This article was originally published on odjournal.com (Olive Drab: the journal of tactics) and has been transferred here with permission.
Read MoreFull Spectrum Training: Which conflict…this one, or the next?
A warrior who picks up too many stones, soon drops all of them. – Native American proverb I’ve heard the grumbling for a handful of years now. This mild dissention is understandable. An artillery captain in the 10th Mountain Division at Ft. Drum, NY tells me his troops train so…
Read MorePrinciples of War: Tactical guidance for small unit leaders
The brilliance of Carl von Clausewitz’s essay Principles of War (1812) is that his words are as relevant today as they were 200 years ago. This work places Clausewitz, along with Sun Tzu, as one of the most quoted military philosophers of all time. Yet Clausewitz was not the only…
Read MoreBattle Rattle Radio: OPFOR Types and Functions
This article was originally published on odjournal.com (Olive Drab: the journal of tactics) and has been transferred here with permission.
Read MoreMission Planning: In Seconds, Minutes and Hours
Let’s begin by separating planning from decision-making. Though clearly related and even intertwined, it helps to think of these as two distinct processes. Planning can be found in Troop Leading Procedure (TLP) and its parallel build, the Military Decision-Making Process (MDMP). Decision-making is also very much a part of these…
Read MoreOperational Warfighters: An Intro to the Modern Battle Staff
Contemporary battle staffs trace their lineage to Napoleon Bonaparte’s Grand Army. This staff concept is employed in a multitude of variations by every major military today. Battle staff officers are warfighters at the operational-level of conflict. They work on behalf of the commanding officer and employ a myriad of technical…
Read MoreBattle Rattle Radio: Host Simulation Events
This article was originally published on odjournal.com (Olive Drab: the journal of tactics) and has been transferred here with permission.
Read MoreKnow Your Gear: AR15 – The Dubious Underdog
Let me tell you a story you already know. Some 500 years ago the Europeans re-discovered the North American continent and colonized it. English, French, Spanish, German, Dutch and even Russian people populated colonies, all mixed within the “Thousand Nations” of native peoples here in what is today the United…
Read MoreBattle Rattle Radio: Commanders Intent
This article was originally published on odjournal.com (Olive Drab: the journal of tactics) and has been transferred here with permission.
Read MoreCommander’s Critical Information: What the leader needs to know, and needs to hide
Commander’s Critical Information Requirements (CCIR) are defined by the Department of Defense as a comprehensive list of information requirements identified by the commander as being critical in facilitating timely information management and the decision making process that affect successful mission accomplishment. Huh. Well that’s a workable definition, though it creates…
Read More