War Talks

Last month, I spoke to the Krulak Center of the United States Marine Corps on the work of the British Army’s Land Warfare Centre. It’s at the link below, give it a lesson and you may even find out all about my ‘Chandler Bing’ job… or not.

‎The #BruteCast on Apple Podcasts ‎Education · 2023

Here is my last published article from 2022, I’ve decided to post it here now because I’m working on another this weekend. I hope you enjoy.

Learning the Wrong Lessons: Biases, the Rejection of History, and Single-Issue Zealotry in Modern Military Thought - Modern War Institute In 1904, war broke out between Tsarist Russia and Imperial Japan; Western nations sent observers to the seat of war to observe the effect of modern technology on the character […]

‪Today, after four years of searching, I believe I have found a subject for a PhD; this quote from 1848, has such resonance that I couldn’t ignore it: ‬

‪‘So large a proportion of the military are conversant chiefly with the Racing Calendar, the Sporting Magazine, Tom Oakleigh’s Shooting Code, and the last novels, that any allusions to tactics or strategy awaken neither curiosity nor interest.’ ‬

‪With a quote that timeless, how can one resist!! ‬

Here is the last of my three favourite articles. Published by the in January 2019, it has brought debate aplenty!

The Hubris of Ozymandias The final article in this three part review of my favourites was published in the Wavell Room in January 2019, while I was still a Fellow at RUSI. I hope you enjoy it as much as I enjoyed writing i…

Today I release an article originally published by in March 2019. It is one of my favourites...

NEOPHILIA, PRESENTISM, AND THEIR DELETERIOUS CONSEQUENCES FOR WESTERN MILITARY STRATEGY Today, I release the second of a three-part post re-publishing some of my favourite articles. This post was originally published by the Modern Warfare Institute at West Point in March 2019 and was …

Conscious that I haven’t published a Blog in a while, I thought I’d republish one of my pieces from my favourite site

Tempus Fugit: Using Time for Cognitive Advantage Conscious that I haven’t published a blog since the start of lockdown, I’m going to republish a couple of articles while I get writing. The first was published by ‘Grounded Curios…

My latest article has been published by the Modern Warfare Institute at West Point, give it a read:

Everything Old is New Again: Flawed Thinking About the Future of War - Modern War Institute We therefore conclude that war does not belong in the realm of arts and sciences; rather it is part of man’s social existence. War is a clash between major interests, which is resolved by bloodshed—that is the only way in which it differs from other conflicts. — Carl von Clausewitz, On War, Bo...

Tonight I gave a lecture to the Yorkshire Officer Training Regiment in Leeds from the comfort of my study in Andover. This current shenanigans is really changing the way we work; I had 110 Officer Cadets in my study tonight, think of that! The subject? Enhancing Adaptability in an Era of Constant Competition.

Please have a read of my latest blog post, it outlines my activities over the last three months, signposts some useful pages and looks a little bit at life after

It’s Life, Jim, but not as we know it. Regular readers of this Blog will know that each Quarter I write a retrospective article covering my activities beyond my work in the Headquarters of the British Army. This blog post, the latest in…

Today my latest article has been published by the leading Australian website Grounded Curiosity. It examines how the perception of time can be manipulated and exploited to give cognitive advantage, a key factor on the contemporary battlefield.

At a time when we are all hunkered down for endless hours, this article examines the tricks the mind plays and how that can be of advantage to us or indeed our opponents. https://lnkd.in/gp7DCvd

Tempus Fugit: Using Time for Cognitive Advantage The mystique surrounding the current buzzwords of information advantage and manoeuvre is unnecessary and counter-productive, it is simply the cognitive degradation of an opponent’s ability to…

Unfortunately, I had to postpone tonight’s War Talk at Prince Consort’s Library, Aldershot. I’ve also had to come up with a plan for the rest of the Season and, indeed, our Eighth Season commencing after Easter.

If you are interested in the Talks, the British Army Military Book of the Year ( ), or how we intend to cope with the pandemic give my latest Blog a read:

Covid-19, #BAMBY20 and the War Talks. Last night I had to take the regrettable decision to postpone our 55th War Talk as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic. Following the change in British government advice, and after a conversation wit…

Today First World War Centenary Battlefield Tours came to a premature close. I’ve been involved with the programme since 2015 as a representative of the Army and as an employee. It has been an immense pleasure to be involved with the almost 60 trips I have accompanied to France and Belgium.

It is perhaps ironic that the Programme ends, as the Great War ended, with a global pandemic. Over six years, the programme has taken 8,500 secondary school students to the battlefields of the Western Front, those students have subsequently spread the word to over 18 million people through the Legacy 110 project.

All good things come to an end. The leader of this programme, Mr Simon Bendry has been utterly selfless and has received no reward. This is a travesty and one I’m determined to try to rectify. Thank you Simon, my friend, my mentor, for the joy this opportunity has brought me, but more importantly, for giving children the knowledge to keep the memory of the Great War generation.