North Korea’s ICBM and Breaking Twenty-First-Century Trench Warfare

*Note: This essay was originally published on the Modern War Institute’s Commentary & Analysis site. What primary capability has each American adversary invested heavily in over the past decade? (Hint: it’s not better bayonets.) Standoff fires of all kinds. Russian long-range artillery. A Chinese carrier-killing missile. Iranian short- and medium-range strike capabilities. And most prominently,…

No, soldiers aren’t the only ones who serve

*Note: This letter to the editor was published in the Baltimore Sun print edition on June 17, 2017. It can also be found online here (or PDF). Last week, U.S. Naval Academy professor Bruce Fleming described the circumstantial pomp of this year’s graduation day. He “usually love[s] it.” This year was different. It “wasn’t fun,” because Fleming felt…

Containing the Pocket-Sized Threat to America’s Military

*Note: This essay was originally published on the Modern War Institute’s Commentary & Analysis site. The scary/cool juxtaposition of the recent global ransomware attack with Google’s annual developer’s conference should, if nothing else, prompt us to reevaluate our relationship with the digital world. Google’s event (and the settled consensus) tells us the information age enables…

What the Long Gray Line is Made Of

*Note: This essay was originally published on the Modern War Institute’s Commentary & Analysis site. On Saturday, over 950 cadets will graduate from West Point, receive diplomas, earn their commissions, and officially join the 73,386 members of the Long Gray Line (of which approximately 50,000 are living). The graduation speaker, Secretary of Defense (and retired…