An ancient Chinese proverb: It is foolish to waste good iron in making nails or good men in making soldiers. We in the west must be very careful not to make the mistake of projecting or mirroring when we analyze China, its economy, policies and especially, its military. The PLA is NOT a traditional national armed force.  It is the military wing of the CPC.  … Continue reading China and the Peoples’ Liberation Army (PLA)

Journalists at multiple media outlets continue to bang the drum: the world is getting more dangerous. It is difficult to argue with the premise. Europe’s largest war since 1945, the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, continues unabated. Hamas is now being hunted by the Israel Defence Force in retaliation for one of the worst massacres of innocent civilians in modern history with thousands of non-combatants … Continue reading Depth vs Breadth

It’s been a long while since I posted and so I thought it would be a good idea to post an update.  I will focus on Ukraine since the Israeli/Hamas War is still a great unknown. First.  Contrary to what some may be thinking, the Ukrainian counteroffensive has not failed.  Also, it has not yet culminated.  Ukrainian forces are pushing through the strongest part of … Continue reading Ukraine Update

Poland has just changed the rules for the Ukrainians. By offering to send a company of Leopard II to them, they have opened the possibility of rapid manoeuvre and devastating striking force. We have long debated the force on force worthiness of the Leo II vs the T80/T90 and soon we shall see who was right. When I was a major we had similar debates … Continue reading Game Changer

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