SERVICE TO NATION

The Utility of History

2011-03-01T23:06:00.001-05:00

Avril Lavigne said it well, "Its all been done before." Technology does change, presenting the appearance of change, but the basic vices of man have been with us as long as man has walked the earth. The goodness as well as the baseness of men has been with us all along. Man's innovations, meanness, sources of joy, and good acts vary little over time.

The more one reads the less surprise there is in the world around, it is inhabited by men. It is the sameness of behaviors, thoughts, actions, motives over time.

That very sameness is sustained through the fabric of culture. It influences our every waking moment, though invisible. We don't often think why we do what we do, but our cultural learning, indeed our language guides our behaviors. The very notion that we have the capacity to change another culture is sheer fantasy. You might just as well try to lever the world off its orbit.

Citations Made Easy

2011-03-01T08:34:00.000-05:00

Documenting the research process, taking notes, making page notations, establishing tags for focused information filtering, all made easy with Zotero (zotero.org). I was introduced to this Firefox Add-on application several years ago while a student at George Mason University. I learned the fundamentals in concert with my Education Research class, meshing the automated tools with the analog explanations of the research method. It is cost free and is well worth the time and effort to learn.

Making a Positive Difference

2010-05-05T18:29:00.002-04:00

When in an academic environment it is often the case that we take pause and enter a luxurious environment where we can slow down and reflect. Bridging the gap between that reflective state and the pressure packed work environment later on gets to be a significant challenge. While we can’t always control the environment created by our senior leaders, we can in fact control the environment for those we lead. It is choice. Developing our subordinates tends to be challenging. It takes time, often time we think we don’t have. It requires that we take the time to speak to others. How we engage matters, and it matters a great deal. It doesn’t cost us anything to be civil to others. A smile or a laugh costs little but tends to produce an improved environment. We get to decide how we engage with and how much we shield our folks from external influences. We also decide if we will take the time to develop our team members. That’s what we get paid to do. It is more important than personal recognition. It is much more important to the future of our great Army!

How I Learn

2010-03-02T15:20:00.000-05:00

I don't know about you, but I learn on a very individual basis. In receipt of new information I must turn it over in my mind, wonder about it, evaluate it, consider the future applications of it. This is a lengthy and laborious process. In receipt of new related information I'll refresh the process. Never in a hurry to go from receipt of information to task execution.
How about you? How do you learn?

Teaching Systems Theory at ILE

2009-12-08T12:43:00.001-05:00

The ILE course instruction describing a combat system (systems theory) is critically flawed for teaching COIN +stability operations. The improper application of systems theory will lead to operational design flaws which will prevent achieving strategic victory.

There is a stark difference between a closed system (the one taught at ILE class 411) and an open system. Closed systems are isolated from their environment, while open systems rely on infusion of resources and people from the environment for its survival. The slides and instruction depicted a closed system, which gives the impression that defeating one of the four named subsystems (combat, reconnaissance, support, and command) would defeat the terrorist/insurgent combat system. In contrast, terrorist and insurgent groups accept inputs from societies, cultures, identity groups and the surrounding environment, making them open systems.

Open systems include the four subsystems of closed systems but expands upon the simplistic closed system model. Open systems’ six most important characteristics are: (1) Importation of energy from the environment (resources, people, etc.); (2) Throughput (transform resources available to them); (3) Output (export some resources to the environment for example a terrorist); (4) Negative entropy (the ability to reproduce which prevents destruction); (5) dynamic homeostasis (a tendency toward growth to ensure survival); and (6) Equifinality (many paths to same end). These six traits allow terrorists and insurgents to adapt and overcome the temporary defeat of one of the four subsystems. Defeating an open system requires destroying the four subsystem components (the current fight) and disrupting its ability to replenish its losses creating entropy (future operations).

Efforts 2003-2007 against Al-Qaeda Iraq (AQI) demonstrate the flawed logic of closed system thinking. AQI continued to prosper despite combat operations that killed or captured thousands of fighters, suppliers, reconnaissance, and command elements. On the other hand, applying open system theory reveals AQI’s force provider (input) was the Sunni population. The tipping point in the COIN fight was the Sunni rejection of AQI which induced entropy into AQI system. This prevented replenishment of subsystem losses that eroded its combat capability leading to its defeat.

The closed system model taught at ILE fails to identify the inputs into the system creating a Groundhog Day attritional warfare effect in which subsystems are attacked daily instead of the terrorist/insurgent group’s center of gravity. Application of open systems theory into COIN and stability operations enables the critical thinking necessary to achieve strategic victory.

If interested, Troy Thomas and William Casebeer’s Violent Systems: Defeating Terrorists, Insurgents, and other Non-State Adversaries, found at http://www.usafa.edu/df/inss/occasion.cfm provides a more detailed explanation of open systems theory.

