The United States asks its military service members to do much more than fight the nation’s wars;... more The United States asks its military service members to do much more than fight the nation’s wars; it asks them to build trust with numerous stakeholders in complex and dynamic environment. The literature indicates that parties in conflict situations can employ confidence-building measures to move incrementally closer toward conflict resolution. This study applied a qualitative grounded theory methodology to investigate confidence-building from the experiences of service members recently deployed to Afghanistan or Iraq and created a theoretical model that future service members could apply in similar circumstances. The Operational Leadership Experiences Database contains interviews of service members (N = 2,515) with experience in Iraq and Afghanistan. The researcher conducted an analysis of these interviews to create a theoretical model (N = 67), triangulated this model with findings from relevant literature, and then further validated this theoretical model through interviews with subject matter experts (N = 10). The findings indicate that through understanding context and applying physical, communication, and relationship confidence-building measures over time, service members can build trust with key stakeholders. The potential implications of this research are that service members in Afghanistan can directly apply these lessons through 2014 and have a valid model to build relationships when deployed to other conflict environments in the future.
Once you realize that they have the same wants, needs, and desires that we do, you'll establi... more Once you realize that they have the same wants, needs, and desires that we do, you'll establish the trust of the [ocal·population. you will· be successful. You'll not always be successful; sometimes there are some externaifactors that may prohibit that when you get into some of the more extremist ideologies but that is the exception.-Maj. Leslie Parks, Operational Leadership Experiences collection, 2010In war, soldiers often pursue the negative aim of imposing one nation's will upon another through the force of arms. However, at the conclusion of a war, or during activities other than combat, a soldier's primary purpose can become much different: to influence the will of others positively, using constructive means. Military forces often pursue positive actions essential to reassure allies, influence neutrals, and dissuade potential adversaries. Influencing a nation or a cultural group depends on winning the trust of those who can influence others. As such, any soldie...
Every time a new American president takes the reigns, a flood of new political appointees assume ... more Every time a new American president takes the reigns, a flood of new political appointees assume positions of leadership in the Department of Defense. In the words of Machiavelli, it falls to the military to “educate the prince” (so-to-speak) on the use of force to achieve political ends. For those military officers that will support this transition, this period becomes a flurry of information papers, power point briefs, and hard questions. Although frustrating at times, within this period also exists an opportunity to make change despite the “pentacrete” resident in the bowels of the American military bureaucracy.
These 16 characters can be found on every operational planning team. Supporting the decision cycl... more These 16 characters can be found on every operational planning team. Supporting the decision cycle of a joint force commander is important to leaders at the operational and strategic levels of warfare. Commanders pull together operational planning teams from across their staff to solve specific problems. Often, planning teams contain members of the staff across each J-code directorate and members of various divisions and branches within each directorate. Leaders in the staff must understand the various types of personalities they will encounter to effectively run a team. Here are 16 working group archetypes that operational planning team leaders may encounter.
Watching Super Bowl 50 this past weekend, I was struck by the observable differences in the facia... more Watching Super Bowl 50 this past weekend, I was struck by the observable differences in the facial expressions of Peyton Manning and Cam Newton. Both faced incredibly tough tests of their resolve. As I watched the drama of the game unfold, the feeling became palpable early on that Newton had been beaten mentally.
Americans are infatuated with movies, and for us, as men in our thirties, using quotes from movie... more Americans are infatuated with movies, and for us, as men in our thirties, using quotes from movies has long been a method to convey our innermost feelings and emotions. The ability to recite a quirky or obscure quote at the right time impresses male friends, but has never impressed a woman (yet, though that’s certainly no reason to stop trying).
There are some cult movies that are ingrained deep the American psyche because they tell profoundly human stories and contain deep philosophical truths. “The Big Lebowski” is such a movie and stands as one of the most often-quoted movies of our time. Believe it or not, “the Dude” has much to teach us about the American way of war.
