Photo credit: U.S. Army (link) The views expressed are those of the author and do not reflect the official policies or positions of the US Army, the Department of Defense, or the US Government.
In accordance with DIV PAM 600-2
When I originally joined the Army, wearing facepaint was just a normal part of going to the field. We'd 'camo-up' right before an airborne operation, applying our 'light green and loam' face paint in the barracks bathroom in the moments before initial manifest. There was only one way to apply this facepaint - in accordance with Division Pamphlet (DIV PAM) 600-2.
We all looked exactly the same.
Then the wars started, and we were issued Desert Camouflage Uniforms (DCUs) with tan boots. No need for face camouflage. Or shiny black boots for that matter. We were at war!
Then we moved to the Army Combat Uniform (ACU) - that weird digital bluish-gray 'concrete' pattern that didn't quite blend in with anything. There was even a moment in time I remember seeing a camo-stick that matched the pattern, but I forgot the name of it.
Time went on, the wars continued, and face camouflage kind of went out of style.
Well times are changing again. And over the past month, I found myself in a position where I was wearing face camouflage (light green and loam) just about every day for three weeks.
And it felt good.
As much as we talk about future war and all of the gizmos and gadgets that come with it, my sense is that the basics still matter. In fact, I think they are more important today than they were before, precisely because technology between great powers will cancel each other out - the side that can do the hard stuff best will win.
And this is where we find the rub. We're serving at a time where connectivity is expected, dominance is assured, and extended field training is a relic of the past.
But to prepare ourselves to win, we have to be willing to do the opposite. To be prepared to deploy and fight in a zero-connectivity environment. To struggle without the overwhelming support we are accustomed to.
And we have to be willing to go out to the field for extended periods of time - beyond the 3 or 4 nights - max - that you see in a lot of contemporary field training.
This includes over weekends.
This is hard. In order to actually prepare for the next war, we have to strip away the comforts and the tech that we fought so hard for over the past twenty years. We need to be designing and executing 8, 10, 12,14-day field problems AT HOME STATION, and do it regularly.
On top of that, we have to close the comms windows, both operationally and for personal use (cell phones for an hour every few days) to prepare ourselves for what we'll actually face.
Look, I don't want to do it either. This sounds miserable.
But if you're reading the tea leaves, and you actually want to win this thing, this is what it takes.
This is what you have to do.
Carrying the Gun
A quiet month for the blog, but with a few important posts.
Ten Years of Carrying the Gun - The blog is officially ten years old. A roundup of the past year with highlights, lessons learned, and what I've really enjoyed about getting back to writing.
Warfare of the Mind - Do you actually know what unconventional warfare is? Are you confusing it with asymmetric warfare? Or hybrid warfare? You're not alone. Go listen to the Indigenous Approach podcasts deep-dive on resistance operations and unconventional warfare.
Air Force IO / Army PSYOP, working together - I co-wrote an article with an Air Force IO officer on the importance of cross-training with our joint partners. There are many reasons, but my favorite is the access and insights you get from exposure to different service cultures. This is also the first piece I've had published at the Modern War Institute.
Smith-Mundt as Counter-Political Warfare - Smith-Mundt, kind of like unconventional warfare, is something people *think* they have a grasp of but when they actually dig into it, it turns out the thing is a little different than they were led to believe.
You only have time for one, maybe two hobbies
And sometimes you have time for none.
The past month was super-busy (work-wise) for me, and I haven't really dug into anything new of substance.
Summer is in full swing but will end sooner than we know. By the time I send the next newsletter, it'll be over (for me, at least) and I'll be well into the daily grind.
The grind includes built-in time for hobbies. More to follow.
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