Sublime
An inspiration engine for ideas
All of these special operators made critical use of modern inventions such as the airplane and radio. But they were also inspired by the timeless lessons of history. SOE’s first leaders, the army officers J. C. F. Holland and Colin Gubbins, had fought against the IRA. In addition, Holland had served with the Arab irregulars in World War I and had s
... See moreMax Boot • Invisible Armies
Although appointed to oversee the deployment of an additional 30,000 troops to Afghanistan, the choice of McChrystal belies the popular notion of a wholesale shift to a less kinetic campaign intent on building relations with the local population. In his earlier role, McChrystal had led Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC) for 5 years; this was t
... See moreAntoine J. Bousquet • The Scientific Way of Warfare
None has had to fight against an opposition whose leadership (as intercepted messages from the leader of Hamas in Gaza have made clear) sees the loss of their own civilians as desirable because of the advantages it can bring them in the war for international public opinion. Because in this era war is not just waged on the battlefield, but in the ef
... See moreDouglas Murray • On Democracies and Death Cults
he is most famous for a massive briefing called the “Patterns of Conflict,” which lays out his OODA loop theory in air conflicts. OODA stands for observe, orient, decide and act, meaning that with two adversaries of any size, whether armies or individuals, the victor almost always has a tighter OODA loop and can exploit the lag in his slower oppone
... See moreTim Kane • Bleeding Talent: How the US Military Mismanages Great Leaders and Why It's Time for a Revolution
Susan Marquis offers the most comprehensive account of this development in Unconventional Warfare: Rebuilding U.S. Special Operations Forces (Marquis 1997).
David Tucker • United States Special Operations Forces
“The kamikaze pilot that was able to fly 50 missions was involved—but never committed.”
John C. Maxwell • The Complete 101 Collection: What Every Leader Needs to Know
Kiras, James D. Special Operations and Strategy: From World War II to the War on Terrorism. London: Routledge, 2006.
David Tucker • United States Special Operations Forces
To write about men and love, I must speak of war. Time and time again we have been told that civilization cannot survive men’s loving, for if men love, they will not be able to kill on command. However, if men were natural-born killers, hardwired by biology and destiny to take life, then there would be no need for patriarchal socialization to turn
... See morebell hooks • The Will to Change: Men, Masculinity, and Love
It is one thing to study war and another to live the warrior’s life. —Telamon of Arcadia, mercenary of the fifth century B.C.