The Friday Formation
24 April 2026
🪖 The Friday Formation
This week’s dispatch on Army writing, leadership, and learning
Friday, 24 April 2026
🗓️ Editor’s Note
April presses on — and so does the reading list.
This week’s Formation covers the full spectrum: landpower in contested maritime environments, AI accountability in lethal decisions, irregular warfare’s structural failures, China-Iran intelligence cooperation, and hard lessons from Ukraine’s front lines. There’s something in here for every echelon.
A note from me: this is my last issue for a few weeks as I PCS. SFC Marcel Blood will be holding down the Formation while I’m on the move. He’s got it covered — keep reading, keep writing.
Chris
🏛️ Featured Leadership Essays
Mops & Moes: The Human Demands of Modern Combat
Hosts: Alex Morrow & Drew Hammond; Guest: MG (Ret) John Kline — Mops & Moes
A conversation with a combat-proven general officer on what sustained high-intensity warfare actually asks of Soldiers and leaders — physically, psychologically, and institutionally. Essential listening for anyone thinking seriously about readiness.
What Does Landpower Bring to an Air and Naval Fight?
John Spencer — MWI
A timely examination of the Army’s indispensable contribution to joint warfighting, making the case that landpower is not a supporting player but a decisive one even in air and maritime-dominant scenarios.
Lessons from the Eastern Front
David McCammon — The Cove (Australian Army)
A hard-hitting, firsthand-informed account of what the war in Ukraine actually looks like at the front — written for soldiers by a combat-tested leader. The lessons here transcend nationality and speak directly to any Army preparing for high-end conflict.
⚔️ Warfighting
🗺️ Mind the GAPP: Strategic History and the Case for Western Hemisphere Command
Joshua Dulaney — MWI
Draws on strategic history to argue for a dedicated Western Hemisphere Command — a case that is gaining urgency as near-peer competition reaches into America’s own backyard.
🏔️ Lessons from the Eastern Front
David McCammon — The Cove (Australian Army)
A second-hand account of the reality of war in Ukraine, distilling front-line observations into lessons applicable across allied armies preparing for high-intensity conflict.
🤖 Designing Lethal Decisions: AI Accountability and the Future of Military Judgment
Michael A. Santoro — MWI
Tackles the hard question of moral and institutional accountability when AI is embedded in lethal decision-making — a framework every military leader will need.
🌐 What Does Landpower Bring to an Air and Naval Fight?
John Spencer — MWI
A clarifying argument for land power’s decisive role even in contested maritime and aerospace environments — essential reading as joint force design debates intensify.
🔧 Designed to Lose: The Institutional Features That Undermine US Irregular Warfare
Andrew Rolander — MWI
A structural critique of how American institutions systematically undercut irregular warfare effectiveness — identifying the cultural and organizational roots of repeated failure.
🇮🇷 China-Iran Intelligence Cooperation and the 2026 War
Tahir Mahmood Azad — IWI
Examines the intelligence dimensions of China-Iran cooperation and what those ties mean for understanding the current conflict and U.S. strategic positioning.
💸 Insurfare: Economic Warfare in the Global South
Tom Johansmeyer and Matthew Flug — IWI
Introduces the concept of ‘insurfare’ — the weaponization of insurance markets as a tool of economic coercion — and its implications for irregular and gray-zone competition.
🎙️ Geoeconomics of Irregular Warfare: Iran and the Global Ripple Effects (Part VII)
Gianni Koskinas, Hamlet Yousef, and Matt Flug; Moderator: Jackie Giunta — IWI
Continues the IWI series on economic dimensions of the Iran conflict, mapping the cascading effects across global markets and security architectures.
🎙️ What the Hell Is Irregular Warfare Anyway?
Host: Alisa Laufer; Guests: Chris Tripodi, Eric Robinson, and LTG (Ret) Mike Nagata — IWI
A foundational conversation that revisits the definition and scope of irregular warfare with three practitioners who have lived it at the highest levels.
🏝️ On Islands, Straits, and Strategy: The United States, Iran, and the Islands of the Persian Gulf
Jacob Stoil — SSI
A rigorous strategic analysis of the geographic chokepoints and island terrain at the center of the Iran conflict — and their implications for naval and joint operations.
🌍 Unrestricted Warfare Without War: China’s Below-Threshold Strategy in Latin America
Alexander Anderson — SWJ
Maps how China is applying below-threshold tools of influence and coercion across Latin America in ways that circumvent traditional deterrence frameworks.
🎯 The Limits of Leadership Decapitation
Ron MacCammon — SWJ
Critically examines the strategic logic of leadership targeting and makes the case that decapitation strategies consistently underperform against adaptive adversaries.
Joshua Spooner — SWJ
A sober assessment of American cyber capabilities and gaps — where the U.S. leads, where it lags, and what the implications are for integrated deterrence.
