Brazil’s Armed Forces: National Defence vs Law Enforcement Duties

“Without external threats to repel, the world’s 15th-biggest standing army is turning into a de facto police force Few places illustrate the modern role of the Brazilian army better than Tabatinga, a city of 62,000 on the shared border point between Brazil, Colombia and Peru. The frontier, protected by Amazon rainforest, has not budged since the Portuguese built a now-ruined fort… Read More

PSYOP Evaluation: Misunderstanding Affects Effectiveness

Discussion Paper Title Falling Short in Measures of Effectiveness. Extract “PSYOP [psychological operations] has been an integral part of military operations since the world’s earliest documented battles, with the first cases being cited as occurring over 3,000 years ago. The idea of understanding, and ultimately exploiting, the motivations and vulnerabilities of an enemy in order… Read More

Mistakes versus Designs…

“I am more afraid of our own mistakes than of our enemies’ designs.” Pericles (Greek Statesman, Orator & General) in a speech to the Athenian Ecclesia I, 432 B.C. Reference Jowett, B. (1900) Pericles To The Athenian Ecclesia I. Thucydides: The Jowett Translation. Available from World Wide Web: http://www.classicpersuasion.org/pw/thucydides/thucydides-passages.php?pleaseget=1.140-1.144&passageid=Pericles%20To%20The%20Athenian%20Ecclesia%20I. [Accessed: 31 July, 2016].

Offensive Strategy: Weak Points versus Strong Points

“True, Kruger’s plan was daring. He and Steyn had chosen attack as the best form of defence. But none of their pre-emptive blows was planned, as real offensive strategy demanded, to fall where the enemy was weakest. On the contrary, the aim was to find the strongest points in the enemy’s attacking force and then… Read More

Denial & Survival…

Denial has no survival value. “…since ‘pure’ truth not only does not exist, it has no survival value whatsoever.” (Wilden, 1972 & 1980, p.303). Although often credited to Lieutenant Colonel Dave Grossman talking about violent encounters (Buckeye Firearms Association, 2015): “Denial kills you physical, mentally, and financially. It has no survival value. Chew it up,… Read More