the weaponry required to defeat their enemies. Americans did not fully support their president’s decision until the attack on … Continue reading The Arsenal of Europe

Because the study of war and warfare has been relegated to so few universities and ironically becoming ever-wider discussed by the uninformed, there is a widespread ignorance regarding this highly complex life and death human activity. As today’s title implies, I have written about this specific subject at least three times. You might want to have a quick scan of those previous posts before you … Continue reading Winning and Losing Part IV

In this podcast episode, Chuck and Marty delve into the captivating journey of Chuck’s writing career, exploring the intricate themes of trust and honour that permeate his military adventure novels. Chuck shares insights from his experiences as a former military commander, highlighting how trust becomes the cornerstone of effective leadership and successful operations. The discussion also touches upon Chuck’s upcoming publications, including a Canadian policy … Continue reading Our Newest Podcast 15 Mar 26

Book II is now available on Amazon! A reminder that if you have been meaning to read Book I but not yet got to it, you are in luck. The Kindle version has been reduced to $.99 The Cohort Trilogy is a character-driven military/espionage thriller. Beginning with the Cohort’s creation, it takes the reader into the heart high-risk global operations. The story arcs present camaraderie and moral ambiguity … Continue reading Cohort Trilogy Book II