Category Archives: Military History

White Paper: Legal Questions & Second-Order Effects of the U.S. Military Operation in Venezuela

Posted on January 3, 2026 by nathanalbright

January 3, 2026 edition This white paper analyzes the legal underpinnings and emerging second-order regional and global consequences resulting from the reported U.S. military action in Venezuela—specifically the capture of President Nicolás Maduro and assertions by Donald Trump that the … Continue reading →

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The Multiplication of Enemies: A White Paper on the Failures of German Diplomacy Leading to Defeat in World War I

Posted on December 26, 2025 by nathanalbright

Executive Summary This white paper argues that Germany’s defeat in World War I was not primarily the result of military incompetence, but rather the consequence of systemic diplomatic failure. German leadership repeatedly transformed limited strategic problems into existential conflicts by … Continue reading →

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White Paper: Governance Capabilities of the STC and Prospects for Diplomatic Recognition

Posted on December 20, 2025 by nathanalbright

1. Introduction Since 2017, the Southern Transitional Council (STC) has evolved from a protest movement channeling southern grievances into a de facto governing authority across much of southern Yemen, especially Aden and surrounding governorates. In December 2025 it moved rapidly … Continue reading →

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White Paper: Samuel Ryan Curtis as a Political and Military General in the American Civil War

Posted on December 18, 2025 by nathanalbright

Executive Summary Samuel Ryan Curtis (1805–1866) was one of the most unusual Union generals of the Civil War: an engineer, a West Point graduate, a three-term Congressman, a military administrator, and the victor of the strategically important Battle of Pea … Continue reading →

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Arms Diversity vs. Strategic Concentration: A Comparative White Paper on Multi-Arm Militaries and Single-Approach Forces from Antiquity to the Present

Posted on December 17, 2025 by nathanalbright

Executive Summary Throughout military history, polities have faced a recurring strategic choice: whether to invest in multiple complementary military arms (infantry, cavalry, naval forces, artillery, air power, cyber, space, etc.) or to maximize a dominant approach optimized for a specific … Continue reading →

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White paper: How Czech Beads and Belgian Rifles Reached Chadron, Nebraska—and from there the Plains tribes—in the 19th century

Posted on December 16, 2025 by nathanalbright

Executive summary In the 19th century, “trade goods” moved on a long, predictable conveyor belt: European manufacture → Atlantic shipping to U.S. ports → U.S. wholesale hubs → interior transport by river/road/rail → frontier posts and agency towns → Indigenous … Continue reading →

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White Paper: When Command Philosophy Fails at Scale: A Comparative Typology of Command Failure in High-Stakes Military Leadership

Posted on December 14, 2025 by nathanalbright

Executive Summary This white paper develops a comparative typology of command failure, using Robert E. Lee’s vague order-giving as a central case study and placing it alongside analogous failures in commanders such as Napoleon (1812), McClellan, Rommel, MacArthur, and others. … Continue reading →

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Command Ambiguity and Operational Friction: The Negative Effects of Robert E. Lee’s Vague Orders on the Army of Northern Virginia

Posted on December 13, 2025 by nathanalbright

Executive Summary This white paper examines the operational consequences of General Robert E. Lee’s habitual use of vague, discretionary orders within the Army of Northern Virginia (ANV), particularly during the middle and late phases of the American Civil War. While … Continue reading →

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A Typology of Great Generals: A White Paper for Strategic Studied and Leadership Analysis

Posted on December 12, 2025 by nathanalbright

Executive Summary Military history reveals that “great generals” do not constitute a monolithic archetype. Their excellence emerges from distinct, interlocking domains: grand strategy, operational art, battlefield tactics, logistics, diplomacy, intelligence, innovation, and organizational leadership. Some commanders excelled primarily in one … Continue reading →

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Recommendations For A Warts And All Reading of Thai History

Posted on December 11, 2025 by nathanalbright

An honest “warts and all” reading list on Thai history has to do two things at once: give you a reliable chronological framework, and poke holes in the comforting myths of “harmonious kings, grateful peasants, and benign coups.” Below is … Continue reading →

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