Skelton on Asymmetric Warfare
An older (2001) PDF on the lessons of history for American leaders facing asymmetric threats by Representative Ike Skelton (D-Missouri). Skelton is currently the Chairman of the powerful House Armed Services Committee.
America’s Frontier Wars: Lessons for Asymmetric Conflicts
Very nice to see a member of Congress who thought well ahead of the curve, demonstrating real expertise on an important national security matter over which he has jurisdiction and considerable influence for shaping policy long-term decisions. If every member of Congress emulated Skelton, their approval rating would be a good deal higher.
Hat tip to Charlie of Abu Muqawama
May 24th, 2008 at 1:10 am
Very good to hear. There are a few wise voices in government.
May 24th, 2008 at 3:04 pm
I used to run with one of Ike’s nephews back in the day. Skelton has brought a lot of military pork to my home state, but he has always shown an eye for stuff that really matters and will bring good long-term value to the military. Although his nephew was a bit of a roust-a-bout, he was also fairly intellectual, something he told me that he shared with his uncle.
People don’t think of Missouri as a military state, like say, North Carolina or Texas, but if you meet someone in the Army, there’s a fairly good chance that they’ve been to Fort Lost-in-the-Woods. Plus, the B-2 is based at Whiteman (which was quite a coup for an old Minuteman base).
May 24th, 2008 at 4:20 pm
Hey guys,
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Thanks for the backgrounder E.! Interesting to hear these off-0radar anecdotes about political figures.