The Bazaar of War

Pulsing From the Depths: The Problem of the Rear Area in Offensive Operations

It is a basic principle of combined arms that, by concentrating a variety of different fires, one can simultaneously increase the odds of success while…

Aug 28

32

3

A Military-Industrial Complex With a State: Sweden in the 17th Century

Mirabeau’s witticism about Prussia being an army with a state could have just as easily been said of Sweden in the 17th century, which transformed…

Aug 23

40

Book Discussion on The Gunpowder Age: China, Military Innovation, and the Rise of the West in World History

A synopsis and discussion of The Gunpowder Age: China, Military Innovation, and the Rise of the West in World History by Tonio Andrade.

Aug 10

45

5

July 2025

Naval Warfare is Positional: The Influence of Land on Sea

Operations on land usually determine the objectives of a naval campaign, but the reverse is also true: the ability to project power at sea is determined…

Jul 20

60

4

Lines and Reserves, Part 3: Linear Tactics

This is the third of a multi-part series.

Jul 9

25

4

Successors to the Western Front, Pt. 2: The Second Zhili-Fengtian War

The period from 1920 to 1928 was the height of the Warlord Era, in which China was wracked by civil conflicts between rival military factions.

Jul 4

17

June 2025

Organizing for Victory: Force Structure in Modern Warfare

Russia invaded Ukraine with Combined Arms Armies, but soon found itself fighting brigade-sized battles. During Ukraine’s offensive the following year…

Jun 8

44

Decision at Sea: The Difficulty of Turning Fleet Actions into Strategic Victory

It is no surprise, given the time and expense of outfitting a fleet, that large-scale battles are far rarer at sea than on land.

Jun 1

56

3

May 2025

Successors to the Western Front, Pt. 1: Operational Maneuver in the Greco-Turkish War

The 1918 armistices were just as much the beginning of a new round of conflict as the end of the last: over the following decade, several wars erupted…

May 20

25

Book Discussion on Chokepoints: American Power in the Age of Economic Warfare

Below are my notes on Chokepoints: American Power in the Age of Economic Warfare by Edward Fishman, who served in the Departments of State, Treasury…

May 3

27

1

April 2025

Relitigating the Past: Using Historical Case Studies to Understand the Future

Historical case studies are tremendously useful for understanding the principles of war, from the tactical to the grand strategic. But they are less…

Apr 18

29

6

Red Sea Pirates! Commerce Raiding During the Crusades

Since attention is back on Houthi attacks on shipping through the Bab al-Mendeb, I thought that it would be worth looking at an earlier episode of…

Apr 13

15