Recently, the Washington Post published two interesting articles that offered 40 maps and 40 char... more Recently, the Washington Post published two interesting articles that offered 40 maps and 40 charts that explained the world. This led me to wonder if perhaps America’s wars could be explained in a similar way. Although no series of visualizations could ever hope to capture everything, the following seven charts offer a starting point from which to begin a discussion concerning how and why the U.S. fights the way it does.
Combat is one the most stressful and dangerous
endeavors imaginable. Throughout history, warriors... more Combat is one the most stressful and dangerous endeavors imaginable. Throughout history, warriors have had to cope with the stressors of the battlefield and outperform the competition, both physically and mentally. For many years, the U.S. military has screened, prepared, and employed its men and women with the ultimate goal of making them as good at their jobs as possible. Rightfully so, the U.S. military takes its role in improving the performance of its warfighters seriously. Research has suggested that psychological skills training could improve a service member’s well-being and intrinsic motivation by building higher self-esteem, confidence, problem solving, and reducing feelings of helplessness, loneliness, anxiety, and anger. This article will focus on six skills that warfighters can use to reach peak performance: setting goals, employing imagery, executing routines or rituals, activating relaxation or energy, controlling attention, and thinking positively (or the acronym SEE-ACT).
Human emotion is often hard to fully understand, and even more troublesome to influence or change... more Human emotion is often hard to fully understand, and even more troublesome to influence or change. Soldiers must apply sound professional judgment that is appropriate for the context of the situation and based on their own experience, training, and intuition. If soldiers understand context and apply physical, communication, and relationship measures over time to build confidence, they can succeed in winning the trust of key stake- holders, even in the most complex and challenging environments. Establishing trust is and will remain an essential function, critical to the Army’s ability to win in a complex world.
The Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) has succeeded in gaining an incredible amount of gro... more The Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) has succeeded in gaining an incredible amount of ground at a pace that caught the world off guard. Even though they face opponents with overmatch in technology and firepower, ISIS has proven more than capable. One way to understand ISIS is to seek to understand it as a complex adaptive system. Arguably, ISIS’s lack of central control, rapid tempo, and unpredictable behavior suggest that it is a complex adaptive system, and a dangerous one at that. The question this article will address is if ISIS displays the characteristics of a complex adaptive system, how should the international community address this threat?
The MSSP consists of books, articles, doctrine, fi lms, lectures, and practical application exerc... more The MSSP consists of books, articles, doctrine, fi lms, lectures, and practical application exercises to help educate maneuver leaders about the nature and character of war, as well as their responsibilities to prepare their Soldiers for combat, lead them in battle, and accomplish the mission. The intent is to enhance understanding of the complex interaction between war and politics and to improve the effectiveness of maneuver leaders in complex environments and in combat against determined, adaptive enemies. Visit the program's website at www.benning.army.mil/mssp.
The United States asks its military service members to do much more than fight the nation’s wars;... more The United States asks its military service members to do much more than fight the nation’s wars; it asks them to build trust with numerous stakeholders in complex and dynamic environment. The literature indicates that parties in conflict situations can employ confidence-building measures to move incrementally closer toward conflict resolution. This study applied a qualitative grounded theory methodology to investigate confidence-building from the experiences of service members recently deployed to Afghanistan or Iraq and created a theoretical model that future service members could apply in similar circumstances. The Operational Leadership Experiences Database contains interviews of service members (N = 2,515) with experience in Iraq and Afghanistan. The researcher conducted an analysis of these interviews to create a theoretical model (N = 67), triangulated this model with findings from relevant literature, and then further validated this theoretical model through interviews with subject matter experts (N = 10). The findings indicate that through understanding context and applying physical, communication, and relationship confidence-building measures over time, service members can build trust with key stakeholders. The potential implications of this research are that service members in Afghanistan can directly apply these lessons through 2014 and have a valid model to build relationships when deployed to other conflict environments in the future.
The Air-Sea Battle (ASB) Concept is a key tenant of the joint operational access concept as the p... more The Air-Sea Battle (ASB) Concept is a key tenant of the joint operational access concept as the primary means of countering adversaries’ anti-access (A2)/ area denial (AD) efforts, and at its core, focuses on countering threat A2 and the areas where it overlaps with threat AD with networked integrated attacks-in-depth to disrupt, destroy, and defeat an enemy force.2 As demonstrated in over a decade of success in combat, the United States (US) Army has unique competencies that, if properly integrated, would assist the joint force before, during, or after any counter A2 of an AD mission. This article will discuss the conceptual question: What is the Army’s role in countering A2 and AD?