The views expressed in the above blog are of the author and do not reflect the official policy or position of the Department of the Army, Department of Defense, or the U.S. Government.

National Treasures

2009-09-03T15:45:00.002-04:00

Today we spent several hours at the Library of Congress in Washington DC. A magnificient building from both an architectural as well as an artistic perspective. And then there are the holdings, a vast repository of information stored in a number of buildings. I am always reminded that throughout history great powers have created similar collections on a grand scale. It is one of those things we tend to associate with greatness.

web2.0 Tools in the Seinfeld Environment

2009-09-02T20:36:00.002-04:00

Until last summer I had zero idea what web2.0 meant. But a summer class at George Mason University and over a year of practical application I think I'm getting a glimmering of an idea of what they mean. Probably the biggest impact is that these tools enable the common user to post content directly to the internet without the intervention/cooperation of an IT professional. That is powerful, and to some scary. It certainly taxes our leadership as we now must educate our people on responsible posting.
It is all about wikis, google applications such as google documents, blogs, twitter which is simply microblogging, social networking sites such as facebook and myspace, and even Zotero citation management software application. And don't forget Second Life and There that feature virtual 3D environments. Can't wait to teach my first class in Second Life!
The social nature of these tools is huge, now we can affect the social contact in the online world that somewhat resembles face-to-face interactions. What is your opinion on these tools, should we be using them, encouraging their use, or shut them off from our population?

Insufficiency of Self

2009-09-02T20:27:00.003-04:00

At times we see the gifted individual who is bright, articulate and different from the rest. They are different from their peers as they lead organizations with seeming ease. But I often think at the same time about the power of the group that over time will achieve at least equal, but more often exceed the capabilities of the gifted individual. To the degree that the group can be persuaded to cooperate, to discuss, in fact argue effectively to reach a reasoned conclusion that incorporates the best thinking of the various members of the group then it will surpass the gifted individual. What are your thoughts?

2009-07-23T19:23:00.002-04:00

Balance, an often stated term but not always understood. Something that must be managed at a personal level. Not something someone can give you, you have to apply personal judgment to achieve. Involves compromise and does not always result in complete satisfaction in the various interest areas of our lives. Worth the effort to achieve? Yes.

2009-04-02T22:24:00.004-04:00

Mentorship is an often mentioned topic. Mentorship means different things to different individuals. From my perspective I would evaluate leaders I worked with, peers, subordinates and seniors and determine if what they said matched their behaviors. If so I would then parse out those that I respected professionally and as a person and do my best to emulate their example. I would contend that this was useful also for those that might have flaws, but excelled in areas that might serve as a model to be followed. I count few that I had a dialogue with, asked advice of and think that it might have been better had I engaged more with my mentors.

How about you? What worked for you, and how do you think of the mentorship process? Always interested in hearing other perspectives.

How do you relax in your off time?

2009-02-26T19:27:00.004-05:00

So.......what are your outlets? And how do you think of them? If you consider them to be work, then they are. But there is great value in having hobbies, activities that you can get into, those things that break your attention away from work, worries and concerns. Golf is one of those things for me.

When friends get together to play we give each other plenty of advice, before we tee off. But once we're on the course all instruction ceases. We'll talk about everything under the sun, but no instruction, we've all got our flaws, are painfully aware of them, and are actually working on some known issues. And we try to diminish the competitive mode, get more into playing the course and not each other.

Success is when thoughts of work vanish and we're just kids out playing a game. And when we get to laughing and joking it is even better. The work will always be there. But the entire time we're thinking about everything but those concerns we've given our mind time to work in the background. And when we finally do have to go back to work we're more refreshed and better for having laughed and played for the four to five hours it takes us to play the course.

What works for you?

What Are You Reading That Has Value?

2008-10-01T21:43:00.003-04:00

Never enough time. Not enough time to read what I need or want to read. Too many e-mails with attachments I can't keep up with.

Have you read something lately that you want to share? What's the title; a book, article, website? Provide a brief synopsis that tells us why we should read or not bother reading your item.

I recommend Malcom Gladwell, in particular "Outliers" and "Blink." Both are engaging, rivet your attention and are well worth the time even if you only scan for the main points.

Chancellorsville Revisited

2008-07-22T21:14:00.004-04:00

Yesterday we traveled to Fredricksburg, Virginia with over sixty of our field grade Army officers to view firsthand the Chancellorsville civil war battlefield. Even though it was hot, in the 90's, it was under very comfortable conditions compared to those endured in 1863. From the Chatham House, to the former outskirts of Fredricksburg at the sunken road, and then West where the majority of fighting occurred. Dr. Christian Keller, our faculty historian and his counterparts from the Department of Military History at Leavenworth, Kansas combined to make this yet another first class educational venue.

