At the end of the 1970 movie Tora! Tora! Tora!, Imperial Japanese Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto is quoted as saying that all the attack on Pearl Harbor had achieved was to “wake the sleeping tiger.” The quote is apocryphal but there is an Italian idiom that says Anche si non e vero, e ben trovato. This Renaissance phrase attributed philosopher Giordano Bruno translates to “even if … Continue reading Waking the Sleeping Tigers

One of the cultural proclivities that has always been a head scratcher to me is why we Canadians do not leverage the great technologies we create for our own advantage. The list of Canadian inventions/developments/breakthroughs is truly breathtaking and SADLY one of our best kept secrets. This morning I stumbled upon the latest one and I simply had to share it. I won’t repeat what … Continue reading Canadian Technology Meets Strategy

For my entire adult life, we Canadians have taken for granted that we would inextricably link most of our national policies with America. Most, not all. But that close and amicable relationship did not, could not, foresee that one day there might be a US government that could not care less about Canada. That there might be a government that only saw us as a … Continue reading Decoupling from the Great Republic

Marty and I have just released our latest: Continue reading Newest Podcast

As the US raises social, political, and trade barriers around itself, Canada is stepping out of America’s long shadow and into the light. This year’s G20 Summit saw leaders from 75% of the world’s population, representing over 65% of the world’s GDP and 75% of the world’s trade — and the US was not there. “The centre of gravity of the global economy is shifting,” … Continue reading The World Needs More Canada

Navies are all the rage, and Canada has decided to go shopping. Don’t we have one, you may ask? It’s not that simple, and that’s why we should give this some thought. Let’s establish some fundamentals. First, there are two types of navies: Blue Water and Brown (or Green) Water. The former is what a country needs to project power and usually comprises large warships … Continue reading Anchors Away!

If you have read my novel The Cohort: Trust and Betrayal, then you know how strongly I feel about this issue. As the marketing pitch on the novel’s back cover points out: “Skip is a man committed to the ancient principles imparted to him by his father: trust, friendship and honour. He surrounds himself with friends, both old and new, who share those same beliefs. … Continue reading The Cost of Trust

Marty and my next instalment of our podcast series. Continue reading Newest Podcast

On 4 November, Democrats in the US had an incredible night of victories up and down the ticket, from sheriffs to judges to governors. I’m going to take a short hiatus from military theory and talk politics today, so if you don’t care about such things, see you soon and thanks for dropping by. Before the last Canadian election, I went to a “meet the … Continue reading Flash Post: Bitter & Charmless

In Selection of the Aim Part I, I described how important it is to understand exactly what your mission is. Now it’s time to discuss getting the mission right, because subtle changes can bring huge unintended consequences. Allow me to begin with a mundane example, which I used to use decades ago when teaching this subject at the Officer Candidate School in Chilliwack, BC. With … Continue reading Selection of the Aim: Part II