John T. Reed’s blog about military matters

Copyright John T. Reed We won World War II in 45 months starting from an unprepared scratch. Yet we get bogged down in Vietnam, Afghanistan, and Iraq against far less worthy opponents. How come? Something must have changed. What? For one thing, and maybe the main thing, the rules of engagement. There is a so-so article on rules of engagement at Wikipedia. Definition Rules of engagement basically tell armed persons the circumstances under which they are allowed to use deadly force. For police, who typically encounter only individuals or small groups of lightly armed criminals, the rule typically is to...

This is a super book. Read it if you have any interest in what’s going on in the “front lines” in Iraq. I saw the author interviewed on C-Span and made a mental note to get the book. Later I saw it in a book store and read it. Historian author The author is a historian. He wanted to see what it was like in actual combat in Iraq and wangled his way to do exactly that. His time there culminated in accompanying a Marine platoon that was in the thick of the fighting in Fallujah in 2004. He was...

I am still trying to get the answer to what is the specific mechanism the prevents a military from winning a war solely by air. I keep getting sweeping generalities and philosophy. I want the specifics. We bomb a target area. Why is it not over? What specifically is there left that requires boots?I am aware that our D-Day and Pacific Islands bombardments looked like they wiped out all life, then we hit very heavy enemy fire when we hit the beaches. That was 70 years ago.On D-Day, we missed. The USAAC bombs fell behind the German bunkers harmlessly because...

I have a question. I need the answer for my finishing my first novel The Unelected President. What is the definition of the word “military?” The dictionary definition is near worthless saying things having to do with war or soldiers, which begs the definition of war or soldiers. From 1789 through 1942, war was defined in the Constitution as something declared by Congress. But since then, over 100,000 American military personnel have lost their lives violently in combat against other countries and there have been no declarations of war. There have definitely been some military war-like things going on since...

West Point has turned out more leaders than the Harvard Business School. So says the book jacket of, and the advertisements for, The West Point Way of Leadership by Larry Donnithorne (Class of ’66). That dubious claim casts instant doubt on the subtitle’s promise that the book will tell you about “principled leadership.” I graduated from both I graduated from both of those schools. Donnithorne never attended Harvard Business School. I have both alumni directories. Few could peruse them and find West Point the winner of a Most-Leaders contest. Most West Pointers have modest, middle-manager-type careers. Most Harvard Business School...