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Military Thoughts: From Israel, to Europe and the United States January 25, 2024 Join Victor Davis Hanson and cohost Jack Fowler in a conversation on the two-state solution in Israel, old and new urban warfare, generals Robert E. Lee, William T. Sherman and Lloyd Austin, the needs of our modern military, Europe needs to prepare for war, and the hysterical style of our politics.

Technology-centered theories of military success by and large are short-sighted because they tend to ignore the dialectical nature of war, but if pursued they should be exclusively reserved for the tactical level of war. At the same time, technology-centered theories of military success at the strategic level of war are more often than not a road to defeat at the strategic level of war.

Everybody knows about the original 13 colonies. But where did the other 37 states come from?  Turns out it involves everything from acquiring independent countries to military interventions that may not have been authorized. Learn the quirky history of the 50 states in our latest Short. 

The DPRK uses many flags; from the ubiquitous national flag, to the various flags used for branches of the military, and political flags - both modern and historical. In this video from a few months back, I took at look at the various flags the DPRK uses, and has used, over the last hundred years!

Public service announcement! Think twice before you wish others a "Happy" Memorial Day, as the holiday was created to honor the fallen. As we approach some of the most popular Military Holidays, here's a handy guide to telling the difference. Read more about what to say during specific Military holidays ➡️ https://bit.ly/3Uhx9bs

On this date in 1945, the signing of the Japanese Instrument of Surrender aboard the USS Missouri formally ended World War II. The surrender was more than a victory of the Allied forces over the Axis Powers. It was the victory of democracy and liberty over fascism, military expansionism, and racist-based nationalism. Founding Forward believes that the ongoing defense of democracy begins with education. We teach future generations the rights and responsibilities embedded in our country’s founding documents and educate them on the historic events that established, preserved, and promoted liberty and democracy. Your support of Founding Forward is critical to this ongoing and critically important effort. https://lnkd.in/eCRQiCbe #VJDay #CivicEducation #Democracy #FoundingForward

Now that I'm "out" I finally feel the freedom to confidently say if you want to increase military retention, you have to start with military families. I heard a prominent military spouse share the anecdote that service members are beautiful flowers, and military spouses are the, ahem, fertilizer they need to grow (keeping it profesh for the LinkedIn crowd). Frankly, that's exactly how it feels most days as a military spouse - and I'm one of the lucky ones with a remote career, who is not underemployed, and currently loves where we live. Think about it: in what world would you, at most, want to be second-best to your spouse? You cannot plan anything from vacations to five-year plans with any certainty, much less where you might live. You give up everything you know: friends, family, support, hair stylists (this one is tough), doctors, etc., to follow someone else around and support their career - one that often leaves you on your own. And yet, we do it. I did it for 18 years, and it was hard, and I had to fight for silver linings. I know the military has much, much bigger issues than caring about spouses, but here's an idea: don't move folks around so much. In the civilian world, it's rare to ship you off to different locations every two-to-three years - especially when you have to travel so much for work, anyway. Also, it would save the military precious dollars. It's not that simple of a solution, but taking care of families will go a long way with military retention.

The US Military's mission is to defend and win wars. But recruiting has become increasingly complex, hindering our ability to achieve that goal. It's time for politicians to step aside and let the Military do what it does best- focus on teamwork, commitment to mission, and duty, honor, and country. By recruiting warriors with the highest standards and utilizing retiree/veteran assistance, we can promote sacrifice, heroism, and gallantry. Let's stop treating our Military as a social experiment and instead promote total victory for America. #MilitaryRecruiting #Teamwork #DutyHonorCountry

Reposted from Mark Meaker Retired Fire Chief https://lnkd.in/gUszs9wK Fascinating and concerning analysis by the newly retired head of Naval Intelligence, in which he indicates that the United States has a 60 percent likelihood of being involved in a major war with China before the end of this decade. America needs to realize that the peace dividend that resulted from the end of the Cold War is over and we need to dramatically increase defense spending back to the levels of the Cold War (I.e., from our current 3 percent of GDP to 6 percent, as we did during the Reagan administration). Only by doing so will our nation have a reasonable chance to avoid war with China by convincing the PRC Communist party that the price of war will be too high (or that failing, improve our chances of victory). Either way, I am seriously concerned about the possibility that many of our grandchildren will, before the end of this decade, will be drafted into the armed forces for a war on the scale as devastating in both blood and treasure as we experienced during WWII.

On this day in history, 18 April 1942, the carrier USS Hornet launches 16 B-25s headed toward Japan for a mission later known as the Doolittle Raid. This Raid, a response to the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, was planned in secrecy by a handful of men so as to surprise their targets in Tokyo and the surrounding areas. The Doolittle Raid targeted military installations only, and although the attacks did very little physical damage, the shock of an attack on their homeland significantly impacted the Japanese and their military strategy in the Pacific War. Each plane was crewed by five men, for a total of 80 Doolittle Raiders. They were to take off from the Hornet, drop their payload on their Japanese target, and head for friendly Chinese territory. One plane made an emergency landing in the Soviet Union and its crew taken prisoner until they escaped. Two Raiders died during the mission, and eight were captured by the Japanese. Three of these would be executed, and one died in prison before the end of the war, when the rest were freed. Surviving Raiders later came together for reunions to celebrate life and honor those who had died. The last Doolittle Raider, Richard Cole, died in April 2019, less than two weeks before the anniversary of the Raid. Image Source: Naval History & Heritage Command #wwiihistory #doolittleraid #wwii #historyfacts #Museum #educational