"We would rather be approximately right than precisely wrong."
~ Warren Buffett from the Berkshire Hathaway Annual Report (page 23), discussing precise valuations of companies and net income using Black-Scholes calculations. This advice, however, can be applied to a myriad of issues as demonstrated by its use by Tom Ricks in his series Gen Buffett - What the Military can Learn from Berkshire Hathaway.
"The enormous irony of the military profession is that we are huge risk takers in what we do operationally — flying airplanes on and off a carrier, driving a ship through a sea state five typhoon, walking point with your platoon in southern Afghanistan — but publishing an article, posting a blog, or speaking to the media can scare us badly. We are happy to take personal risk or operational risk, but too many of us won’t take career risk."
~ ADM Stavridis (via Tom Ricks via mbtanner)
McChrystal Informs Army He Will Retire
An article is published, a presidential hand is forced, and a great General is lost to the Army. An unfortunate sequence of events.
We Have Seen the Enemy, and It is PowerPoint
Fantastic article from the NYTimes Security correspondents about PowerPoint usage across national defense and security leadership. A great read, and an even greater sentiment. I’m with H.R. McMaster who states:
“It’s dangerous because it can create the illusion of understanding and the illusion of control. Some problems in the world are not bullet-izable.”
FTW. Onward PowerPoint Rangers.
Military Capabilities for Hybrid War; Insights from the Israel Defense Forces in Lebanon and Gaza
Newly released paper from the RAND Corporation commissioned by the US Army detailing some new lessons learned from the Israeli - Lebanon conflict. (via Defense Industry Daily)
Northrop Decides Not to Bid on Fuel Tanker Contract
Whoa. Well, thanks for protesting the original award and delaying new tankers for a couple of years I guess.
I’m sure EADS is ecstatic you revoked your bid… that said, if they can’t put together the A400, how can we expect reasonable return times on a tanker?
The Supreme Court will rule on the constitutionality of protesters at military funerals.
As a personal note, I hope there’s some “special” place reserved for folks that do this type of thing.
A Reason to Ignore the weeds of the COIN debate?
Another opinion piece from Thomas Barnett on why a Pol-Mil solution isn’t the only way to end an insurgency - you also have to look at the economic piece closely. Folks doing well tend to turn to what keeps them doing well rather than what brings them backwards.
About Me
A strategy consultant with a passion for IT, geopolitics, economics, and the open ocean. Awed by simple, innovative solutions to difficult problems. This represents my favorite slices of the web and serves as networked storage for my brain which is now entirely pointer-based. Opinions expressed here are my own and do not represent those of any organization with which I may or may not be allegedly associated.
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