BattlelandWar Story
The 3 Bs: Be Kind, Be Courteous, Be Prepared to Kill
Army Major Tyler Andersen served in Iraq in 2007 and 2008, and reflected on his service there in a January 2012 interview with the Combat Studies Institute at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. Here are some highlights:
Like what’s spoken at the COIN Academy and something I’ve kept with me, the three Bs: be kind, be courteous, and be prepared
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BattlelandAfghanistan
An $80 Million Sitting Duck
The U.S. has abandoned its just-finished consulate in the northern Afghan city of Mazar-e Sharif after spending $80 million outfitting the former hotel as a symbol of U.S. resoluteness. This is the kind of fiasco that tends to …
BattlelandAuthor Q&A
How To Build a War Machine
Arthur Herman is one of those scholars who grips the past and just won’t let go, which is lucky for those of us stuck in the present. In these days where attention spans are collapsing into overflowing rivers of data, every once in awhile you need a historian to point out what’s important.
Herman’s new book, Freedom’s Forge: …
BattlelandClose-up
Battleland Diary, April 28-May 4
TIME’s photo editors bring you the best pictures from the front lines and home.
“These days, it takes only seconds for one picture to suddenly become an international headline. And those headlines can impact the mission we’re engaged in, they can put your fellow service members at risk, they can hurt morale, and they can damage our standing in the world.”
BattlelandCool Military Acronyms
EAGLE
…otherwise know as the Army’s Enhanced Army Global Logistics Enterprise. Or, as the Army says:
The Enhanced Army Global Logistics Enterprise (EAGLE) program will be used to procure logistics services requirements, primarily Material Maintenance Services, Retail/Wholesale Supply Services and Transportation Support Services in support
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BattlelandLogistics
Bravo Zulu, Navy!
We don’t mind razzing the Navy when it comes to Breathalyzers for sailors, or its increasingly strange ship-naming practices, so it seems only fair to tip our cover when warranted. The Government Accountability Office notes in …
“Taking into account a missile-defense system’s destabilizing nature -- that is, the creation of an illusion that a disarming strike can be launched with impunity -- a decision on pre-emptive use of the attack weapons available will be made when the situation worsens.”
BattlelandMilitary Mental Health
Psychiatrists Pondering PTSD in Philadelphia
Next week is the American Psychiatric Association’s annual meeting in Philadelphia, the largest yearly gathering of its kind. It’s exciting because of the prominence military matters are going to get. Last year there were perhaps 15 military-related sessions at the meeting in Hawaii. This year, there’s going to be twice as many …
Winning Hearts and Minds, One Eyeball Scan at a Time
BattlelandArmy
Ain’t Misbehavin’ Artwork
The Army buys lots of things for the troops, but this is one we haven’t seen before. Behavioral artwork?
What’s especially surprising is that Thursday’s announcement was simply a declaration that the contracting office at Fort Gordon, Ga., intends to award a contract for an unspecified amount to “Perspective, LLC” of …
BattlelandArmy
Why Is Getting Out of the U.S. Army So Tough?
Awhile back, there was a post here on Battleland featuring U.S. Army Private Daniel Houten, who was contrasting his service in the Israeli Defense Forces with that of the U.S. Army. Private Houten stated that he feels the U.S. …