Don't Drink the Kool-Aid

Some years back, in 2008, I was working on a project with some other retired flag officers when I was told to stop drinking the Kool-Aid. We were working on a very high level concept of operations for the military and I had been arguing to give deterrence a prominent place in the document. The defense department was totally absorbed with the ongoing wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, and I had asserted that we should acknowledge the need to deter China's expansionist ambitions in the western Pacific and consider the possibility of a resurgent Russia.

My colleagues were not impressed by my effort to broaden our focus and I was told to quit drinking the Kool-Aid. That is why I chose "Don't Drink The Kool-Aid" as the title for this blog. I won't ask you to drink my Kool-Aid, but I do hope you will think some about the issues I address and share your ideas. I will do my best to back up my comments with relevant facts, but this is a blog and my prejudices, born of my experiences, will find their way into my posts. I think my Kool-Aid is pretty good, but there are plenty of other brands.