The Handmaiden: Tactics or Strategy?

“In peace we concentrate so much on tactics that we are apt to forget that it is merely the handmaiden of strategy.” (Liddell Hart, 1944, p.48) Captain Sir Basil Liddell Hart (1895 to 1970). Commonly known throughout most of his career as Captain B. H. Liddell Hart, was an English soldier, military historian and military… Read More

The Suit Does Not Make the Man…

“Let no man be so rash as to suppose that, in donning a general’s uniform, he is forthwith competent to perform a general’s functions; as reasonably might he assume that in putting on the robes of a judge he was ready to decide any point of law. . .” Dennis Hart Mahan, 1864 (in Dupuy,… 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

Steve Jobs & (Military) Leader Development: Content versus Process

Article Title Processing Leader Development. Extract “[Steve] Jobs will always be attached to Apple, a company whose products we adore. For Jobs, though, great products were not born from regulated, industry driven processes, but from the content of the product. Jobs was deeply concerned with a product’s ability to revolutionize society or change a way of… Read More

Plans: OK Plan versus No Plan

“The main thing is always to have a plan; if it is not the best plan, it is at least better than no plan at all!” General Sir John Monash (1865 to 1931, Australian Army General during World War I), attributed to a letter written in 1918. References Australian War Museum (2016) 1918: Australians in France… Read More