Mackenzie Wolf in Air Force Times: Captain Sonny Hernandez, an Air Force Reserve chaplain for the 445th Airlift Wing at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Ohio, ministers to thousands of men and women serving in the Air Force. He contends that Christians serving in the military “serve Satan” if they support other service member’s rights […]
Compensation of reservists causes trouble for Estonia
Having a good reserve is complicated. The material and logistical requirements are obvious as a reserve is not worth much if you are not able to provide simple things like uniforms and weapons when the reservists show up for service. Denmark is a good example of a country with a large reserve of former conscripts […]
It’s time for NATO to Look North
Julianne Smith and Rachel Rizzo in Defense One: It also requires a change in strategy and acquisition policy for individual NATO allies, particularly those bordering the North Atlantic. Unfortunately, many NATO allies have allowed their maritime capabilities in the region to wane over the last two decades. Earlier this year, five senior retired members of […]
Poland increases defense spending
Poland is increasing defense spending, according to Digital Journal: Poland on Friday hiked defence spending above the 2 percent of GDP target set by NATO which few member states have so far have met. The parliament, in which the rightwing government has a majority, endorsed plans by Defence Minister Antoni Macierewicz to raise the budget […]
U.S. Navy needs better procedures for driving a ship
Paul Lobo nails it in The Maritime Executive in a piece called Collisions Show That “Navy Way” is the Wrong Course: In addition, there are far too many personnel on Navy ships, which is not only costly, but can be distracting when cruising at 25 knots. Consider that a modern 1,200-foot commercial container ship operates […]
Lukashenko not allowed in Russia during Zapad 2017
Belarusian president Aleksandr Lukashenko will not visit the Russian part of exercise Zapad 2017. Kommersant.ru reports that Lukashenko was scheduled to appear at training sites in Russia alongside Vladimir Putin but for unknown reasons the plans have changed. Putin may still show up to spectate the exercise in Russia but Lukashenko will only observe the […]
US should return to forward-stationed troops in Europe
John R. Deni in War On The Rocks recommends a return to a more permanently forward-stationed army. [With] specific regard to Europe, the Pentagon should aim to station these units in Poland, either in whole or in part through split-basing. Stationing in Poland would provide greater assurance to Eastern Europe and more effectively deter aggression. […]
Micromanagement or proper oversight?
Insightful piece by Micah Zenko in Foreign Policy on the principal-agent relationship between politicians and the military: Yet, in every conversation I have had with civilian and military officials, I cannot recall a military officer — at any level — having received guidance or direction that was helpful in developing plans or in fulfilling a […]
Exercise scenarios tend to be a waste of time
The fictional scenario for Zapad 2017 has gone viral as a joke on social media, and that has led The Wall Street Journal to write a piece on the made-up settings that militaries use for training: The U.S., its NATO allies, Russia and other militaries around the world use fictional scenarios to make their military […]
Hope Estonia learned from the Kurkse Tragedy
I never heard about the Kurkse Tragedy until I saw this film on Delfi.ee marking the 20th anniversary. 14 Estonian soldiers died while swimming across a narrow strait in unfavorable weather conditions. When looking at this tragedy it is hard not to get surprised by the reckless behavior of the soldiers and their commanding officers. […]