Lectures of Opportunity: Shock, Awe, Porcupine Defense, and a Brains Based Approach to Strategic Thinking

Since the end of WW II, the U.S. has lost the wars it started and failed in using military force in lesser situations when it intervened for wrong or flawed reasons. After seventeen years of conflict, Afghanistan is no closer to resolution than before the intervention.  Further, the U.S. so far has not been able to counter Russian "active measures," or deal with Chinese encroachment into international waters.

As bad, the U.S. has no real cyber strategy. The recently retired Pacific Fleet commander argued that there is no Pacific strategy and students may well ask why the U.S. DoD does not have a clear policy or strategy for "cover and deception" to deal with the many sub-conflict challenges it faces. 

Meanwhile, assuming Congress passes a defense appropriation bill, the $700 plus FY budget is not nearly enough to correct the shortfalls that have accumulated due to the BCA and seventeen years of combat operations.

This lecture, through a brains based approach to strategic thinking, will help to provide some of the answers and solutions to deal with these challenges, threats and uncertainties of the second decade of the 21st century.