Defense and the National Interest
 
 

Links

John Robb's Weblog Skating to where the puck will be.  And, his other site Global Guerrillas Networked organizations, infrastructure disruption, and the emerging marketplace of violence. An open notebook on the epochal war of the 21st Century.

The Trinity, a new Clausewitz site by Stephen Barrett.  Boyd castigated Clausewitz for his top-down approach to war.  Yet, he borrowed more from  Clausewitz than any strategist other than Sun Tzu.

Informed Comment, Prof. Juan Cole's blog on "the Middle East, history, and religion."  Always interesting notes and thoughts from Dr. Cole, who is professor of history at the University of Michigan and popular commentator for pretty much every news outlet.

Iraq Casualty Count , a detailed site of casualties for the US military, the coalition, and contractors who have either been killed or reported missing in Iraq.

Sonshi.com the web's premier site on Sun Tzu and related topics.  Sonshi.com is headquarters for an active community that analyzes and discusses a range of subjects from the origins of the Art of War to using its principles in modern life.

Helmets to Hardhats A company funded by the Department of Defense to help transitioning military and veterans find careers in the building and construction trades. DNI provides this link as a service to our military and veteran visitors.

JINSA – This very well designed site by the Jewish Institute for National Security Affairs “communicates with the Jewish Community and the national security establishment on behalf of the role Israel can and does play in bolstering American interests, as well as the link between American defense policy and the security of Israel.”

Be a Fourth Generation Warrior - defend democracy by practicing it. Visit TrueMajority.org for an innovative new option.

G2mil.com.  Generally critical, often controversial, but never bland view of the US approach to warfare in the 21st Century.

International Maritime Organization. London-based group with 158 member states. Promotes safety of international shipping and measures to reduce pollution from ships of over 500 gross tonnage. Monitors trends in piracy in international waters.

Excellent background on the Intifada: "Middle East : the Faultline" from Le Monde Diplomatique. http://www.en.monde-diplomatique.fr/focus/mideast/

War, Chaos, and Business features articles and presentations on agility and time-based competition with a focus on their  application to business strategy. The unifying theme comes from maneuver warfare—or more broadly, maneuver conflict—as was described by the late American strategist, Col John R. Boyd, USAF.

Project on Defense Alternatives at the Commonwealth Institute.  Well researched and superbly written articles on many of the same issues raised here at DNI (QDR, terrorism,  defense planning and reform.) 

The Chickenhawk Database at the New Hampshire Gazette.  Ever wonder how many of our sword waving political leaders actually served in the military? [Disclosure: The Editor of DNI was commissioned through Army ROTC in 1969 and retired from the Air Force Reserve in 1999. He was never assigned to Vietnam.]

POGO, Project on Government Oversight, Washington, DC, non-profit which has been exposing government waste and  the influence of special interests for 20 years. 

Airman Magazine.  Very well executed web site with AF news and information.

CompanyCommand.com Ongoing case studies in small unit leadership. Field notes from people grappling with arguably the hardest job in the world. Available to small unit commanders - registration required.

Federation of American Scientists Probably the best single source for information on military and national security topics.  Military Analysis Network contains descriptions and pictures of every significant weapon system worldwide.  Also recommended: Terrorism, and Para-States ("Liberation" Movements)

 

The US Army's Strategic Studies Institute. Your tax dollars at work - in this case hard at work. Top flight research that covers the spectrum from street gangs to al-Qa'ida to nuclear holocaust.

Karen Kwiatkowski's Blog on The Huffington Post site - one of the first professional intelligence analysts to predict that our occupation of Iraq would generate an implacable insurgency.  Retired shortly thereafter (as a Lt Col, USAF). 

Our sincere thanks to Inside Washington Publishers, http://defense.iwpnewsstand.com, for occasional permission to reprint articles by Elaine M. Grossman, formerly Inside the Pentagon's senior correspondent. Elaine has moved to the Global Security Newswire, and we will be posting some of her articles on the new DNI Blog - soon to be announced.  For a twice weekly update on what's happening in the defense community, visit their free INSIDER at http://defense.iwpnewsstand.com/insider.asp.

