ASSOCIATION OF THE UNITED STATES ARMY

On the Fourth of July, 1917, American troops of the 1st Infantry Division paraded through the streets of Paris. Having resisted allowing them to be on display for fear that the trained eye would see the leading edge of America’s contribution to the war effort for what they were—civilians in uniforms—American Expeditionary Forces commander Gen. John Pershing had finally relented. The French were thrilled, less those who could see that these men were not prepared to cross the mud and blood to reach green fields beyond the trenches.

Finishing their parade at the tomb of the Marquis de...

When I retired from federal military service, I burned my white gloves.

Perhaps the most difficult duty I ever performed in uniform was the responsibility of presenting the folded Stars and Stripes to a fallen soldier’s next of kin. It was the only time I ever wore white gloves during my career, and I hated them every time I peeled them off.

Each time I offered the tightly folded American flag to a grief-stricken wife, mother or partner, and rose to salute, there was a moment of incredibly powerful, almost electric, energy. It was never more so than when I saw the shock and deep pain in...

It’s difficult to predict what future technology will accomplish, but it’s clear that drone technology must improve for the multidomain operations battlefield.

Drone technology likely will improve exponentially, but there’s new technology on the horizon that could make drones more effective and deadly. The U.S. Army must develop this technology for drones to operate on the wireless spectrum, allow drones to operate autonomously through charging loops, and let drones use the electromagnetic spectrum to keep them in flight indefinitely.

To develop technology for drones to operate on the...

The conduct of war is a complicated and difficult affair. It requires the total attention of the practitioner as the enduring characteristics of warfare—chance, friction, danger and uncertainty—work against soldiers trying to achieve the desired end state.

To increase performance in these conditions, the modern soldier gains experience through training and limited time on operations. But as Sir Basil Liddell Hart, a British military historian and strategist, stated, the military professional is restricted in learning because “direct experience is inherently too limited to form an adequate...

Tanker Tells of Bitter Urban Fight in Iraq

Strike Hard and Expect No Mercy: A Tank Platoon Leader in Iraq. Galen Peterson. Koehler Books. 296 pages. $28.95

By Lt. Col. Mark Reardon, U.S. Army retired

Galen Peterson’s Strike Hard and Expect No Mercy: A Tank Platoon Leader in Iraq represents an important firsthand view of the battle for Phase Line Gold in Baghdad in April and May 2008. The scope and intensity of that engagement challenges the accepted interpretation of the term “insurgency.”

From the perspective of Army tank crews, engineers, infantrymen and Navy SEALs charged...

An army is not just a bunch of people with guns. It is a complex organism that reflects, at a minimum, the political community it represents as well as a social, political, economic and technological period of history.

Simply providing tactical training, arms and equipment will not produce an army. And since U.S. national strategy still requires building and improving the capacities of our allies and partners (as well as our own), there are lessons to be learned from the past 20 years. Using the Iraqi army as my primary example, a good bit of what I say pertains to the Afghan army as well...

The pile of record briefs and resumes covered the long conference table as leaders huddled around, sorting and selecting them. Dozens of officers had reached out to the brigade, each hoping to secure the one-to-one match that would allow them to serve at their preferred location. The brigade had no time to interview every candidate. The battalion commanders and the brigade’s talent managers had the responsibility to sort the potential hires into an order of merit list that would drive the brigade’s hiring decisions.

With the hiring list complete, the brigade human resources officer started...

The pile of record briefs and resumes covered the long conference table as leaders huddled around, sorting and selecting them. Dozens of officers had reached out to the brigade, each hoping to secure the one-to-one match that would allow them to serve at their preferred location. The brigade had no time to interview every candidate. The battalion commanders and the brigade’s talent managers had the responsibility to sort the potential hires into an order of merit list that would drive the brigade’s hiring decisions.

With the hiring list complete, the brigade human resources officer started...

The pile of record briefs and resumes covered the long conference table as leaders huddled around, sorting and selecting them. Dozens of officers had reached out to the brigade, each hoping to secure the one-to-one match that would allow them to serve at their preferred location. The brigade had no time to interview every candidate. The battalion commanders and the brigade’s talent managers had the responsibility to sort the potential hires into an order of merit list that would drive the brigade’s hiring decisions.

With the hiring list complete, the brigade human resources officer started...

As a general officer, I am sometimes asked for advice on how to be successful in the military. Over the years, I have wondered myself, how have I possibly been this fortunate? It is certainly not because I am the most intelligent, most charismatic or the fittest; although I try hard to understand and overcome my deficits. The truth is, the Army is all about people, and soldiers are the reason any of us are successful.

It has been said that humility is freedom from arrogance. As we rise through the ranks, it is essential to maintain our humility. Yes, promotions are based on the demonstrated...

The closure of the Red Team School and the impending loss of red teams from the Army division organization represent a larger shift away from intellectual humility in the Army’s way of war.

Just as in the post-Vietnam era, when the Army was able to tell itself it could finally get out of the counterinsurgency business and get back to training for the type of conflict it was more suited to fighting, the slow, spiraling end of the long wars in Iraq and Afghanistan gave the service an excuse to end another period of introspection in favor of a renewed focus on large-scale combat operations.

All organizations have unique circumstances that pose leadership challenges and opportunities. In the U.S. Army Reserve, one of those circumstances is the fact that a majority of personnel are part-time soldiers, including Troop Program Unit troops, and a minority are full-time Active Guard Reserve soldiers and military technicians. The relationship between the leaders within these two populations is paramount to the success of the organization.

As the Army continues to put people first, an in-depth look at relationships and their development, specifically between the two populations...

All organizations have unique circumstances that pose leadership challenges and opportunities. In the U.S. Army Reserve, one of those circumstances is the fact that a majority of personnel are part-time soldiers, including Troop Program Unit troops, and a minority are full-time Active Guard Reserve soldiers and military technicians. The relationship between the leaders within these two populations is paramount to the success of the organization.

As the Army continues to put people first, an in-depth look at relationships and their development, specifically between the two populations...

Graphene is one of the most significant technological breakthroughs in the past 18 years, and it has the potential to greatly impact how the U.S. Army fights in multidomain operations.

Graphene is a material with electronic qualities similar to those of a diamond, in which carbon atoms are stacked in layers, an atom thick, on top of each other.

The Army could see three distinct benefits from graphene. First, graphene can significantly improve body armor. Second, graphene could dramatically enhance the Army’s ability to generate power. Third, graphene filters could provide the Army with...

A How-to for Managing in Uncertain Times

Risk: A User’s Guide. Retired Gen. Stanley McChrystal and Anna Butrico. Portfolio. 368 pages. $30

By Col. J.P. Clark

Retired Gen. Stanley McChrystal and Anna Butrico dedicate their book, Risk: A User’s Guide, to health care and other essential workers who serve despite dangers that cannot be fully eliminated. This acknowledgment of the COVID-19 pandemic is fitting as it highlights two major themes throughout the book.

The first is that everyone—not just military commanders, investors and gamblers—can benefit from a deliberate approach...