President Obama has selected one of my West Point classmates, Warren “Pete” Miller, Jr. to fill two posts that oversee two aspects of nuclear energy—the supply of the energy and the storing of its waste. Miller was nominated to be Assistant...
Something as simple as clean water is easily be taken for granted here in the US. In Iraq, however, purified drinking water is a luxury not everyone enjoys. Earlier this month, US and Iraqi troops arrived in a very poor village. Then they went door...
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton pushed back against the US Commander in Afghanistan—the guy on the ground. The Obama administration apparently didn’t appreciate his blunt warning that the battle against insurgents in Afghanistan would likely be...
If there is one truly ineffective (read corrupt and out of control) agency in Afghanistan it is the local police forces. Yet the leaders of some of the police forces in the most dangerous areas of the country say they oppose the surge of US forces...
I hope most of you caught Chris Wallace’s interview with ACORN CEO, Bertha Lewis, and Congressman Daryl Issa. Talk about double-talk and subject-avoidance! It was abundantly clear that in response to Wallace’s questions Ms. Lewis either had no...
I spent this afternoon on the State Capital’s steps attending the 11th annual Michigan Remembers Run. We gathered to remember the Prisoners of War (POWs) and Missing in Action (MIAs) who went to war from Michigan but never came back. Most of...
President Obama recently presented the Medal of Honor to Army Sergeant First Class Jared Monti for valorous conduct above the call of duty. It was a posthumous award. Monti is the sixth recipient of the medal since 9-11 and the second to receive it...
I don’t have any details, but I just heard that a lesbian soldier has sought refuge in Canada claiming that she was threatened by her fellow troops because of her sexual orientation. This is weird. While I don’t doubt that there are some...
One of the aspects of our nation’s military budget is the needed purchase of worn and missing military equipment. Acquisition is inextricably intertwined with military capability. In the ongoing debate about acquisition processes and of the proper...
I’m sorry that I’ve been AWOL from the blog for a while. My West Point Class is celebrating our 45th reunion at the Point. I’ve been busy having fun with some old friends, some of whom have gotten old. For our 40th reunion we...