TomPeters.com  Thriving on Chaos (1987) provided the first clue that maneuver warfare, as defined by Boyd, and the philosophy of competition represented by the Toyota Production System are two manifestations of the same underlying phenomenon. Tom interviewed Boyd in 1989, wrote a column on him, and is still at it.

HILLINT Newsletters on how defense issues are faring in Congress.  Good source of information on actions taken by the various committees on bills affecting DoD.

The National Security Archive at George Washington University.  Fascinating collection of documents obtained through the Freedom of Information Act.  Be sure and check out "Nixon Meets Elvis."

CIA World Factbook.  Latest edition of the classic source for information about every country, territory, colony, and uninhabited desert island on earth.

Opération Igloo White Extensive discussion of sensor technologies in modern life, from body odors in Laos to Star Wars to Echelon.  On "Global Vision and the Private Eye," in French and Dutch. Translate (using Altavista - scroll down to "Translate")

Country Studies, published by the Federal Research Division of the Library of Congress.  Many readers will recognize these as the Dept. of the Army's Area Handbooks.  Excellent overviews of the history, government, military, and life styles of 101 countries that could involve deployments of US Army personnel (i.e., no France, UK, etc.)

B’Tselem – The Israeli Information Center for Human Rights in the Occupied Territories One of the primary groups documenting the conditions that have culminated in the Al Aqsa Intifada.

US State Department Travel Warning and Consular Information Sheets.  Although intended primarily for US Citizens planning travel abroad, TWs/CISs often provide detailed information on current security conditions and update the information in the LOC county studies.

Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessment, Directed by Andrew Krepinevich, supported by an A-list of analysts.  In-depth look at trends id defense cost and capabilities.

Center for Defense Information  Comprehensive collection of national security resources.  Especially recommended:  World at War 2000, which documents the three dozen major conflicts (1,000 or more civil or military casualties) active in the world as of January 2000.

Center for Strategic and International Studies Links to CSIS research on a wide variety of national security topics.

Strategic Intelligence  Excellent collection of links to resources on worldwide intelligence.  From the PoliSci Dept.,  Loyola College in Maryland.

NOSI - Naval Open Source Intelligence Operational news from the world's navies on a daily basis; links to other navies and related sites.

Books

CERTAIN TO WIN: The Strategy of John Boyd, Applied to Business, by Chet Richards. Boyd's real OODA loop and ancient strategies working for business today. More...
Advance Reviews;
Amazon and B&N

 

RAISING THE BAR, by Donald Vandergriff (U.S. Army, ret.) Published by the Center for Defense Information Press. Read the DNI review. Order from Amazon.

 

SCIENCE, STRATEGY AND WAR, by Col Frans Osinga, RNAF. Read the DNI Review.  Order from Amazon or B&N. New! Now in paperback directly from Routledge, $35.95.

 

NEITHER SHALL THE SWORD, by Chet Richards.  If you thought A Swift, Elusive Sword was too tame.  Read the Introduction and view the Briefing. Podcast review.  Available now on Amazon

 

BOYD: The Fighter Pilot Who Changed the Art of War by Robert Coram
Amazon & B&N.

 

BLUEPRINT FOR ACTION : A Future Worth Creating, by Thomas P. M. Barnett. Read the DNI review. Buy at Amazon and B&N

 

NOT A GOOD DAY TO DIE: The Untold Story of Operation Anaconda, by Sean Naylor. Read the DNI Review; Amazon and B&N

 

THE WASTRELS OF DEFENSE: How Congress Sabotages U. S. Security by Winslow Wheeler.  You'll be disgusted, then just mad.
Read Comment #527.
Amazon and B&N

 

THE AFGHAN CAMPAIGN, by Steven Pressfield.  Read the DNI Review. Amazon and B&N.

 

The Virtues of War by Steven Pressfield
Read the DNI Review.
Amazon and B&N. Now in trade paperback.

 

The Sling and The Stone by Col T. X. Hammes, USMC
Amazon and B&N

 

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