🕵️ Drowning in Data: Solving the Data Overload Problem in OSINT
Jared Martin — SWJ
Addresses the practitioner’s real challenge in modern intelligence: too much signal, not enough sense-making. Offers frameworks for OSINT analysts and commanders alike.
🇷🇺 The Decimation of Russia’s Specialized Troops and Its Effects on the Ukraine War
Julian McBride — SWJ
Tracks the attrition of Russian elite forces and what that erosion means for Russian operational capacity and the broader trajectory of the war.
🌏 A Formal Defense Pact in the Indo-Pacific Is the Wrong Answer
Ryosuke Hanada — War on the Rocks
A counterintuitive argument against formal alliance structures in the Indo-Pacific — contending that rigid pact architecture could undermine the flexible deterrence the region demands.
🔫 Five Questions for a General: GEN (Ret) Daniel Allyn
Host: Cadet Nik Badinelli; Guest: GEN (Ret) Daniel Allyn — MWI
A cadet-led interview with a former Vice Chief of Staff of the Army that covers leadership, readiness, and the enduring demands of senior command.
🔧 Delivering Ready Combat Power
📊 The Command Friction That the Army’s Division-Centric Warfighting Approach Must Overcome
Michael Carvelli — MWI
Identifies the organizational and doctrinal friction points created by the Army’s shift to division-centric warfighting — and what commanders must do to master them.
🎙️ Standing Up the Strategic Competition Corner
Antulio J. Echevarria II and MAJ Brennan Deveraux — SSI
Introduces SSI’s new Strategic Competition Corner and frames the intellectual work ahead for Army strategists operating in a contested great power environment.
COL Tyler D. Olsen — Army Sustainment
Examines how Next Generation Command and Control is changing the information architecture at the tactical edge — and the sustainment implications that follow.
2LT Nicholas R. Thierfeldt — Army Sustainment
A junior officer’s case for shifting sustainment culture from reactive to anticipatory — actionable thinking for any lieutenant standing up a logistics section.
🎙️ LogStat: SEAM & NextGen OCIE Management
Host: CPT Garett Pyle; Guest: COL Adam Seibel
Digs into the latest OCIE management innovations and the SEAM initiative — practical sustainment content with direct applicability for S4s and logisticians across the force.
🚁 Counter-Small Unmanned Aircraft Systems
CW3 David D. Tyo — Aviation Digest
A practitioner’s look at C-sUAS from an aviation perspective — the threats, the tools, and the TTPs that aviation units need to integrate now.
Fred Kelso, Kenny Lee, and Jack Schaefer — Army AL&T
Makes the acquisition case that efficiency in resourcing isn’t just about savings — it’s about creating the flexibility to respond to emerging requirements faster.
Brianna Clay — Army AL&T
Highlights a case where Soldiers drove a capability solution from the bottom up — a model for how the force can generate innovation without waiting for institutional permission.
COL Matthew G. Clark and LTC Edwin Kolen — Army AL&T
Addresses the persistent challenge of Soldier load management and brings new data to a problem that has killed effectiveness for generations of infantrymen.
Brian B. Feeney — Army AL&T
Explores the outsized operational impact of miniaturized technologies being fielded across the force — small footprint, large effect.
🎙️ Doctrine Debrief: A Leader’s Guide (Episode 100)
Host: LTC Derek Thompson — Combined Arms Command
The 100th episode of Doctrine Debrief covers how leaders at every level can engage with doctrine as a living tool rather than a shelf document.
🏋️ Mops & Moes: The Human Demands of Modern Combat
Hosts: Alex Morrow & Drew Hammond; Guest: MG (Ret) John Kline — Mops & Moes
What does sustained high-intensity combat actually demand of Soldiers and units? A general officer who has seen it makes the case for a more rigorous, honest approach to readiness.
CPT Patrick M. Elsenbast — Infantry
Practical lessons on integrating aerial ISR at the company and battalion level — how junior leaders can maximize the value of assets they often receive but rarely master.
🏥 Innovation at the Speed of Relevance
75th Ranger Regiment Brain Protection Task Force — Infantry
The Ranger Regiment’s Brain Protection Task Force shares their approach to TBI mitigation and human performance innovation — a model for how units can lead from the front on Soldier health.
🔬 Predictive Analytics for Force Health Readiness
Dr. Anders Wallqvist and Dr. Jaques Reifman — Infantry
Applies predictive analytics to Soldier health and readiness data — a look at where data science can give commanders early warning before readiness degrades.
CPT Vincent Verdile — Field Artillery
The imperative of displacement and maneuver for fires units on the modern battlefield — why staying still means dying, and the TTP discipline required to move and shoot.
🎮 Wargames
CPT Benjamin Harrell — Field Artillery
An artillery officer’s case for wargaming as a deliberate training tool at the battery and battalion level — how to make it rigorous rather than theatrical.
