Defense and the National Interest

By William S. Lind
January 6, 2009
If we look around the world at the prospects for Fourth Generation entities, what does the new year reveal? Regrettably, they seem to face a rosy future.
The Israeli assault on Hamas in Gaza will succeed physically, prove a mixed bag mentally and fail on the moral level of war. [...]

Dan Ford has a long post on Boyd and the OODA loop over on the Warbird Forum.  
He makes some interesting observations on how Boyd’s thinking about the OODA “loop” evolved over the years.  In particular, he documents that Boyd was still describing the OODA “loop” as a cycle as late as 1991.  My personal [...]

by Michael Finley
Is the global financial crisis a “bear market rally” in the decline of the state, or its resurgence?
I have this question for 4GW theorists.  I haven’t seen it adequately addressed anywhere, and it is of the greatest urgency.  Our understanding of the basic elements available to inform grand strategy turns on the answer [...]

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 [...]

by William S. Lind
15 December 2008
America’s Defense Meltdown is the title of a new book on military reform, edited by Winslow Wheeler and published by the Center for Defense Information. In it, some of the leading figures from the military reform movement of the 1970’s and ‘80’s update their work and relate it to [...]

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.

From today’s Times of London:
The West is indirectly funding the insurgency in Afghanistan thanks to a system of payoffs to Taleban commanders who charge protection money to allow convoys of military supplies to reach NATO bases in the south of the country.
In case it’s slipped your memory, the strategy of the current Administration, and the [...]

Chuck Spinney
10 December 2008
My good friend Pierre Sprey forwarded this amazing quote by Vice Admiral Bill Gortney. Pierre’s comments are in BLUE and Vice Adm Gortney’s comments are in italics. My comments follow and are so marked.
An utterly convincing testimonial, from an expert witness with flawless credentials, regarding the benefits of quality over quantity for [...]

From the presentation on Sun Tzu by Jim Gimian and Barry Boyce.  They go into detail on these, and many others, in their new book, The Rules of Victory, How to Transform Chaos and Conflict (Boston: Shambhala, 2008).
[my comments are in square brackets.]
The Five:
1. The Tao — the path to be followed
2. Heaven (the [...]

Jim Gimian, publisher of Shambhala Sun magazine, and Barry Boyce, editor of that magazine, are presenting on Sun Tzu.  They are also two members of the Denma Translation Group that produced one of the most important translations of Sun Tzu.
I’ve been anticipating this presentation ever since James and Barry agreed to come.
Now that I’ve survived [...]