This could simply have been a dry discussion in a classroom about one of many historical battles. But this was much more. Two highly intelligent, determined leaders dueled with each other over several days before the fighting ended. On the one hand a very ambitious General Joseph Hooker leading the Union forces, and the gentlemanly and older General Robert E. Lee leading the confederate forces. On the face of it General Hooker with an over 2-1 numerical advantage over General Lee's confederate forces should have won a convincing victory. But this was a battle of wills, a graduate level engagement of intellects. General Lee was comfortably dug-in south of Fredricksburg; General Hooker was going to have to take the offensive and bring the fight to Lee. The previous fall General Burnside attacked General Lee with a brutal frontal attack that resulted in utter failure at great cost to the union army. General Hooker was going to have to be a bit more creative!

On the union side a plan that General Hooker kept largely to himself, and a centralized command approach that did not reward initiative. On the confederate side a more trusting relationship between General Lee and his subordinates, what we characterize as a mission focused command approach that enabled subordinate leader initiative and more timely decision-making.

General Hooker developed a plan that on the face of it should have put the confederate forces to flight. But that is one of the problems with a live, thinking enemy. General Lee presented a different argument, though outnumbered, instead of an "inglorious retreat," he found an open union flank and attacked violently. Not exactly what General Hooker had anticipated. In the end the confederate forces prevailed, but at a cost in lives and senior leaders they could not afford to pay many more times.

On the one hand our historians painted some of the background picture for the students and all day long fired a steady stream of questions that our field grade officers answered quite capably. They fed the discussions, and fought to make their points. After it was all over I went straight home and took a much needed power nap. A luxury that our historical counterparts could not afford.

Regardless of how historical battles have turned out there are lessons aplenty we can learn from not just the victor, but also the loser. Though we are separated by time there is a much lesser separation in our habits, ways of doing things, ways of thinking, emotions, and culture. Though we often consider our generation different from our predecessors we share a remarkable sameness that we can learn from.

One of my continued lessons learned is the power of the group. The group that works together will invariably prevail over the brilliant individual that operates in isolation and does not take advantage of a broader set of perspectives. Though I've been on this staff ride for now the sixth or seventh time over the last two years it is always a worthwhile event. It is the power of the groups of field grade officers that bring a newness to each one. There is no end to fresh viewpoints, things I could not have discovered on my own.

As former President Harry S Truman said, "The only thing new in the world is the history you don't know." And therein lies the value of Chancellorsville!

U.S. Open Second and Third Order Effects

2008-06-18T23:55:00.003-04:00

An 18 hole playoff that ended up a tie. And then a sudden death playoff that resulted in yet another "major" tournament win for Tiger. And yet there was a cost for that effort, no golf for the remainder of the season. You can't quantify the level of excitement that surrounded this tournament, it was spectacular, riveting, I could not tear myself away. But again, what was the cost to Tiger? He places so much importance on "major" tournaments as a measure of greatness. Was this an acceptable risk, or might this be characterized as a Pyrric victory?

I would ask, do we make more realistic demands on ourselves and the units we lead while operationally deployed, compared to how we trained in the peacetime Army? Continuous operations places strenuous demands on everyone, leadership especially. What adjustments have you seen that led to effective long term unit effectiveness? Or do we persist in what we learned in training?

Always interested in your observations and experiences. Sharing them provides an effective method of education and often can lead to learning without having to repeat mistakes. Hank

After the battle, Pyrrus, the leader who would not stop fighting, said, "One more such victory, and I am lost."

Relentless Determination

2008-06-16T00:46:00.002-04:00

Sunday afternoon and early evening I had a single focus, Tiger Woods at the U.S. Open. At the 17th and 18th holes on Saturday Tiger birdied and then fired an eagle. Three strokes below par on two holes, just enough to give him a one stroke lead going into the final round. High drama!

On Sunday Tiger faltered early. But he did not quit. As the final round progressed he fought his way back into the lead. But he had some bogey problems late in the round. And it came down to a tricky putt on the 18th hole for birdie to move into a tie with Rocco Mediate and a Monday 18 hole playoff.

Tiger is a man possessed by winning golf tournaments. Many others might have folded under the pressure. Many others might have thought it not possible to move back into a share of the lead. But there is no quit in Tiger, and that is what makes him such an admirable person to me. He can never be counted out.