Bilateral and multilateral planning is a valuable activity that, if done well, strengthens the mi... more Bilateral and multilateral planning is a valuable activity that, if done well, strengthens the military-to-military relationship and operational synergy between nations. The combatant commander sits at the intersection of policy, strategy, and military operations, and is charged the daunting task of balancing ends, ways, means, and risk with reality of what is truly possible; bridging theory and practice. Concept plans are one mechanism at their disposal to develop prudent responses to possible contingencies, which, if they came to pass, would severely damage to national interests and the interests of global partners. The development of a U.S.-only concept plan can take many months, if not years to fully complete. When the commander decides to expand the planning aperture to the bilateral or multilateral level, the complexities increase exponentially. A bilateral and multilateral plan is by far the most difficult to develop because of the numerous stakeholders involved and their many interests. However, if planners able to form a comprehensive military-to-military plan with a partner nation that clarifies a common mission and intent, the benefits far outweigh the costs. This article details why bilateral and multilateral planning is important, the legal and doctrinal context, an applied process for planning, and major lessons learned at the combatant command level.
Despite the United States' ongoing transition from the Middle East toward the Pacific, Africa rem... more Despite the United States' ongoing transition from the Middle East toward the Pacific, Africa remains strategically important to U.S. interests. During the current restricted fiscal environment, all components of the U.S. government should focus their efforts to those areas most critical to the nation's vital interestssecurity and prosperity. In Africa, it all begins with Nigeria. Nigeria is critical to ensure U.S. prosperity and security for two key reasons: economic interests and regional influence. Nigeria's massive population, growing economy, and wealth of natural resources provide a vast opportunity for expanded economic cooperation. Economic prosperity will not grow without security; therefore, improving security in a deliberate manner is critical. To effectively execute this, the U.S. should: refocus strategic communication; conduct bilateral planning; increase partnership capacity; establish an intelligence and information fusion center; enhance counter-terrorism force capability; and develop a regional training center of excellence. During the current of age of fiscal austerity, the U.S. is armed with limited resources to commit toward intractable issues on the African continent. It is time for the U.S. to condense its focus in Africa in order to ensure its security and prosperity; and focus on Nigeria as the partner of choice.
New Yorkers felt the city was ungovernable. But I couldn't immediately cut 2,000 murders a year t... more New Yorkers felt the city was ungovernable. But I couldn't immediately cut 2,000 murders a year to 700, nor magically transform people walking the streets in terror to people whistling happy tunes. So I decided to tackle the problem of "squeegee men"-aggressive panhandlers who would confront drivers visiting the city. When we solved the problem quickly and decisively, we changed perceptions about what the city's leaders could accomplish.
The United States asks its military service members to do much more than fight the nation’s wars;... more The United States asks its military service members to do much more than fight the nation’s wars; it asks them to build trust with numerous stakeholders in complex and dynamic environment. The literature indicates that parties in conflict situations can employ confidence-building measures to move incrementally closer toward conflict resolution. This study applied a qualitative grounded theory methodology to investigate confidence-building from the experiences of service members recently deployed to Afghanistan or Iraq and created a theoretical model that future service members could apply in similar circumstances. The Operational Leadership Experiences Database contains interviews of service members (N = 2,515) with experience in Iraq and Afghanistan. The researcher conducted an analysis of these interviews to create a theoretical model (N = 67), triangulated this model with findings from relevant literature, and then further validated this theoretical model through interviews with subject matter experts (N = 10). The findings indicate that through understanding context and applying physical, communication, and relationship confidence-building measures over time, service members can build trust with key stakeholders. The potential implications of this research are that service members in Afghanistan can directly apply these lessons through 2014 and have a valid model to build relationships when deployed to other conflict environments in the future.
