Summer ’24 Reading Lists: 1914 & 1990

The third and final Summer ’24 Reading List includes titles from two subject areas that are very familiar to military historians and International Relations afficionados, of both professional and amateur standing. The first subject is the July Crisis and the leadup to World War I that followed Franz Ferdinand’s untimely demise on 28 July 1914. …

Summer ’24 Reading Lists: Wargaming

Summer ’24 Reading List #2 is centered on wargaming. Just like many readers here, wargaming is a subject near and dear to my heart. It’s been a part of my life stretching all the way back to my pre-teen years. The summer is approaching, multiple conflicts around the world are ongoing, while other flashpoints appear …

Summer ’24 Reading Lists: China/Pacific

We’re approaching mid-May and I’m putting together reading lists for the Summer of ’24. This summer will have three separate, individual lists. Two are for me, and anyone else who’d like to partake. The third reading list, however, is being put together at the request of a cadre of colleagues from the private sector and …

WWIII Book Review: The Next War Part II

Caspar Weinberger was a far-sighted thinker when it came to the future of the US military. The research/writing team for The Next War projected his warnings concerning US defense spending and prioritization. A series of novella-sized narratives, each one centering on a future conflict which highlights the consequences of an underprepared US military. The Next …

Central Front: Forward Air Controllers At War Part II (A)

The sheer intensity of modern war arrived with the force of a bludgeon to allied Forward Air Controllers, whether in the air or on the ground. Soviet battlefield air defenses were the subjects of endless briefings for these men throughout their pre-war time in the service. The ways in which they operated, and the number …

Happy May Day, Comrades and the Month’s Schedule For WWIII 1987

Happy May Day, comrades and oppressed members of the proletariat. As we celebrate this wonderful holiday dedicated to the workers of the world, I thought tonight would be the perfect time to discuss what May will hold in store for World War III 1987. In short, most of May will be dedicated to tying up …

Central Front: Forward Air Controllers At War Part I

In World War III USAF Forward Air Controllers proved to be invaluable assets to US and allied ground forces on the Central Front. Whether in the air or on the ground FACs were responsible for coordinating close air support. There were several instances where the presence of an FAC meant the difference between whether a …

WWIII Book Review: The Next War Part I

The premise of The Next War, as I discussed in the introduction, was to warn that deeper cuts to US defense spending (in 1998 and the years beyond) could have disastrous consequences if the US military was called upon to fight a major war. Given the fact that this book was championed and co-written by …

Back to Back WWIII Book Reviews: Introduction

Following my last blog entry here, I began to toy with the idea of reviewing two WWIII books back-to-back. After considering the issue for a couple of hours I decided against it. With very limited free writing time available lately I felt it more important to get back into World War III 1987 itself and …

WWIII 1987: Update 16 April 2024

Real world events from late last week through the weekend really tossed my posting schedule into chaos. Well, as we say in my Italian American family, ‘What are ya gonna do?’ Not much aside from pick myself up, figure out a new schedule and press forward. So, the entire point of this post is to …