An inability to translate clear signals is perhaps the most interesting lesson I’ve found from an analysis of North Korea’s 1968 capture of the USS Pueblo spy ship. The following paragraph comes from unclassified CIA files: Studies in Intelligence Vol 59, No. 1 (Extracts, March 2015). The ship would gain little insight or warning from … Continue reading USS Pueblo Capture by North Korea: Weak Translation to Blame?
For five years in early American history (1792-1797) a genius published almanacs with copious information about the seasons. Benjamin Banneker, who was self-taught, informed Americans of crucial science of the time to aid in trades including agriculture and fishing: astronomical calculations, cycles of locusts, phases of the moon, tide charts and more. He even submitted … Continue reading The Amazing Almanacs of Benjamin Banneker
An neuroscience article from 2017 in HBR lays out the premise that improving trust has direct and immediate benefits to productivity: Compared with people at low-trust companies, people at high-trust companies report: 74% less stress, 106% more energy at work, 50% higher productivity, 13% fewer sick days, 76% more engagement, 29% more satisfaction with their … Continue reading If Trust is Good for Business, Who Defines Fairness in Vulnerability?
The key takeaway from UK news about their Ranger Regiment design is that they’re claiming a need to move from training/advisory to “expeditionary” roles that go into the field with the forces they’re training. Training, advising and accompanying partner forces dealing with extremist organizations and hostile state threats… creation of land regional hubs in Oman, … Continue reading New UK “Ranger Regiment” to “match brainpower with firepower”