Once you realize that they have the same wants, needs, and desires that we do, you'll establi... more Once you realize that they have the same wants, needs, and desires that we do, you'll establish the trust of the [ocal·population. you will· be successful. You'll not always be successful; sometimes there are some externaifactors that may prohibit that when you get into some of the more extremist ideologies but that is the exception.-Maj. Leslie Parks, Operational Leadership Experiences collection, 2010In war, soldiers often pursue the negative aim of imposing one nation's will upon another through the force of arms. However, at the conclusion of a war, or during activities other than combat, a soldier's primary purpose can become much different: to influence the will of others positively, using constructive means. Military forces often pursue positive actions essential to reassure allies, influence neutrals, and dissuade potential adversaries. Influencing a nation or a cultural group depends on winning the trust of those who can influence others. As such, any soldie...
Every time a new American president takes the reigns, a flood of new political appointees assume ... more Every time a new American president takes the reigns, a flood of new political appointees assume positions of leadership in the Department of Defense. In the words of Machiavelli, it falls to the military to “educate the prince” (so-to-speak) on the use of force to achieve political ends. For those military officers that will support this transition, this period becomes a flurry of information papers, power point briefs, and hard questions. Although frustrating at times, within this period also exists an opportunity to make change despite the “pentacrete” resident in the bowels of the American military bureaucracy.
These 16 characters can be found on every operational planning team. Supporting the decision cycl... more These 16 characters can be found on every operational planning team. Supporting the decision cycle of a joint force commander is important to leaders at the operational and strategic levels of warfare. Commanders pull together operational planning teams from across their staff to solve specific problems. Often, planning teams contain members of the staff across each J-code directorate and members of various divisions and branches within each directorate. Leaders in the staff must understand the various types of personalities they will encounter to effectively run a team. Here are 16 working group archetypes that operational planning team leaders may encounter.
Watching Super Bowl 50 this past weekend, I was struck by the observable differences in the facia... more Watching Super Bowl 50 this past weekend, I was struck by the observable differences in the facial expressions of Peyton Manning and Cam Newton. Both faced incredibly tough tests of their resolve. As I watched the drama of the game unfold, the feeling became palpable early on that Newton had been beaten mentally.
Americans are infatuated with movies, and for us, as men in our thirties, using quotes from movie... more Americans are infatuated with movies, and for us, as men in our thirties, using quotes from movies has long been a method to convey our innermost feelings and emotions. The ability to recite a quirky or obscure quote at the right time impresses male friends, but has never impressed a woman (yet, though that’s certainly no reason to stop trying).
There are some cult movies that are ingrained deep the American psyche because they tell profoundly human stories and contain deep philosophical truths. “The Big Lebowski” is such a movie and stands as one of the most often-quoted movies of our time. Believe it or not, “the Dude” has much to teach us about the American way of war.
Recently, the Washington Post published two interesting articles that offered 40 maps and 40 char... more Recently, the Washington Post published two interesting articles that offered 40 maps and 40 charts that explained the world. This led me to wonder if perhaps America’s wars could be explained in a similar way. Although no series of visualizations could ever hope to capture everything, the following seven charts offer a starting point from which to begin a discussion concerning how and why the U.S. fights the way it does.
Combat is one the most stressful and dangerous
endeavors imaginable. Throughout history, warriors... more Combat is one the most stressful and dangerous endeavors imaginable. Throughout history, warriors have had to cope with the stressors of the battlefield and outperform the competition, both physically and mentally. For many years, the U.S. military has screened, prepared, and employed its men and women with the ultimate goal of making them as good at their jobs as possible. Rightfully so, the U.S. military takes its role in improving the performance of its warfighters seriously. Research has suggested that psychological skills training could improve a service member’s well-being and intrinsic motivation by building higher self-esteem, confidence, problem solving, and reducing feelings of helplessness, loneliness, anxiety, and anger. This article will focus on six skills that warfighters can use to reach peak performance: setting goals, employing imagery, executing routines or rituals, activating relaxation or energy, controlling attention, and thinking positively (or the acronym SEE-ACT).
