“The typical staff officer is the man past middle life, spare, unwrinkled, intelligent, cold, passive, non-committal; with eyes like a cod-fish, polite in contact but at the same time unresponsive, cool, calm and as damnably composed as a concrete post or a plaster-of-Paris cast; a human petrifaction with a heart of feldspar and without charm… Read More
“A good plan, violently executed now, is better than a perfect plan next week.” George S. Patton Jr (1885 to 1945) George Smith Patton Junior was a US Army officer. He was an outstanding practitioner of mobile tank warfare in the European and Mediterranean theatres during World War II. His strict discipline, toughness, and self-sacrifice… Read More
Introduction There are many of us in the RAF who have never heard of the Estimate and others who have heard of it but have not had any tuition in its use. As a result, it is often considered something of a ‘black art’ and strictly for the use of senior personnel who are involved… Read More
In 2015, the British Army had four 3-star (OF-8) posts within Army Command: Deputy Chief of the General Staff (DCGS). Commander Field Army (CFA). Commander Allied Rapid Reaction Corps (ARRC). Commander Personnel Support Command (PSC). The CFA had four 1-star (OF-6) posts within their span of control: Assistant Chief of Staff Commitments (ACOSC). Assistant Chief… Read More
“You may delay, but time will not.” Benjamin Franklin (1706 to 1790) Benjamin Franklin, also known as Ben Franklin and by the pseudonym Richard Saunders, was an American printer and publisher, author, inventor and scientist, and diplomat. One of the Founding Fathers, Franklin helped draft the Declaration of Independence and was one of its signers,… Read More
“Every plan of campaign ought to have several branches and to have been so well thought out that one or other of the said branches cannot fail of success.” Pierre-Joseph de Bourcet (1700-1780) A French engineer and artillery officer who has been credited with initiating the use of the all-arms division as a tactical formation… Read More
“The laws of strategy are objective and apply impartially to both hostile sides.” (Sokolovsky, 1963, p.9). Vasily Danilovich Sokolovsky (21 July 1897 to 10 May 1968) A prominent Marshal of the Soviet Union (aka Field Marshal, OF-10) and known as an excellent planner and exceptional military leader. Reference Sokolovsky, V.D. (1963) Military Strategy: Soviet Doctrine and… Read More
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