Global Security Newswire Sept. 26, 2008 The U.S. Air Force is considering the addition of significant new features to many of its B-61 nuclear gravity bombs, such as the one shown above (Center for Defense Information photo). U.S. Air Force Might Modify Nuclear Bomb By Elaine M. Grossman Global Security Newswire WASHINGTON – For the […]

Predicting Future Military Threats: Implications of the Black Swan   COL Bob Toguchi, US Army 26 September 2008 Special to Defense and the National Interest [Robert M. Toguchi is an active duty Army colonel in the Initiatives Group, Army Capabilities Integration Center, US Army Training and Doctrine Command (TRADOC), Fort Monroe, Virginia. In his previous […]

Cyber War, Blitzkrieg, and John Boyd’s Patterns of Conflict   David A. Shunk Col, USAF, Ret. 25 September 2008 [Editor’s note:  Dave Shunk is a retired USAF Colonel, B-52G pilot, and Desert Storm combat veteran whose last military assignment was as the B-2 Vice Wing Commander of the 509th Bomb Wing, Whitman AFB, MO. Currently […]

The latest in the series of manuals for fourth generation warfare is now available from our 4GW Manuals page. The authors, the Fourth Generation Warfare Seminar at Quantico, observe that: The light infantryman characterizes himself by his mental resourcefulness and physical toughness. Light infantry’s inborn self-reliance (the reason they were chosen to join Light Infantry […]

By William S. Lind All of Martin van Creveld’s books are worth reading, but a few are “big books,” books so important that anyone interested in war must read them.  To date, his big books include The Transformation of War, The Rise and Decline of the State and Fighting Power.  Van Creveld’s latest book has […]

Nimble Books has just released The John Boyd Roundtable: Debating Science, Strategy and War. Developed from a series of blog posts on zenpundit.com back in the Spring, Roundtable develops ideas from Frans Osinga’s Science, Strategy and War: The Strategic Theory of John Boyd. It can be thought of as a companion to, or better, an […]

The article by William Owen and the response by Col. Eric Walters have ignited a lively debate over on the Small Wars Journal.  Go take a look: http://council.smallwarsjournal.com/showthread.php?t=6047 You’ll find yourself in a post-graduate seminar on modern conflict.  Kudos to Dave Dilegge and SWJ for kicking this off!

William S. Lind September 16, 2008 A few weeks ago I wrote a column explaining why Senator John McCain is wrong on Iraq. In contrast, Senator Barack Obama is largely right on Iraq. Whether he would follow through on his plan for withdrawing U.S. troops is another question. The Democratic foreign policy establishment is no […]

He’s on a tear.  I think he may have taken umbrage at my remark that Rob Paterson had recaptured the King Bear title. Check out his two most recent and decide for yourself whether he’s a prophet or an inveterate doomster: High Priority Report: A Geopolitical Sitrep On The Financial Crisis 15 September 2008 — […]

In another coup, the Small Wars Journal has posted an article by Col Eric Walters, USMC.  Col Walters chaired the sessions on 4GW at last years’ Boyd Conference and was involved with the Marine Corps’ adoption of maneuver warfare doctrine in the late 1980s.  As with TX Hammes’ comments on Afghanistan (see posting below), any […]