Scantlings

If you can't brag about your kid to your friends, who can you do it with??

(I refuse to accept the "no bragging rule".)

My son John Vrolyk, just wrote a piece for War on The Rocks which is their lead piece today. He's a little gobsmacked, as a few weeks ago that slot was filled with a piece from the Commandant of the Marine Corp.

You can read John's article HERE.

Pretty sophisticated article. The boy's a thinker and a communicator! I share the concern about not preparing for those 'low intensity' affairs but am not as optimistic that they can be won easily or at all--even with appropriate preparation. Fortunately, it's not a problem I have to solve. But I would be every bit as proud of him as you are Beau!

Excellent article by your son Beau.

That has always been the Australian strategy since Korea, we have been sending autonomous teams to small conflicts all over Asia and the Pacific.

China has and is slowly infiltrating our country through investment and immigration, as well as through Micronesia and the near pacific.

I am surprised this is not obvious.....

Enjoyed the article Beau, IIRC your son spent some time in our top end, is that correct?

Olaf Hart wrote:That has always been the Australian strategy since Korea, we have been sending autonomous teams to small conflicts all over Asia and the Pacific.

China has and is slowly infiltrating our country through investment and immigration, as well as through Micronesia and the near pacific.

I am surprised this is not obvious.....

Enjoyed the article Beau, IIRC your son spent some time in our top end, is that correct?

OH,

You recall correctly. He was deployed to Darwin to go on joint maneuvers with your Australian Marines. I think there were some other Asian military involved also. He still talks about the Saltwater Crocks, at first I thought he was talking about shoes. Then he sent pictures!

This is a great article. I wish I wrote that well.

My one comment would be that the idea proposed is essentially the Cold War replayed; maybe rhyming, but not repeating. This requires proportionality, restraint, and rationality on both sides.

I think this last part is missing with the Chinese. It’s hard to be proportionate when you’ve set up the strategic problems as historical wrongs, when policy is racially driven, and the populace hyper-nationalistic. Of course, they will deploy all of the other tools like those mentioned in the article.

The country that China reminds me most of is pre-war Germany. It wasn’t rational for Germany to take on all of Europe and the US and Russia. Neither was it rational for the US southern states to take on the North, but they did.

Interesting point, I’ll ask John. He is here tonight.

One can't be all or nothing in the Grand Scheme. An enemy will seek out your greatest weakness.