ASSOCIATION OF THE UNITED STATES ARMY

Military-to-military relations between the U.S. and France are at their closest and most dynamic since Benjamin Franklin strode the gardens of Versailles as minister to Louis XVI’s court late in the 18th century. Fast-forward to this year: Both armies—strategic partners and the oldest of allies—are refocusing on large-scale combat operations and multidomain operations readiness.

Both armies also are realigning their global presence while initiating necessary modernization efforts to adjust to new realities. These ambitious efforts afford an opportunity to build interoperability across the...

If you are a leader in any organization, you will be asked on a regular basis to sign a variety of documents, and it is essential to balance speed with a number of other considerations. We all have worked, or will work, for someone who agonizes over every aspect of a document. It is especially frustrating to make so many edits that the document ends up looking nothing like the original version.

In the spirit of keeping processes moving forward while also protecting the integrity of your signature, here are some factors worth contemplating:

Reputation. Placing your signature on documents...

Russia’s war with Ukraine that began in early 2022 and the decimation of entire Ukrainian cities highlight the fragility of civil infrastructure during military conflict. Civil infrastructure can present both challenges and opportunities in large-scale war. For example, bridges can facilitate an expedient river crossing but also can funnel advancing troops, making them vulnerable to direct and indirect fire.

There are inherent challenges to maneuvering large elements across a battlefield, especially in Europe, where there are expansive river networks. To combat the inherent risk of...

Russia’s war with Ukraine that began in early 2022 and the decimation of entire Ukrainian cities highlight the fragility of civil infrastructure during military conflict. Civil infrastructure can present both challenges and opportunities in large-scale war. For example, bridges can facilitate an expedient river crossing but also can funnel advancing troops, making them vulnerable to direct and indirect fire.

There are inherent challenges to maneuvering large elements across a battlefield, especially in Europe, where there are expansive river networks. To combat the inherent risk of...

Russia’s war with Ukraine that began in early 2022 and the decimation of entire Ukrainian cities highlight the fragility of civil infrastructure during military conflict. Civil infrastructure can present both challenges and opportunities in large-scale war. For example, bridges can facilitate an expedient river crossing but also can funnel advancing troops, making them vulnerable to direct and indirect fire.

There are inherent challenges to maneuvering large elements across a battlefield, especially in Europe, where there are expansive river networks. To combat the inherent risk of...

Space has received a lot of attention recently, from its recognition as a vital national interest, to the creation of the U.S. Space Command and the U.S. Space Force, to commercial tourism becoming a reality. All the while, the world has watched other countries, namely China and Russia, enhance their space capabilities in the form of hypersonic missiles and destructive anti-satellite tests.

Despite these challenges and their discussion in the press, both friendly and adversary space capabilities are generally protected under shrouds of secrecy and whispered about in dark corners of secret...

Space has received a lot of attention recently, from its recognition as a vital national interest, to the creation of the U.S. Space Command and the U.S. Space Force, to commercial tourism becoming a reality. All the while, the world has watched other countries, namely China and Russia, enhance their space capabilities in the form of hypersonic missiles and destructive anti-satellite tests.

Despite these challenges and their discussion in the press, both friendly and adversary space capabilities are generally protected under shrouds of secrecy and whispered about in dark corners of secret...

Space has received a lot of attention recently, from its recognition as a vital national interest, to the creation of the U.S. Space Command and the U.S. Space Force, to commercial tourism becoming a reality. All the while, the world has watched other countries, namely China and Russia, enhance their space capabilities in the form of hypersonic missiles and destructive anti-satellite tests.

Despite these challenges and their discussion in the press, both friendly and adversary space capabilities are generally protected under shrouds of secrecy and whispered about in dark corners of secret...

Kindred Warriors Meet in Vietnam Battle

Extraordinary Valor: The Fight for Charlie Hill. William Reeder Jr. Lyons Press. 296 pages. $27.95

By Col. Keith Nightingale, U.S. Army retired

William Reeder Jr.’s book Extraordinary Valor: The Fight for Charlie Hill is indeed extraordinary. It is lucidly written, smoothly flowing, brilliantly researched and a paean to the extraordinary valor of leaders in the most trying of circumstances. 

While it is a homage to retired Maj. John Duffy—who received the Medal of Honor earlier this year for his actions depicted in the book—it is also an...

The purposes of a war provide the original motive for fighting and the basis for the war’s political aims. War’s purposes also influence the level of effort necessary to succeed and to give meaning to the sacrifices that success demands.

In the Russia-Ukraine war, there is an asymmetry of purposes between the warring parties, to include the U.S. and its allies, and that asymmetry has potentially serious, negative consequences.

For the citizens of Ukraine, the war is existential—a fight for the right to determine their political sovereignty, territorial integrity and economic life; a...

After almost 40 years of service in the Army and the Georgia National Guard, it is clear to me that leadership matters. Positive leadership matters even more.

From my time as a young officer to my final military assignment as the Army inspector general, I have gained key insights not only into the challenges but also the opportunities that all leaders can use to help improve their organizations.

I developed and honed many of my thoughts about leadership during a two-day workshop at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, New York, where then-Army Chief of Staff Gen. Martin Dempsey...

In June 1803, Meriwether Lewis wrote a letter to William Clark conveying that President Thomas Jefferson had received approval from Congress allowing the exploration of “the interior of the continent,” the unknown land of the U.S. between St. Louis and the Pacific Northwest.

Jefferson ordered Lewis to lead this exploration, which eventually would identify hundreds of plants, animals and geographical landmarks that are well known today.

The exploration would require tough, smart and innovative professionals to trek, portage, experiment and prepare for unknown challenges and uncertain...

In recent years, military and civilian leaders have published myriad articles discussing the importance of building a cohesive and productive organizational culture. One key theme exists at the core of these attempts to bring people together: trust.

Throughout my leadership experience, I learned and applied certain foundational aspects of trust that will never go away. The first is the importance of promoting a culture of people taking care of people. The second aspect is discipline, and the third is leader authenticity.

Soldiers want to know that their leaders care about them and...

Three years ago, the Army unveiled the first glimpse of its People First initiative. Central to Army Chief of Staff Gen. James McConville’s innovative strategy was interweaving the idea of care for soldiers with the foundational building block of the Army: the squad. “This is My Squad” is more than just a slogan, and it aims to make caring for one another the “secret sauce,” in McConville’s words, that binds squads together.

To examine how to care for squads, it is important to pay attention to how to give soldiers and teams purpose while making people a priority. Army doctrine offers...

In June 1803, Meriwether Lewis wrote a letter to William Clark conveying that President Thomas Jefferson had received approval from Congress allowing the exploration of “the interior of the continent,” the unknown land of the U.S. between St. Louis and the Pacific Northwest.

Jefferson ordered Lewis to lead this exploration, which eventually would identify hundreds of plants, animals and geographical landmarks that are well known today.

The exploration would require tough, smart and innovative professionals to trek, portage, experiment and prepare for unknown challenges and uncertain...