★★★ 17 minutes Introduction The word “catastrophe” has an interesting history. When it was first introduced into the English language, it carried the meaning of sudden dramatic change; something like a plot twist. Over the centuries, it developed a darker significance as “a sudden disaster, widespread and very fatal.”[1] For six months in 1953-54, the... Continua a leggere →
Analyzing a Country’s Strategic Posture: Suggestions for Practitioners
★★★ 33 minutes Diplomats and defense attachés when posted to a country are expected to give a fresh assessment of that country’s strategic posture. The term strategic posture is used here to encompass not only the country’s military—personnel, equipment, bases, and other infrastructure—but also its political-strategic alignment (friendly? neutral? potential rival/adversary?), its overall attitude to war, and... Continua a leggere →
A strategic posture for a new era
Experts, including Congressional Strategic Posture Commission Commissioners, examine the future of US nuclear strategy to develop nonpartisan policies addressing key security challenges facing the nation.
From Chivalry To Cavalry: The Development Of French Cavalry During The Early Modern Period
★★★ 18 minutes The early modern era saw distinct changes to the composition of armies, tactics, and the art of warfare itself. The return to the “classics” so advocated by the Renaissance period gave rise to the implementation of mass infantry formations, composed of pike and shot, subsequently changing the role of the medieval knight... Continua a leggere →
The Geopolitics of 1066 (II)
★★★ 20 minutes Franco-cultural Northwest Europe.The foundations of Normandy take us back to the pre-royal phase of Viking raids. One of these Vikings, a Scandinavian of uncertain origin named Rollo, had established himself and his followers in the lower Seine valley by the early tenth century, and Charles the Simple, king of West Francia, granted... Continua a leggere →
The Geopolitics of 1066 (I)
★★★ 18 minutes Modern varieties of geopolitical theory are abundant and often conflicting. Anglo-American and German approaches tend toward a geographically oriented outlook that tends to see politics at work within a geographical setting that is, if not strictly deterministic, at least very influential (the classic theories of Halford Mackinder certainly fit this characterization), whereas... Continua a leggere →
The Israeli Experience: The Apogee of Blitzkrieg
★★★ 33 minutes "Commanders seize the initiative by acting . Without action, seizing the initiative is impossible. Faced with an uncertain situation, there is a natural tendency to hesitate and gather more information to reduce uncertainty. Waiting and gathering information might reduce uncertainty, but does not eliminate it. Waiting may even increase uncertainty while providing... Continua a leggere →
Strategy, Tactics, Logistics and Invention [ed.1917]
9 minutes Perhaps no four words are more vaguely understood than the four words that head this page. Strategy comes from two Greek words: stratos, an army, and agein, to lead. These two words were combined in the Greek language to form the word strategos, which we translate by the word "general." Among the many... Continua a leggere →
