I genuinely don't see what a single MEU can accomplish. Of the odd 2500 (I don't get why it says 5000?), maybe a 1000 top are part of the BLT. At best, they could cross Hormuz, land on Kharg and get pummeled there. So gotta see if other ground combat command get moved to CENTCOM.
A sad side effect is that students graduating during the current AI craze may be considered "slop graduates" in the future and their diplomas seen as worthless. For many, it's about getting a job and cheating AIs will be yet another negative effect on the already strained entry-level job market.
Infantry company-level command over days/weeks on the frontline, with an emphasis on rotations, ISR, attrition, logistics and minor engagements. Too frequently, we only wargame "the big push", but not everything before/after. Those ops have proven especially difficult in Ukraine, so worth playing.
What I'm most interested in is 1) their ability to recognise vehicles with layers of camouflage/add-on cage armour, 2) their ability to find/create gaps in said armour and exploit them and 3) their actual pK.
That's where I'm uncertain that the data even exists to properly train the AI.
For Switzerland, it's due to land scarcity. We have 80% of the pop living on 20% of the territory, the rest being mountains, NIMBY municipalities, natural parks, or inaccessible by Swiss standards.
"Creative engineering" becomes the only solution basically, despite the cost of such projects.
The fact is that Switzerland didn't join WWII due to intl obligation (Paris 1815, Versailles 1920), and due to the major risk to its population and survival in 1940-45. It upheld armed neutrality instead.
I don't see how you equate non-participation with being devoid of morality. There's a stretch.
Operation Tannenbaum was the planned invasion of Switzerland in 1940, only def suspended after D-Day. It relied on attacks NE and SW into the central plateau.
Some friends wargamed it, and they found that the plateau wasn't really defendable. High attrition on the Germans was the best outcome.
Map of Switzerland with a big SW-NE band of flat land, named the central plateau, with its NE entrance giving into German territory.
80% of the pop lives on the central plateau (2), with little natural barriers capable of stopping the Wehrmacht.
The National Redoubt plan relied on progressively ceding pop centres while retreating to the mountains. It aimed for deterrence but was deeply flawed politically.
Thx for engaging!
Swiss neutrality can be criticised on many accounts, but this is a bizarre argument. What was Switzerland supposed to do in WWII? Embrace a suicide pact by joining the allies for the sake of diplomatic signalling?
Even in 1944/45, it'd still mean cities razed and territory occupied.
I'm always amused when we Swiss get shocked and offended because the World grants us our wish and leaves us alone.
Debates over neutrality promise to be interesting in the coming months.
Switzerland has a conscript army with 140k personnel, organised in 1 armoured division, 4 territorial divisions, and support.
Singapore also has a conscript army with a war time strength of 6 combined arms divisions.
Both are decently equipped, although there are always gaps.
Hey!
I read your RST article yesterday, and I really liked the scalable framework you laid down it.
How has it been received by other scholars of tactics? Do you have other authors supporting or pushing back against that?
And do you intend to expand on that?
@bafriedman.bsky.social
People crave living in countries with the same state capacity as a 30k municipality and social welfare reminiscent of late 90s Bulgaria, apparently.
Those statements really undermine the whole defence ramp-up that is needed, so it's quite infuriating to see Rutte repeating the same line.
Opposing defence and social cohesion works only if one thinks Wars are won by vehicles and weapons, and not the squishy feely humans manufacturing and using them.
Special mention goes to Mark Rutte, who is on a Crusade to negatively polarise every single leftist voter towards defence
Swiss-germans eat pasta bolognese with apple sauce, so I'm half surprised you convinced one of us :')
Built-in path dependency keeps woke contingency out
Oh well, the RAND stamp got me
Things went very wrong when India struck Pakistan's Nur Khan air base the other day. Whether wittingly or not, Indian forces threatened Pakistani nuclear command and control and damaged a facility there that now may be leaking radioactivity. Hard to exggerate just how dangerous the situation had become prior to US-brokered ceasefire
Saw this on the other app. Don't know how credible the original source is, but accidentally targeting NC2 would definitely be the type of stuff getting people nervous.
Continued Chinese recruitment of government employees. This may be an attempt to exploit the low-morale and uncertainty brought by personnel cuts.
The pattern is still the same: offer job position, which are actually linked to Chinese intel services.
28/
Following the mass firing of federal employees, China is trying to recruit spies among them. This has been a concern raised early in Trump's move to cut working positions within his administration, and it has now materialised.
Recruitment is done via fake job positions.
27/
Following a WH visit by Loomer (far-right conspiracy theorist), the NSA chief has been fired, as well as several members of NATSEC adviser's team.
This fuels concerns over the politicisation of US intelligence for allies, and raises questions about intel collaboration (even in FVYE).
26/
2025 ATA brought significant policy changes:
1) Primacy of domestic threats (cartel)
2) Absence of climate change
3) Downplaying of Russia as a threat
Language related to Russia provides legitimacy to actions the Kremlin is conducting against Western countries.
25/
Signal-gate. The Yemen group chat turned out to only be one of 20 groups, covering national security issues related to the War in Ukraine, negotiations with Russia, China and relations with the EU.
24/
Signal-gate. Some members of Waltz's team used Gmail to communicate between themselves. While Signal uses encryption, Gmail doesn't and is extremely easy to crack for competent foreign intel services.
This deepens doubts about the US ability to maintain proper operational security.
23/
Signal-gate. Some of the leaked content may have compromised an Israeli human source in Yemen.
This may complicate intel-sharing from allies, worried about how the US will handle sensitive information, especially considering the dismissive responses following the incident.
22/
Signal-gate. Following declaration from DNI, SECDEF and hand-waving from Trump, the full conversation has been published by the journalist.
Content includes targets, pattern-of-life surveillance, strike packages and timing, and contemptuous comments towards EU allies.
21/
Signal-gate. SECDEF, DNI, VP and NATSEC adviser all used Signal to coordinate strikes on the Houthis, accidentally adding a journalist to the chat.
DNI and SECDEF denied that any classified info was shared on the group chat.
This raises question about data security and cyber risks.
20/
Europe's dependence on US IMINT and the Ukraine intel suspension have accelerated programs to build a European satellite network.
In the future, this may lead to reduced need to collaborate with the US, although the considered timeline is counted in years.
19/
Trump's suspension of intel to Ukraine also affected US-provided weapon systems dependent on data-sharing. This has raised concerns among Europeans and Canadians over the procurement of US equipment.
This intel spillover into defence procurement highlights how those fields are connected.
18/