Human emotion is often hard to fully understand, and even more troublesome to influence or change... more Human emotion is often hard to fully understand, and even more troublesome to influence or change. Soldiers must apply sound professional judgment that is appropriate for the context of the situation and based on their own experience, training, and intuition. If soldiers understand context and apply physical, communication, and relationship measures over time to build confidence, they can succeed in winning the trust of key stake- holders, even in the most complex and challenging environments. Establishing trust is and will remain an essential function, critical to the Army’s ability to win in a complex world.
The Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) has succeeded in gaining an incredible amount of gro... more The Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) has succeeded in gaining an incredible amount of ground at a pace that caught the world off guard. Even though they face opponents with overmatch in technology and firepower, ISIS has proven more than capable. One way to understand ISIS is to seek to understand it as a complex adaptive system. Arguably, ISIS’s lack of central control, rapid tempo, and unpredictable behavior suggest that it is a complex adaptive system, and a dangerous one at that. The question this article will address is if ISIS displays the characteristics of a complex adaptive system, how should the international community address this threat?
The MSSP consists of books, articles, doctrine, fi lms, lectures, and practical application exerc... more The MSSP consists of books, articles, doctrine, fi lms, lectures, and practical application exercises to help educate maneuver leaders about the nature and character of war, as well as their responsibilities to prepare their Soldiers for combat, lead them in battle, and accomplish the mission. The intent is to enhance understanding of the complex interaction between war and politics and to improve the effectiveness of maneuver leaders in complex environments and in combat against determined, adaptive enemies. Visit the program's website at www.benning.army.mil/mssp.
The United States asks its military service members to do much more than fight the nation’s wars;... more The United States asks its military service members to do much more than fight the nation’s wars; it asks them to build trust with numerous stakeholders in complex and dynamic environment. The literature indicates that parties in conflict situations can employ confidence-building measures to move incrementally closer toward conflict resolution. This study applied a qualitative grounded theory methodology to investigate confidence-building from the experiences of service members recently deployed to Afghanistan or Iraq and created a theoretical model that future service members could apply in similar circumstances. The Operational Leadership Experiences Database contains interviews of service members (N = 2,515) with experience in Iraq and Afghanistan. The researcher conducted an analysis of these interviews to create a theoretical model (N = 67), triangulated this model with findings from relevant literature, and then further validated this theoretical model through interviews with subject matter experts (N = 10). The findings indicate that through understanding context and applying physical, communication, and relationship confidence-building measures over time, service members can build trust with key stakeholders. The potential implications of this research are that service members in Afghanistan can directly apply these lessons through 2014 and have a valid model to build relationships when deployed to other conflict environments in the future.
The Air-Sea Battle (ASB) Concept is a key tenant of the joint operational access concept as the p... more The Air-Sea Battle (ASB) Concept is a key tenant of the joint operational access concept as the primary means of countering adversaries’ anti-access (A2)/ area denial (AD) efforts, and at its core, focuses on countering threat A2 and the areas where it overlaps with threat AD with networked integrated attacks-in-depth to disrupt, destroy, and defeat an enemy force.2 As demonstrated in over a decade of success in combat, the United States (US) Army has unique competencies that, if properly integrated, would assist the joint force before, during, or after any counter A2 of an AD mission. This article will discuss the conceptual question: What is the Army’s role in countering A2 and AD?
Bilateral and multilateral planning is a valuable activity that, if done well, strengthens the mi... more Bilateral and multilateral planning is a valuable activity that, if done well, strengthens the military-to-military relationship and operational synergy between nations. The combatant commander sits at the intersection of policy, strategy, and military operations, and is charged the daunting task of balancing ends, ways, means, and risk with reality of what is truly possible; bridging theory and practice. Concept plans are one mechanism at their disposal to develop prudent responses to possible contingencies, which, if they came to pass, would severely damage to national interests and the interests of global partners. The development of a U.S.-only concept plan can take many months, if not years to fully complete. When the commander decides to expand the planning aperture to the bilateral or multilateral level, the complexities increase exponentially. A bilateral and multilateral plan is by far the most difficult to develop because of the numerous stakeholders involved and their many interests. However, if planners able to form a comprehensive military-to-military plan with a partner nation that clarifies a common mission and intent, the benefits far outweigh the costs. This article details why bilateral and multilateral planning is important, the legal and doctrinal context, an applied process for planning, and major lessons learned at the combatant command level.
