Let’s be clear: Putin’s invasion of Ukraine was a wake-up call to military leaders in the United States. As strong as the U.S. military is perceived, the Ukraine War has exposed serious gaps in American warfighting doctrine. So, what lessons can the U.S. Army learn from Ukraine that will make…

If true, it is a betrayal of America’s fundamental struggle against authoritarians and a grave disservice to the Ukrainians who have lost their lives to this conflict. Occasionally, I’ll get wind of a development in the ongoing Russo-Ukraine War that gets me all hot and bothered — and not in…

Friendly identification and why the Ukrainians choose safety over camouflage. Right around 1995, the U.S. Army started issuing yellow reflective Velcro ankle belts. They were to be worn during physical training — specifically to protect soldiers running on public roads at zero-dark-thirty. By the time I was in the Air…

Military radar (actually an acronym for Radio Detection and Ranging), has remained largely unchanged since its development over 100 years ago. Working as an active duty NCO in the U.S. Air Force, my primary responsibility was the repair and maintenance of the complex surveillance radar system onboard the E-3 Sentry…

Junior commissioned officers and noncommissioned officers (NCOs) are instrumental in synchronizing and executing medium to large combat operations. This shortcoming is one of the reasons why Ukraine has been restricted to “bite and hold” missions — where a small platoon-sized element of approximately 30 soldiers (or less) takes ground. To…

Contrary to popular belief, it was mud, not snow, which stopped the German invasion of the Soviet Union in 1941. That same mud is on its way back, what the Russians call the rasputitsa (“muddy road”), as the Fall rains soak the Ukrainian plains ahead of what’s guaranteed to be…

Russia’s ammo stores have been revitalized following a North Korean shipment of a million artillery shells. But these shells are quantity over quality. On Wednesday, November 1, Russia commenced its largest single-day bombardment in 2023 to date, hitting numerous targets across Ukraine. Ihor Klymenko, the Minister of Internal Affairs of…

Earlier this month, Putin announced that Russia conducted a successful test of the 9M730 Burevestnik missile, one of six new ‘wonder’ weapons he announced in 2018. The Burevestnik missile, NATO reporting name ‘Skyfall’, is a prototype nuclear-armed and nuclear-powered cruise missile. The idea behind it is that it can stay…

This morning I was approached by my headstrong daughter who was furious about the possibility of her getting drafted. “Did you hear, dad? They are saying the draft is coming back and women will be eligible this time. I’m not going!” she exclaimed with exasperation. I tried to suppress my…