🔄 Continuous Transformation
💰 Seeing the Cyber in Economic Statecraft
Jason Blessing — War on the Rocks
Connects the worlds of cyber operations and economic statecraft, arguing that practitioners in both domains are missing critical integration points that adversaries are already exploiting.
🛡️ Resilience Without Capacity: The Fatal Flaw in America’s New Cyber Strategy
Jesse Humpal, Alexander Noyes, and Emily Valentine — War on the Rocks
A sharp critique of the current U.S. cyber strategy, arguing that resilience framing without commensurate offensive capacity creates structural vulnerability.
🇮🇷 Why Iran Metabolizes the Pressure That Broke Venezuela
Rashed M. Aba-Namay — War on the Rocks
Explains Iran’s structural resilience to economic coercion by contrasting its experience with Venezuela’s — a framework for understanding why sanctions-based strategies face limits.
📖 Book Review: Flawed Strategy — Why Smart Leaders Make Bad Decisions
McKayla Swan — SWJ
A review of a timely new volume on strategic miscalculation — why high-IQ leaders still make catastrophic choices, and what institutional safeguards can help prevent it.
🎙️ War Room: Twins (Rebroadcast)
Derek Baird, TJ Baird, and Ron Granieri — War Room
Revisits a rich conversation on military strategy and competition through the lens of two practitioners who’ve thought deeply about institutional change.
🎙️ War Room: Military Might and the Defense Marketplace (Rebroadcast)
Jennifer Mittelstadt and Jacqueline E. Whitt — War Room
Examines the political economy of defense acquisition and what the relationship between military and market means for readiness and transformation.
Host: Tom Spahr; Guest: Sean Heidgerken — War Room
A focused conversation on the Tactical Intelligence and Acquisition Data System and its role in integrating intelligence into the acquisition process.
🤖 Stop Looking Up: Organic Brigade...
John Bismark-O’Brien — Field Artillery
Argues for pushing fires integration authority down to the brigade level — a doctrinal shift with significant implications for how combined arms teams fight.
Weapons and Gunnery Branch — Armor
A technical update on Armor gunnery standards and Branch training priorities — essential reading for tankers and leaders managing crew certification.
🔌 Designating the Electromagnetic Spectrum
CW2 Jeff Newsome and CW2 Travis M. Whitesel — Warrant Officer Journal
Makes the case for treating the electromagnetic spectrum as a maneuver space requiring deliberate designation and control — a doctrinal argument with operational teeth.
🏛️ Strengthening the Profession
🏛️ Build the House: How a Simple Drawing Conveys Mission Command
Rich Creed and Scott Pence — Center for Junior Officers
A visual and intuitive tool for teaching mission command to junior leaders — simple enough to use in the field, powerful enough to change how a platoon thinks.
Laura Levering — Army Communicator
How deliberate leader development offsites can break organizational stagnation and create the shared understanding that transforms good units into great ones.
🇺🇸 Once a Patriot, Always a Patriot
Laura Levering — Army Communicator
Profiles the Patriot community’s enduring professional identity — and what it means to sustain that culture across generations of Soldiers.
MSG Stephen Tackett — Army Communicator
A non-commissioned officer’s candid assessment of standard degradation and the professional responsibility of every leader to hold the line — wherever they stand.
1LT Su M. Nandar — Army Communicator
Reflects on what it means to serve in an Army that is larger than any individual identity — and how that understanding shapes professional purpose.
🪖 What Is Next Generation Command and Control?
CSM Waylon D. Petty — NCO Journal
A command sergeant major’s primer on NGC2 — written for the NCO corps to understand not just what the system does, but how leaders must adapt to it.
🎯 Building the Lethal Sergeant Major
SGM Jermaine Render — NCO Journal
Lays out a framework for developing Sergeant Majors who are tactically lethal and institutionally effective — a guide to the senior NCO the Army actually needs.
CSM Nancy Weinberger — NCO Journal
Reflects on the evolving role of the NCO corps and makes a spirited argument for why the backbone of the Army must grow stronger, not more comfortable.
📖 Resources & Calls
· CSA Recommended Articles – Army University Press – The Chief’s reading list.
· Professional Writing Playlist (YouTube) – Talks and discussions on military writing.
· Professional Military Writing – Military Review – Why writing matters.
🧰 TL;DR
· Quick Read: Lessons from the Eastern Front
· Deep Dive: What Does Landpower Bring to an Air and Naval Fight?
🧭 About the Harding Project
The Harding Project is Chief of Staff of the Army General Randy George’s initiative to strengthen the profession through professional writing and public discourse.
The one-stop shop for all branch journal articles is the Line of Departure website – check it out to get your daily dose of Army professional development! If you have good ideas or lessons to share with the rest of the force, please pen them and send them our way at submissions@hardingproject.com.
We’re renewing professional writing across the force—one Friday at a time. Read. Reflect. Act. The profession doesn’t stand still, and neither should we.