Utter Garbage

I expect much better from John Nagl than this piece of refuse he "co-authored" with Chief Neanderthal Charles Dunlap. Unless Dunlap forced Nagl to write at gunpoint (possibly) I have lost some respect for the gentleman who inspired the name of this blog. This is precisely the type of cheerleading, self-congratulatory generalization that leads to eventual defeat. Mixed metaphors, overzealous allusions and an entirely gratuitous plug for free market systems make the lack of concrete assessments and prescriptions all the more obvious. What was the point of this essay, other than create a superficial display of unity?

A conspiratorial reader might sense DoD involvement, with an eye towards papering over any disagreements and trying to work up enthusiasm for the Department's future:

The finest military leaders want, indeed, demand, that differing ideas be ruthlessly explored. They expect and encourage vigorous debates. Can that process go awry? Sure. When it devolves into personal attacks and gets mired in finger-pointing, progress ceases. Accountability for the past may have its place, but it is vastly more important to look to the future. The stakes are too just too high.

Looking to the future is what took place at Carlisle. The American way of war is renewing itself. Our most powerful weapon - the competitive analysis of security issues by America’s military - is taking the field. Our enemies ought to beware. And update their wills.

Bottom Line: love letters to Milton Friedman and the armed forces should be confined to personal diaries - they do not substitute for real organizational progress