Category Archives: Warfighting

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Standing at the Edge of Chaos and Logic

A Guide to the Running Estimate

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As military professionals at the tactical level of war, we often find ourselves standing at the sharp edge between chaos and logic. The only thing keeping us from falling into disorder is our ability to understand our chaotic environment, if only for a short while. Running estimates are a big part of how we make sense of our bewlidering surroundings. They distill information into a meaningful logic that allows us to act. 

Photo by Spc. Jordan Arnold U.S. Army Aviation Center of Excellence
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Ambulance Exchange Point (AXP) Ops in LSCO

Keys to Success at the CTCs and in Combat

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Ambulance Exchange Points (AXPs) are quintessential to the successful, expeditious evacuation of casualties from Point of Injury (POI) throughout the continuum of care during Large Scale Combat Operations (LSCO) and Multi-Domain Operations (MDO). With our near-peer/peer competitors possessing anti-air assets, air medical evacuation (MEDEVAC) may not always be available to the maneuver unit, especially between the Forward Line of Troops (FLOT) to the nearest Role of Care. Commanders must understand how to best utilize their ambulance squads, how to move AXPs throughout operations, and what tactical considerations to take when selecting AXP.

U.S. Soldiers assigned to the 2nd Armored Brigade Combat Team and 3rd Combat Aviation Brigade, both 3rd Infantry Division, participate in medical evacuation training near Ziemsko, Poland, June 6, 2020. Exercise Allied Spirit, a DEFENDER-Europe 20 linked exercise, originally scheduled for May, takes place at Drawsko Pomorskie Training Area, Poland, June 15-19, 2020.
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PS Magazine Roll-up

April 2022

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Alpha Company, 2nd Battalion, 116th Cavalry Regiment, conducts table six tank crew qualification Feb. 4, 2019, Orchard Combat Training Center. The Idaho Army National Guard Soldiers are preparation for the 116th Cavalry Brigade Combat Team’s upcoming rotation at the National Training Center, Fort Irwin, Calif.
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On Technology, Military History and the “Actualities of War”

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War, by its very nature, pits one society’s – one culture’s – mechanical machinery against another in a contest of wills. In 2022, we are told that this is happening at an ever-accelerating pace with the coming of the Fourth Industrial Revolution. For warfare, this age has brought about the harnessing of cutting-edge technology for the purpose of making war; most prevalent today are the utilization of drones and other unmanned systems, with more innovation on the horizon.

Soldiers don the Integrated Visual Augmentation System (IVAS) technology while mounted in a Stryker in Joint Base Lewis-McCord, WA. (Photo Credit: Courtney Bacon)
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Near-Peer Employment of Snipers

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On February 24, 2022, Vladimir Putin authorized a “special military operation.” It initiated combat operations with Russia beginning coordinated strikes on Ukrainian cities. Throughout the history of military operations, it’s rare that a commanding general becomes a casualty of war. But, on March 2, 2022, Maj. Gen. Andrei Sukhovetsky was the first high-ranking leader to be killed in action during the Russo-Ukraine conflict. A sniper delivered the fatal shot from 1.5 kilometers (.9 mile), as Ukraine forces were repelling a Russian attack. 

A Ukrainian sniper has killed one of the top generals of Russia (representative image). Photograph:( Reuters )