BattlelandMilitary History
In case you missed it, we began commemorating the 50th anniversary of the Vietnam war Monday.
Don’t fret if you missed it, because you’ll have plenty of time to catch up: according to the proclamation issued by President Obama, the remembrance will last as long as the war itself did: until November 11, 2025.
Thirteen years? …
BattlelandNational Security
When it comes to reform of the U.S. military establishment, we’ve tinkered on the margins far too long. We are currently in the ninth version of the Joint Capabilities Integration and Development System (JCIDS) in ten years; …
BattlelandMilitary Spending
The House Armed Services Committee (HASC) and the Defense Subcommittee of the House Appropriations Committee (sometimes called the HAC-D) have reported their separate defense bills to the House of Representatives (both bills purport to address both spending and policy). The House has already debated and passed the HASC’s …
BattlelandVeterans
Couple of stunning numbers involving veterans — 24 and 45, specifically — surfaced over the holiday weekend. Both are worth noting, and pondering:
— A new Gallup poll shows that veterans favor Mitt Romney over President Obama in November’s election by a striking 24-percentage-point margin. What’s more remarkable is that the two …
BattlelandAfghanistan
Nifty contract solicitation posted Friday by the U.S. Special Operations Command. You know, the guys who got Osama bin Laden. They need local Afghan security guards to protect their “(firebases, village stability platforms, etc.)” as the U.S. special forces go about their business. You may recall that Afghan President Hamid Karzai …
BattlelandSuicide
Major General Dana Pittard, who blogged that soldiers who kill themselves are selfish, has had second thoughts. Battleland’s own Ron Capps, who served under him, said the comment was”probably the first dumb thing he’s said or done in his career.” Like lawmakers on Capitol Hill who get verbal do-overs all the time, the two-general now …
BattlelandTroops
With the holiday upon us, a friend recently asked me how I planned to teach my children about the importance of Memorial Day. As a former Marine and veteran of two tours to Iraq, the question surprisingly caught me off guard. I …
BattlelandAuthor Q&A
We’ve had a flurry of books written by troops recounting their battles in Afghanistan and Iraq. Now come the books detailing the battles fought once they got home.
Mike Scotti served with the Marines in both Iraq and Afghanistan, and saw war’s horrors up close and personal. When he came back home, he gradually felt himself being …
BattlelandProcurement
The Army’s RAH-66 Comanche helicopter was going to be totally awesome, dude. This super-stealthy light attack helicopter, bristling with advanced sensors and communication gear, was going to perform loads of armed …
BattlelandWar Story
Some soldiers get along, and others don’t. It’s the latter that make for the most interesting tales when they speak of their time at war. Army Major Ryan Ussery is a logistician – the guy who keeps the beans, bullets and boots coming to the troops on the front lines (motto: Sustinendum Victoriam). He has pulled three tours in Iraq, …
