Winning the Peace (Ch. 3) Redux

Past being prologue, it is not likely that either the Department of State or CIA is going to beat back the onslaught of Salafism. The intent here is to provide leadership with a notion of the type of Foreign Area Officer (FAO) required to develop and implement strategy. The current “strategy,” whatever it may be, … Continue reading Winning the Peace (Ch. 3) Redux →

Winning the Peace (Ch. 2)

Anyone who believes that we are winning the so called “Global War on Terrorism” has not endured an airport screening lately. Winning the peace would mean that you could board a plane as stress free as you did before 9-11. No, what we see and feel in today’s America is not what peace looks like. … Continue reading Winning the Peace (Ch. 2) →

Virga Joy (or the Adventures of El Colonel De Corona) – Redux

Written by Douglas Kimball Publisher Description Colin Campbell is developing the first black pepper plantation in the West Indies. His days are spent clearing jungle, planting and fighting vipers. His nights are spent playing jazz piano at a local bar and enjoying the company of the local ladies. He meets Alan Greene at a jazz … Continue reading Virga Joy (or the Adventures of El Colonel De Corona) – Redux →

Preface: LtCol S.x MacTemplar – UnWoke & UnAfraid

Where to begin? It seems that war is just too big of a topic for Hollywood to handle in 90-110 minutes. Go figure. I know I can’t do it justice in 300-plus pages, either, but it will be more accurate than anything Hollywood can dish up. I suspect what people want from Hollywood is to … Continue reading Preface: LtCol S.x MacTemplar – UnWoke & UnAfraid →

LBD

Saint Valentine’s Day Poem

Time to tweak this bad-boy. Just wanted to bring it to mind and tell you I wrote it on Valentine's Day after finishing a plate of baby-back ribs at Applebees, cold and alone on FEB 14. I asked the waitress for a piece of paper and pen because the poem sort of fell into my … Continue reading Saint Valentine’s Day Poem →

Rethinking the DOD’s Foreign Area Officer Program

As I may have said once or twice before, since the end of World War II, our nation’s military has won almost all the battles while not really winning any wars. This suggests that it is high time to consider new strategies, even different tactics, techniques, and procedures. We are a nation at war whether … Continue reading Rethinking the DOD’s Foreign Area Officer Program →

1st LAI Takes Friendly Fire

“Can you tell us how they describe the event? I have not read that book or read any accounts of that event outside official and classified military documents.” As promised, ST, here’s the account from: “Desert Storm: A Forgotten War”: RAS AL-KHAFJI AND OTHER MAJOR GROUND ACTIONS(29/30 JAN 1991) “The first attack occurred in the … Continue reading 1st LAI Takes Friendly Fire →

Preface: LtCol S.x MacTemplar -Riverine Counterdrug (smoove) Operator

Winning the Peace Ch. 1 (AKA: Not Nation-Building Ch. 96)

I’ve had opportunity to work overseas with many of Uncle Sam’s alphabet soup agencies (DEA, CIA, DOS, USAID, etc.) and have generally been underwhelmed by their lack of foreign language skills and understanding of the local culture. On the other hand they are filled with lot of really intelligent people with advanced degrees who speak … Continue reading Winning the Peace Ch. 1 (AKA: Not Nation-Building Ch. 96) →