I've been the owner of The Havok Journal for more than ten years. And for most of that time it has been a true pleasure. But there is a reason why, Continue Reading
The Day You Stop Learning is the Day You Stop Leading
There is a dangerous point in the career of every successful leader when experience begins to masquerade as expertise. You have been doing the job for Continue Reading
The Army Has a Memory Problem
Every few years, the Army discovers something it used to know. Trenches matter again. Camouflage matters again. Headquarters must move. Radios can be Continue Reading
We Are Not All in the Same Boat. We Are Just in the Same Storm.
There is an appealing simplicity to the phrase “we are all in the same boat.” It suggests shared danger, shared sacrifice, and shared responsibility. Continue Reading
A Million Zeroes Still Don’t Add Up to One
Swiss psychiatrist Carl Jung once wrote something that should probably be posted in every headquarters, corporate boardroom, and executive office in Continue Reading
Look Back, But Don’t Stare
“Look back, but don’t stare.” Those words come from a Facebook post made by a friend of mine, U.S. Army Ranger Jon Jackson, and there is a lot of Continue Reading
You Think You Want a Non-Interventionist U.S., Until You Get a Non-Interventionist U.S.
For most of my adult life, the United States has been at war somewhere. I spent a good portion of my own military career in those wars, particularly Continue Reading
The 160th SOAR, and Me: “Not That Long Ago” …But It Was
It was Branch Week at West Point, the time of year when the Army's basic branches send representatives--and representative military hardware--to the Continue Reading
Most of Canada’s Military Is Overweight or Obese. That’s a Problem.
Militaries have always reflected the societies from which they recruit. When a population becomes less physically active, more dependent on processed Continue Reading
The Soul of a Man Does Violence to Itself
“The soul of a man does violence to itself.” — Marcus Aurelius, Meditations, II.16 There are plenty of ways to get hurt in the Army. Some of them Continue Reading
Nothing Good Has Ever Changed the World
"Nothing good has ever changed the world." At first glance, the statement sounds absurd. Humanity's greatest achievements—democracy, antibiotics, Continue Reading
You Know, You Have the Power to Hold No Opinion On Some Things
There is a peculiar pressure in modern society to have an opinion about everything. Every political controversy. Every military operation. Every Continue Reading