Despite the United States' ongoing transition from the Middle East toward the Pacific, Africa rem... more Despite the United States' ongoing transition from the Middle East toward the Pacific, Africa remains strategically important to U.S. interests. During the current restricted fiscal environment, all components of the U.S. government should focus their efforts to those areas most critical to the nation's vital interestssecurity and prosperity. In Africa, it all begins with Nigeria. Nigeria is critical to ensure U.S. prosperity and security for two key reasons: economic interests and regional influence. Nigeria's massive population, growing economy, and wealth of natural resources provide a vast opportunity for expanded economic cooperation. Economic prosperity will not grow without security; therefore, improving security in a deliberate manner is critical. To effectively execute this, the U.S. should: refocus strategic communication; conduct bilateral planning; increase partnership capacity; establish an intelligence and information fusion center; enhance counter-terrorism force capability; and develop a regional training center of excellence. During the current of age of fiscal austerity, the U.S. is armed with limited resources to commit toward intractable issues on the African continent. It is time for the U.S. to condense its focus in Africa in order to ensure its security and prosperity; and focus on Nigeria as the partner of choice.
New Yorkers felt the city was ungovernable. But I couldn't immediately cut 2,000 murders a year t... more New Yorkers felt the city was ungovernable. But I couldn't immediately cut 2,000 murders a year to 700, nor magically transform people walking the streets in terror to people whistling happy tunes. So I decided to tackle the problem of "squeegee men"-aggressive panhandlers who would confront drivers visiting the city. When we solved the problem quickly and decisively, we changed perceptions about what the city's leaders could accomplish.
Recently, the Washington Post published two interesting articles that offered 40 maps and 40 char... more Recently, the Washington Post published two interesting articles that offered 40 maps and 40 charts that explained the world. This led me to wonder if perhaps America’s wars could be explained in a similar way. Although no series of visualizations could ever hope to capture everything, the following seven charts offer a starting point from which to begin a discussion concerning how and why the U.S. fights the way it does.
One great thing about having middle-school age children is that programs like Teen Titans and iCa... more One great thing about having middle-school age children is that programs like Teen Titans and iCarly expose you to words in English language that you may have otherwise overlooked. The word “frenemy” recently came up in one of these programs and piqued my interest. The question arose in my mind: in the geostrategic landscape today, does America have any frenemies? If so, just what should we do about it?
As a follow up to a recent professional development session, we developed a short online instrume... more As a follow up to a recent professional development session, we developed a short online instrument, posted it on Google Docs, and left it open for two weeks. We solicited input from the community of interest through social media (e.g., the U.S. Military Strategist Association Facebook Page, StratList, etc.) to obtain a convenience sample (N = 43) from the wider community of interest. We coded the data and developed a prioritized list of books that the results indicated were critical to read for success as a strategist
The discussion of professional identity is a valuable one, and is paramount to the future of the ... more The discussion of professional identity is a valuable one, and is paramount to the future of the strategist field. This brief article seeks to neither reconcile all of the disparate opinions in one model, nor suggest that one model is even possible. This article simply provides one point of view for future discussion and debate. Moreover, the hope is that this article serves as a point of departure that individuals can use to determine their own beliefs on what a strategist should be, know, and do.
If war is an inherently human phenomenon, then discussion of the human aspects of war is as timel... more If war is an inherently human phenomenon, then discussion of the human aspects of war is as timeless as the discussion of war itself. One prudent start point for any discussion on military matters is the philosophy of war described by the 19th century theorist Carl Von Clausewitz. In one of the lesser read sections of On War, he described what comprised the penultimate military genius. This article explores Clausewitz’s description of military genius as a point of discussion in the ongoing human dimension dialogue. In Clausewitz, we have a life-long soldier describing what it takes to reach the highest strata of the profession of arms; we would be wise to listen to what he has to say.
