Last week we asked ourselves “what are the building blocks to competence, courage and character?” I said that I believed self-discipline was absolutely foundational. What else? In my career and personal life, shear hard work has gone hand-in-hand with discipline. I don’t mean mindlessly working almost 24/7 where everything is important and we work ourselves…

This week I attended an award dinner for a well-known former public servant. During his acceptance speech, he said he relied on moral courage and character to persevere during the most challenging periods of his career. That rang true to me! Those who have read Marathon War or scanned my blog posts know I found…

We are leaving Afghanistan quickly, and I predict the Taliban will soon be in control of much of the country, and that a brutal civil war will break out among the Taliban forces, what remains of the Afghan Army, and multiple ethnic or tribal militias. Afghans that assisted American and NATO forces will be in…

It is a done deal. U.S Armed Forces are leaving Afghanistan after twenty years, and NATO is right along with us. American diplomatic and financial support will carry the primary burden of securing our national interests in the country, with over-the-horizon counter terrorism operations a potential option against a resurgent Al Qaida or ISIS. What…