The Friday Formation

14 November 2025

🪖 The Friday Formation

This week’s dispatch on Army writing & leadership
14 November 2025

---

🍁 Editor’s Note

The fog of fall is lifting—and with it, a renewed call for execution. This week’s readings are about momentum: turning insight into action, lessons into change, and innovation into capability. From jumpmaster mindsets and broken habits to nuclear deterrence, AI deception, and the evolving art of partnership, each piece reminds us that learning is only half the work. The other half is doing.

If I missed something worth sharing, let me know—and remember: the profession moves forward when we write, reflect, and execute.

-Chris

---

---

⚔️ Warfighting

• Burned Brakes and Broken Habits: Bringing a JMPI Mindset to the 2d Cavalry Regiment – Sam Balch (FTGN)
  How jumpmaster inspection discipline applies to everyday leadership—check habits like you check harnesses.

• Education Without Execution – Sungkuyn “Eddie” Chang (FTGN)
  A cautionary tale: even the best academic year won’t matter without deliberate follow-through.

• The Power of Panta Rei – Joe Byerly (FTGN)
  Explores the Heraclitean truth that everything flows—and why adaptation is a leader’s first virtue.

• Guns and Ammo: The Ukraine War and NATO’s Ammunition Interoperability Problem – Eric Johnson (MWI)
  Reveals how inconsistent NATO ammo standards threaten collective readiness and sustainability.

• From Relic to Relevance: Why Obsolete Weapons Still Win Modern Wars – Lukáš Dyčka (MWI)
  Examines how aging systems remain effective when paired with innovation and grit.

• Beyond the Count – MAJ Jeffrey D. Wegmeyer (MIPB)
  Argues that counting targets isn’t the same as understanding the fight—context and judgment matter more than metrics.

• An Algorithmic Loosening of the Atomic Screw: AI and Nuclear Deterrence – Iskander Rehman (MWI)
  A chilling look at how automation and nuclear stability may clash in future deterrence architectures.

---

🔧 Delivering Ready Combat Power

• LOGSTAT: Reshaping Pre-Command Course – Host: CPT Garett Pyle; Guest: CPT Misha Dantzler (DVIDS Podcast)
  Explores how the Army is retooling pre-command education to prepare leaders for modern sustainment realities.

• Acquisition Transformation: How to Make It Last – Elaine McCusker & John G. Ferrari (War on the Rocks)
  Lessons from the Pentagon on sustaining reform beyond one administration’s priorities.

• Are New Defense Companies Giving Away Sensitive Info Through Marketing? – Jake Chapman (War on the Rocks)
  Raises red flags on how public marketing can compromise security innovation.

• Without a Standard for Autonomy, the U.S. Military Will Get Lost in the Fog of War – Randy Yamada & Tom Schaefer (War on the Rocks)
  Argues for a unified doctrine on autonomy before AI creates its own battlefield friction.

• The Tech and Tradecraft Behind Open-Source Intelligence – Curran, Moore, Petry & Evans (War on the Rocks)
  Reveals how OSINT is blending human tradecraft with machine precision to stay ahead of adversaries.

• Prototype Partner Model – LCDR Sean Lavelle & LCDR Zach Fisher (USNI Proceedings)
  Offers a naval perspective on building agile, trust-based partnerships across services and domains.

---

🔄 Continuous Transformation

• AI-Driven Disinformation Campaigns on Twitter/X in the Russia–Ukraine War – Tayyaba Rehan (IWI)
  Explores how machine learning amplifies falsehoods—and what leaders must understand about digital deception.

• The Pentagon Just Issued New Guidance on Irregular Warfare—Why It Matters – Jonathan Schroden (IWI)
  Breaks down new DoD policy that could redefine irregular warfare for a new era.

• Analyst Duel: Improving IPoE Through Fantasy Football – MAJ Kyle Hanratty (MIPB)
  A creative look at how competition-based learning can make intelligence analysis faster and more dynamic.

• Culture on the Front Line: Building Indo-Pacific Resilience Through Cultural Property Protection – Roberts, Slocum & Wagner (IWI)
  Highlights how culture and heritage can strengthen regional stability and legitimacy.

• Review: The Mad and the Brave – Ukraine’s Foreign Legion – Christopher Booth (IWI)
  A look at courage, chaos, and camaraderie in Ukraine’s international volunteer movement.

• Podcast: Unraveling Irregular Warfare – Host: Jackie Giunta; Guest: Dr. John Stockton (IWI Podcast)
  A deep conversation on innovation, influence, and human behavior in conflict.

• China’s Economic Coercion in Latin America – Leland Lazarus & Guido Torres (SWJ)
  Investigates China’s playbook for leveraging trade, debt, and diplomacy to achieve strategic dominance.

• Microinsurgency: A Distinct Category of Intrastate Conflict – LTC Michael F. Trevett (SWJ)
  Defines a new conflict model—microinsurgencies—where scale, speed, and networks replace traditional fronts.

• Resistance Is Futile... Until It’s Not – Jeremiah “Lumpy” Lumbaca (SWJ)
  Reflects on the persistence of human resistance in the face of overwhelming odds.

• Pakistan’s Fight Against the TTP – Qurat-ul-Ain Shabbir (SWJ)
  Provides insight into counterterrorism struggles and shifting alliances in South Asia.

---

📜 Strengthening the Profession of Arms

• A Blueprint for Leading Change – Host: Joe Byerly; Guest: Phil Gilbert (FTGN Podcast)
  A study in how storytelling, empathy, and consistency drive organizational transformation.

• Education Without Execution – Sungkuyn “Eddie” Chang (FTGN)
  Growth demands application—because learning without doing is leadership without impact.

---

📖 Resources & Calls

• CSA Recommended Articles – Army University Press

• Call for Papers – Army Civilian Journal

• Professional Writing Playlist (YouTube)

• Professional Military Writing – Military Review

🧰 TL;DR

• Quick Read: Burned Brakes and Broken Habits

• Deep Dive: An Algorithmic Loosening of the Atomic Screw

• Must-Listen: A Blueprint for Leading Change

🧭 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.