To Answer Question #6: "How does an officer integrate information operations and kinetic tactical... more To Answer Question #6: "How does an officer integrate information operations and kinetic tactical actions?"
By Lieutenant Colonel Aaron Bazin
Since even before the Greeks used deception to sack Troy, information, disinformation, secrets, and lies have played a central role in military operations. Arguably, an officer’s primary weapons system is information. To bring to bear the warfighting functions and accomplish any mission, an officer must think critically and continually communicate information up and down the chain. Equally, any military action conveys a message to adversaries and other key stakeholders.
If the ability communicate complex ideas in an easily understood way is a valuable skill to the s... more If the ability communicate complex ideas in an easily understood way is a valuable skill to the strategic thinker, then first principles offer one possible point of departure from which to begin any discussion on strategy. A few months ago, we posed a question on various strategy-related email chains and Facebook pages asking interested parties what the first principles of military strategy were. We got numerous responses; some humorous, some vitriolic, but all very interesting.
Development of a first principle is akin to boiling down information to uncover the elemental truth that lies within. We culled through the responses and necked down the subject to consider only ‘American’ military strategy to add further clarity and context. Then we tried to synthesize, combine, and distill each one down to the core of its essence. Our final list includes eight, but there are undoubtedly many, many more.
Uploads
Papers by Aaron Bazin
There are some cult movies that are ingrained deep the American psyche because they tell profoundly human stories and contain deep philosophical truths. “The Big Lebowski” is such a movie and stands as one of the most often-quoted movies of our time. Believe it or not, “the Dude” has much to teach us about the American way of war.
endeavors imaginable. Throughout history, warriors
have had to cope with the stressors of the battlefield
and outperform the competition, both physically and mentally.
For many years, the U.S. military has screened, prepared,
and employed its men and women with the ultimate goal of
making them as good at their jobs as possible. Rightfully so,
the U.S. military takes its role in improving the performance of
its warfighters seriously. Research has suggested that psychological skills training
could improve a service member’s well-being and intrinsic
motivation by building higher self-esteem, confidence,
problem solving, and reducing feelings of helplessness,
loneliness, anxiety, and anger. This article will focus on six
skills that warfighters can use to reach peak performance:
setting goals, employing imagery, executing routines or
rituals, activating relaxation or energy, controlling attention,
and thinking positively (or the acronym SEE-ACT).
There are some cult movies that are ingrained deep the American psyche because they tell profoundly human stories and contain deep philosophical truths. “The Big Lebowski” is such a movie and stands as one of the most often-quoted movies of our time. Believe it or not, “the Dude” has much to teach us about the American way of war.
endeavors imaginable. Throughout history, warriors
have had to cope with the stressors of the battlefield
and outperform the competition, both physically and mentally.
For many years, the U.S. military has screened, prepared,
and employed its men and women with the ultimate goal of
making them as good at their jobs as possible. Rightfully so,
the U.S. military takes its role in improving the performance of
its warfighters seriously. Research has suggested that psychological skills training
could improve a service member’s well-being and intrinsic
motivation by building higher self-esteem, confidence,
problem solving, and reducing feelings of helplessness,
loneliness, anxiety, and anger. This article will focus on six
skills that warfighters can use to reach peak performance:
setting goals, employing imagery, executing routines or
rituals, activating relaxation or energy, controlling attention,
and thinking positively (or the acronym SEE-ACT).
By Lieutenant Colonel Aaron Bazin
Since even before the Greeks used deception to sack Troy, information, disinformation, secrets, and lies have played a central role in military operations. Arguably, an officer’s primary weapons system is information. To bring to bear the warfighting functions and accomplish any mission, an officer must think critically and continually communicate information up and down the chain. Equally, any military action conveys a message to adversaries and other key stakeholders.
Development of a first principle is akin to boiling down information to uncover the elemental truth that lies within. We culled through the responses and necked down the subject to consider only ‘American’ military strategy to add further clarity and context. Then we tried to synthesize, combine, and distill each one down to the core of its essence. Our final list includes eight, but there are undoubtedly many, many more.