Are we as determined in our profession, should we be? And what of others around the world, are they not just as determined? When it comes to the contest of wills do we recognize the stubborn determination in others and understand that much like Tiger, they will work long and hard to try to find a way. That may have them using methods that might seem surprising and too costly to us, but deemed worth the cost to them. Have any examples to share? Hank

Unintended Second and Third Order Effects

2008-06-14T21:27:00.003-04:00

What is it that shapes the sense of determination within us. There are no end of examples where individuals throughout history have applied their personal will towards a particular endstate. And what moves them to act? Well this is one of my favorites and recounts an early experience of Andrew Jackson during the American Revolution. This is not an isolated case, have any other examples? Hank

"The Declaration of Independence was signed when young Andrew was nine years old and at thirteen he joined the Continental Army as a courier. The Revolution took a toll on the Jackson family. All three boys saw active service. One of Andrew's older brothers, Hugh, died after the Battle of Stono Ferry, South Carolina in 1779, and two years later Andrew and his other brother Robert were taken prisoner for a few weeks in April 1781. While they were captives a British officer ordered them to clean his boots. The boys refused, the officer struck them with his sword and Andrew's hand was cut to the bone. Because of his ill treatment Jackson harbored a bitter resentment towards the British until his death."

How could that British officer know the consequences his disrepectful behavior and arrogance would have to Andrew Jackson's stubborness? This coupled with his aggressive behaviors and effect on the men he would subsequently train and lead in combat. Does it give us pause to consider the possible effect(s) of our and our unit's actions? Hank

http://statelibrary.dcr.state.nc.us/nc/bio/public/jackson.htm

Celebrating the U.S. Army's 233rd Birthday

2008-06-13T16:15:00.004-04:00

Today at the Fort Belvoir Command & Staff School ILE Satellite Campus we celebrated the U.S. Army’s 233rd Birthday, a day early just before everyone departed for the weekend. It could have just as easily have slipped by with little notice. But Dave Knack, the Team 30 Team Leader decided that was not the right thing to do. And so with little notice he coordinated for the few items necessary to recognize the event. It was little more than a ten to fifteen minute ceremony. Just the faculty and Teams 29’s & 30’s students. An informal gathering outdoors next to our well worn barbeque grill and metal picnic table. Little pomp or extravagance here, a few spoken words by Dave to commemorate the longest continuous service branch of the United States military followed by the Army song (or is it the Field Artillery song). And then the oldest student present cut the first slice of birthday cake, passed it to the youngest student present, and then those of us remaining took our piece and shared some Army stories.

And then just as quickly as the group formed, it disappeared and it was quiet again under the shade of the trees. It does not require a great deal of formality to render proper respect to the important events in our lives. I’ve witnessed any number of like ceremonies in some pretty remote locations around the world. It is the occasional promotion ceremony, award presentation or other recognition event where few people are present, yet are still conducted. Even though informal, just the fact that something important is recognized, and honored holds great and lasting meaning to those being honored, and those according recognition and respect. Would like to hear about some of your experiences. Hank

My Most Rewarding Experience in Uniform.

2008-06-10T08:06:00.002-04:00

This is likely an inexhaustible list, there are many. Share with us some of yours.

Things I have done that I would not have been able to do as a civilian.

2008-06-10T08:03:00.003-04:00

There are opportunities the US Army presents that are not available without joining up! For instance, I could not compute firing data for, nor observe artillery rounds impacting unless I had taken the opportunity to become a Field Artillery Officer.

What is the most exotic place the Army has taken you?

2008-06-10T08:01:00.003-04:00

Could be a normal tour of duty, a temporary duty assignment, an exercise, or other opportunity provided due to the "needs of the Army."

The Best America Has to Offer

2008-06-09T16:17:00.003-04:00

I was enlisted from 1973 to 1976. The Army in those days was remarkably different than today's. The quality of soldiers was not as high as today's. By comparison, soldiers in todays Army are very willing to receive and complete the mission. Share with us some of the remarkable soldiers you have had the honor of serving with.

Priceless Opportunities I've Had as a Member of the US Army

2008-06-09T15:56:00.003-04:00

I find it hard to believe the richness of opportunities I've had access to during and after my Army career. Share with us one of the opportunities you were offered during your career. It can be an assignment that stretched your leadership capabilities; it could be an opportunity you never saw coming that was offered because someone saw potential in you and looked out for your interests.

Describe the Most Adverse Conditions You Have Experienced

2008-06-09T15:51:00.005-04:00

We've all experienced some pretty harsh conditions while deployed or in the field for training. Describe one of those events where you experienced some discomfort while America slept or entertained oblivious to our activities. It could be a particular difficulty you overcame, or the hottest/coldest days you've spent in the field. Everyone has experiences seared in their memories, share them with us, and humorous anecdotes are a big plus!

Tell us about someone who has influenced your life.

2008-06-09T15:00:00.004-04:00

It is not important if this is a civilian or another member of the military. It could even be a historical figure. The most important part, tell us why or how this individual influenced you so much, and a bit about how he/she changed your life.