Applied Battlefield Concepts

03/17/2025

A failure of enemy assessment and lack of actual intelligence assets led to strategic surprise and disaster.

"We never contemplated the possibility that 5% of what happened [on Oct. 7] could happen," Lt. Gen. (res.) Herzi Halevi said.

02/15/2025

https://breakingdefense.com/2025/02/what-americas-iron-dome-effort-should-learn-from-israels-air-defense-systems/?utm_campaign=BD%20Daily&utm_medium=email&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-_RkMf6bvDP3hMriMH2_SIkpkF8EvKs7B05z8zZ0IWDT4ywmci-gN5NJc5ocATEp4i_l3u3CcqAI1xL_7e1FvEU7X3Q3g&_hsmi=347425882&utm_content=347425882&utm_source=hs_email

Israel’s history of developing new air defenses to defend against emerging threats is closely entwined with the US experience in air defenses.

08/03/2024

https://www.metmuseum.org/perspectives/articles/2021/7/ancient-greek-olympic-games

Highlights from The Met collection illustrate the many athletic games held in ancient Greece, featuring celebrity athletes, grand prizes, and the mythical origins of the first Olympics.

07/20/2024

Editing my book about Israel and the US in 1948 and found this political cartoon from that year

07/16/2024

History is now, 1918, 1948, 2023

image: two Generals, including commander of the Egyptian Expeditionary Force Edmund Allenby, stand at an observation post along with other senior and staff officers. Allenby stands looking into the distance with a pair of binoculars in his hands. Two men look on from the left at the group of officer...

05/09/2024

At a recent minireunion of my 1976 B-School class in NOLA, I spoke about collecting our parents' World War II stories after being introduced by my friend John Curatola, Senior Historian of the Museum. John starts at 4:30, my part starts at 7:00 and lasts 13 minutes. Images of our parents flashed on the screens to my right and left.

HBS 1976 NOLA Party - WWII Museum Gala Event Speeches Terry Kungel, Scott Cook, John Curatola, Steve Ossad and Laure Aubuchon made brief comments

04/30/2024

Recent 2024 Society for Military History, candid of two of my friends and stars of the profession Bryan Hockensmith, Wilson Clinton Blythe Jr, my terrific publisher University of Missouri Press in the book hall (great for hanging out) with their early promo blurb for my next biography, and a conference session of interest. Special thanks to Rick Herrera, John Curatola, Janet Valentine Steve Bourque and Jacob Ari Werth-Stoil and their friends, for never letting me stand by myself.

02/16/2024

Moberly MO remembers

General Omar Bradley’s birthday was Feb. 12. During February, the flag which was flown at the Pentagon is flying over his memorial statue in Rothwell Park in his honor. This flag was arranged for by JW Ballinger and other community leaders.

01/13/2024

Brilliant analysis of the existential Islamist enemy and the emerging post-Oct 7 IDF doctrine

On the morning of October 7, 2023, the strategic Israeli security concept collapsed, marking the end of the 30-year era since the Oslo Accords. With the shocking force of an earthquake, a cultural concept that had its roots planted in the dream of peace, and in the illusion that the State of Israel....

01/06/2024

After 7 October I reread the chapter in my Bradley book about the Bulge. There is always the "concept", the enemy can't/won't attack. Yom Kippur 1973, , same. But there are usually soldiers who know it's bu****it. https://www.timesofisrael.com/liveblog_entry/head-of-idf-devils-advocate-unit-tried-repeatedly-in-september-to-warn-of-possible-hamas-attack/

https://www.timesofisrael.com/liveblog_entry/head-of-idf-devils-advocate-unit-tried-repeatedly-in-september-to-warn-of-possible-hamas-attack/

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12/10/2023

The massive US naval forces assembled in CENTCOM AOR, under NAVCENT, Fifth Fleet (Persian Gulf) and EURCOM under NAVEUR, Sixth Fleet (East Mediterranean) are a quiet factor in US attempts to prevent all out regional war - and rarely mentioned. Remains to be seen if it succeeds.

The Dwight D. Eisenhower Carrier Strike Group (IKECSG) completed a scheduled transit through the Strait of Hormuz into the Arabian Gulf, Nov. 26.

11/08/2023

The Iranians are testing their advanced weapons via Yemen. Israel is doing the same.

While this is the first known use of an F-35 to take down an incoming missile, the concept, at least on paper, is not new.