Defense and the National Interest

Developing an Adaptability Training Strategy and Policy for the DoD
Interim Report (1.5 MB PDF)
William R. Burns, Jr.
Waldo D. Freeman
Institute for Defense Analysis, October 2008
Excerpts:
Among Army pilot efforts, the Adaptive Leader Methodology (ALM) originated
by Major Don Vandergriff (ret.) while teaching ROTC at Georgetown University
illustrates the critical role played by instructors and mentors in developing adaptability. (31)

…
A [...]

by William S. Lind
28 April 2009
At the height of the Cold War, a U.S. army corps commander in Europe asked for information on his Soviet opposite, the commander of the corps facing him across the inter-German border. All the U.S. intelligence agencies, working with classified material, came up with very little. He then [...]

For John Robb’s response to How afraid should we be? — click here.
[Whether you agree with anything John and I have to say on this or any other subject, I think you'll have to admit that our game of cyber tennis is what blogging is all about.  You can play a few sets too, if [...]

John Robb, author of Brave New War, appears to take issue with my injunction to stop being afraid of our own shadows when it comes to attack by terrorism:
Unlike a year ago, any attack on US commercial areas (retail, transportation, etc.) will have outsized network effects. Here’s why. Due to a global economic [...]

by William S. Lind
April 6, 2009
Don Vandergriff has published another book, which is good news for all who care about the future of the U.S. Army. Titled Manning the Future Legions of the United States: Finding and Developing Tomorrow’s Leaders, Don’s new book brings together many strands of Army reform to create a comprehensive [...]

By Dr. Vomact
[Editor's note.  Dr. V describes himself thusly: There's the usual dry facts: Dr. V was born in Munich in 1948, educated at Berkeley (B.A.) and University of Oregon (Ph.D. in philosophy). Once in his life, he took someone else's advice and switched from philosophy to computer software. He found the pay scale much [...]

EULOGY FOR LIEUTENANT GENERAL VICTOR “BRUTE” KRULAK
ROBERT CORAM
JANUARY 8, 2009
MCAS MIRAMAR
SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA
WHEN GENERAL CHARLES KRULAK ASKED ME TO BE HERE TODAY HIS INSTRUCTIONS WERE SIMPLE: BE BRIEF OR THE BRUTE WILL COME DOWN AND RIP YOUR HEAD OFF.
I BELIEVE THAT TO BE TRUE. SO THIS WILL BE TO THE POINT.

As you all know, DNI doesn’t endorse candidates for political office.  A friend of mine, though, asked if I’d publish his broadsheet campaigning to have the Obama administration appoint retired US Army General Russ Honoré to head the Federal Emergency Management Administration.  I think it’s a great idea, and since one doesn’t run for FEMA [...]

Tuesday March 24th 2009 (8:30AM-4:30PM)
Taunton Holiday Inn
700 Myles Standish Blvd.
Taunton, MA 02780
If you’re interested in a hands-on workshop with Don Vandergriff and Fred Leland, this is the next one on the docket.
More information on Fred’s site.

By William S. Lind
December 8, 2008
Panglissading through reality, the New York Times recently offered the sort of thoughtlessness sunny picture of the Obama administration’s security policy that lulls children to sleep but leaves adults restlessly wakeful. In a front-page story on December 1, “A Handpicked Team for a Foreign Policy Shift” by David Sanger, the [...]