James Blake’s Post

What is the difference between thinking tactically and thinking strategically? Everett Dolman defines thinking tactically as seeking culmination while thinking strategically seeks continuation. Thinking tactically seeks a conclusion and forces an adversary into limited options. It could also be organizing your group's means only towards a given "end." Thinking strategically seeks continuation. It seeks a position that provides a continuing advantage and keeping multiple options available. For me, the visualization of a tournament bracket to demonstrate tactical thinking and its reversal to understand strategic thinking was helpful. Business Strategy

We understand what it means to be a military student. Kelvin, a US Navy veteran, chose Purdue Global because he appreciated an online school that has a faculty who knows what military students are dealing with. Like Kelvin, you have demands, duties and responsibilities, and #PurdueGlobal is here to support you through it all. Watch his story now, and start your comeback today at purdueglobal.edu.

As a premier military academic institution in the United States, the University of North Georgia, with its five campuses, produces highly qualified U.S. Army cadets ready to defend and lead the nation. Learn more about the University of Georgia and its opportunities on the latest episode of #MilitaryMakeoverOperationCareer.

🔔 Ring in the New Year with our live leadership series: ⭐️ Lessons Learned from a Maverick Navy Captain EVERYONE is invited to join the live chat! Salesforce | Trailhead | Trailhead by Salesforce | #Leadership

"Resilient" is probably the most accurate word to describe this bunch of teens. Military kids don't choose their lifestyle, but they can make the active choice to get involved with their communities and make a difference. They're team captains, volunteers, club founders, and world travelers. Meet the winners in the link below and learn more about our Military Child of the Year Awards!

West Point Military Academy announces dropping "Duty, Honor, Country," from mission statement: The phrase "duty, honor, country" is out -- exchanged for the more amorphous "Army values." The United States Military Academy's previous mission statement was: "To educate, train and inspire the Corps of Cadets so that each graduate is a commissioned leader of character committed to the values of Duty, Honor, Country and prepared for a career of professional excellence and service to the nation as an officer in the United States Army." The new mission statement, according to a news release from the academy, is: "To build, educate, train, and inspire the Corps of Cadets to be commissioned leaders of character committed to the Army Values and ready for a lifetime of professional excellence and service to the Army and Nation." Question: Why? To what purpose does the exchange to "Army Values" achieve? This appears to be a directive ordered from above. Why would any Superintendent of their own volition dream up the notion to change the clear military and patriotic tradition this institution is built upon to a generic phrase like "Army values." If duty, honor, country are no longer descriptive of the Academy's mission statement instilling this as American Army values, then what are the new Army values? Anyone else find this suspect?

#BlackHistoryMonth: African Americans have served in the United States military since the nation’s founding. More than 5,000 Black Americans fought in the Revolutionary War, including the victory at Yorktown. After the Revolution, Black Americans were for the most part excluded from military service until they volunteered to serve during the War of 1812. After this war, they were again barred from service. Then, during the Civil War, the Emancipation Proclamation declared that they could join the United States armed forces. Over 186,000 Black Soldiers, including 94,000 former slaves from Southern states, served in the Union Army. After the Civil War, African Americans were allowed to remain in the armed forces, and gradually their opportunities expanded. For example, in 1884, African American William Hallett Greene became the first Black man to enlist in the Signal Corps, which was uncommon because before this Congress restricted Black Soldiers to infantry and cavalry regiments. Over 360,000 African Americans served in the military during World War I, more than 1.3 million served during World II, about 600,000 during the Korean War, about 300,000 during the Vietnam War, and over 100,000 during Operation Desert Shield-Desert Storm. One of the Army’s sources of strength is its ability to bring together people of different races and cultures who share common values like loyalty, duty, and self-sacrifice. Learn more about African Americans serving in the U.S. Army and the Signal Corps: https://lnkd.in/eb4dbxzn https://lnkd.in/eWMTj5ag #USArmySignalCorps #Signalcorps #USARMY @US_CYBERCOM @ARCYBER @armyfutures @Signal_School @US_CYBERCOM @USArmyNETCOM

Once known as the "Citation Star," the Silver Star Medal recognizes U.S. Military men and women who showcase distinguished valor in combat. Today, on National Silver Star Banner Day, we honor the sacrifices made by our military and those on the Silver Star Banner. 💪🏼 #Aerospace #Aerospaceindustry #AerospaceDefense #Governmentprocurement #Procurement #Governmentcontracting #Militarycontracting #Greenwoodgroup #Greenwoodaerospace

US Army Lessons Learned (or not) during the Spanish/American War Artillery performed poorly during the war. The army possessed few modern artillery pieces for training purposes. Therefore, most artillery crews had no experience firing the M1885 3.2-inch field guns they used in battle. Bombardments were consistently inaccurate. Furthermore, maneuverability issues prevented artillery crews from getting to where they were most needed to support the infantry on the battlefield. The army used telephones to connect artillery crews with observation balloon spotters during the war. With the exception of its brief infantry support role during the Battle of San Juan Hill, the army only used the Gatling gun in a defensive capacity. Soldiers employed irregular formations, fire-and-maneuver, and flank attacks during the Cuban and Puerto Rican campaigns. This did not, however, represent service-wide exposure to the new tactics. The war was short, and only about fifty-two thousand troops actually experienced combat. Most commanders believed that allowing soldiers to fire freely would lead to massive wastages of ammunition. Troops still fired in volleys during the war. Soldiers received less than two months of stateside instruction before being sent off to fight. The army sent undertrained regulars and inexperienced volunteers into combat with disastrous results. Troops suffered unnecessary losses launching frontal assaults against fortified positions and Spanish Maxim machine guns. The US owed its victory more to a twelve-to-one numerical advantage than tactical prowess and might not have emerged as a global power had its adversary been a nation other than Spain. Nevertheless, the war is a fascinating episode in US military history and hugely significant in the nation's emergence as a global power. I always make it a point to cover this in my courses. #militaryhistory

The responsibility and honor of these individuals is without comparison.