Like War, the weaponization of social media, P.W. Singer and Emerson T. Brooking

Finished LikeWar about about a month ago. Articulates some of what I've found so upsetting over the past 4 years or so.

On the inside fold: "Two defense experts explore the collision of war, politics, and social media, where the most important battles are now only a click away."

We work to be the best in the world at fighting conventional war. It naturally pushes others to ask how they can achieve their objectives without engaging in that conventional war. Grey zone competition, cold war, economic warfare, and really, this book covers information warfare.

I don't get exercised that other countries do this. It is what one would expect. When the revolutionaries in North America fought the British, we didn't play by their rules either. Underdogs look to compete in ways that blunt the advantage that a superior force has. Why play the game according to the rules of the dominant power?

So as the U.S. has come to dominance, we've pushed for a rules-based world order and it has served us and arguably much of the world extremely well since WWII. It has been to our advantage, as we are to a large extent either writing the rules, or at a minimum have a seat at the table and strong influence.

But now I feel that we are taking a wrecking ball to this as we embrace enemies and dictators and insult, scold and bully our allies. Other friendly countries watch with a mixture of confusion and dismay as the shining light on the hill claims that this light is just for us. Get your own light, you free-loaders. And we're not going to follow your stupid rules (the rules that we wrote, by the way).

Part of this is based on pure misinformation and lies that we are putting out to our own citizens in divisive partisan politics. So this risk to our national security and well-being is as much an internal issue- the enemies within- as it is of other foreign nation states and non-state actors such as violent extremist organizations.

For just one specific example from the book, the Russian government and military interfering in our election in 2016 wasn't a hoax. Their interest in pointing the finger at Ukraine and others is not because they love the U.S. and have our best interest at heart.

As Dr. Hill testified, we have many of our own leaders repeating Russian propaganda lines. I think a direct quote from that testimony is 'fictional narrative.' I see no purpose for doing so that truly reflects acting in the interest of our national security.

Yes, I lose sleep over this. A society that not only tolerates, but cheers on and advocates such behavior will ultimately suffer the consequences of a wholesale repudiation of values and integrity. It is hard to win the fight if you have lost the moral high ground.

America was great, and is great. But it is doing severe damage to itself right now.

Another leadership nugget from a Charlotte Veterans Network luncheon- Charlotte Checkers coach Ryan Warsofsky

Back working at Lowe's Store Support Center (aka the Home Office, corporate, formerly known as the Customer Support Center), so I missed the luncheon this week, but as I cleaned out my pile of papers that accumulates as I go from one thing to another, came across a couple of notes from an earlier visit by Ryan Warsofsky, the 31 year old coach of the Charlotte Checkers, an AHL hockey team that has been performing well under his leadership. The following is one of the things he shared with us, that I really liked as a quote:

"You don't need a letter on your jersey to be a leader."

I may be wrong on this as a casual hockey fan, but I believe the letter on the jersey is a reference to letter "C" for the team captain. In other words, you can be a leader even without positional authority.

Coach W. gets to work with up and coming players as well as those past their prime trying to get back to the NHL. He seems to be figuring out how to help them play "the right way" while they still have individual goals and motives.