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
There has been considerable speculation across various media platforms at the efficacy of armour in the Russian invasion. There are plenty of photos of dead tanks and burning vehicles. Video showing the inefficacy of Russian reactive armour is beginning to appear and some people are now using this ‘data’ to question whether we need tanks in modern war. First, this is not data; the beginning … Continue reading Tanks
St Augustine heard these words, saw a bible and picked it up. The words mean ‘take up and read’ and so he did, thus changing his life. No, I am not telling you to read the Bible (not necessarily a bad idea). What I am doing is giving you the same advice that Dr Barry Hunt, one of my great professors at RMC gave all … Continue reading Tolle Lege
Hats off to my old friend Andy Leslie for admitting to the CBC that the situation in the Canadian Armed Forces is “dire.” Neighbours and friend have asked my what we can send to help our friends in Ukraine (and rest assured, they are our friends and deserve our help). My answer in the last week has usually ben: best wishes and blankets. I now … Continue reading Sending Help to Ukraine
I have been listening to comments from various pundits regarding the criminal Russian invasion force and two aspects have me intrigued: the Russians are doing poorly and many observers seem surprised. I have some experience with Russian (Soviet) forces from my days in Arms Control and none of this surprises me in the least. All the troops I observed were poorly trained and likewise poorly … Continue reading Pencils
Zeitenwende: the change of an era or turning the historic tide. It was the word that German Chancellor Olaf Scholz used before the Bundestag (Parliament) on 27 Nov during a speech on the Russian invasion of the Ukraine. In less than a half hour, the Bundestag in a rare show of near-unity voted to change three decades of military and foreign policy. Up until yesterday, … Continue reading Law of Unintended Consequences
