The Price of Interception Modern warfare has developed a strange economic imbalance. A missile interceptor costing several million dollars may be launched to destroy a drone assembled from a few hundred dollars’ worth of electronics. The exchange is tactically successful yet economically unsettling, revealing how the structure of war may be changing. In some recent … Continue reading The Economics of Modern War: Factories, Drones, and the Fragile Ecology of Trust
Category: Military & Civic History
Essays examining the relationship between military institutions, civic duty, and the defense of societies. These posts explore the historical roles of standing armies, citizen militias, and martial traditions in shaping political authority, civic responsibility, and the development of nations.
The Penultimate General of Alabama’s Forgotten Militia
While updating my earlier posts on Honorary Colonelcy in Alabama and on the slow atrophy of the Alabama State Defense Force, I kept circling the same name: MG (AL, Ret.) Ronald G. Noland. At first he appeared only in obituaries and faculty listings. Then an archived copy of the ASDF’s own website from June 19, … Continue reading The Penultimate General of Alabama’s Forgotten Militia
Brother Jonathan And Uncle Sam: Two Faces Of American Identity
Uncle Sam is not your neighbor. He never was. He points, he commands, he recruits. He appears when taxes are due, when wars begin, when authority needs a face. For more than a century, Americans have treated this as natural — as if the republic itself could only be imagined as a stern, aging uncle … Continue reading Brother Jonathan And Uncle Sam: Two Faces Of American Identity
The State of the Alabama State Defense Force
Back in December, I stumbled across an article online that the Alabama State Defense Force had been stood down. Having once been an officer in the ASDF, I was a bit disappointed to hear that. Being a bit of a militia advocate, I've commented on "militias" at various points on this site, and I used to maintain, as "signal … Continue reading The State of the Alabama State Defense Force
Honor amongst adversaries
This is a great story of honor amongst adversaries: Why A German Pilot Escorted An American Bomber To Safety During World War II: I learned of the following article through a link posted on the Western PA Dieselpunks Facebook page. It’s an article posted at the web site Jalopnik.com titled, “Why A German Pilot Escorted … Continue reading Honor amongst adversaries
Remembering 9/11
Every generation has moments seared into their memories. For me, there are three: the Challenger explosion, the fall of the Berlin wall, and 11 September, 2001. The first two are just fuzzy recollections, but I still remember 9/11 well.On 11 September 2001, I was working for a company that rented trade show exhibit equipment, and … Continue reading Remembering 9/11
Were the Hessians mercenaries?
I didn't gain a real appreciation of the dynamics of the American Revolution until many years after my compulsory service in the American variant of the Prussian Education System. I've had a few epiphanies in my quest for independent thought over the years that might deviate from traditional, conservative American views.One is an appreciation for … Continue reading Were the Hessians mercenaries?
