Thursday, April 2, 2026

02 Apr 2026

THURSDAY — LEADERSHIP, HISTORY & POWER

“Most of these non-state special operations are based off of their opponent’s failures of imagination.”

— Craig Whiteside, U.S. Naval War College

A new book from the Naval War College documents what military planners are only beginning to reckon with: militants, cartels, and private military contractors now execute strategic operations rivaling state special forces, powered by commercially available drones, satellite imagery, and AI-enabled planning tools. When a non-state actor can plan a raid with Google Earth, the capability monopoly that once required institutional scale to compete is dissolving fast, and not just on the battlefield. The leaders who thrive next won’t be the ones with the most resources – they’ll be the ones who best understand their adversary’s motives and how to wield capabilities that required institutional scale just a decade ago. To learn more, Check out the article The Rise of Non-State Special Operations.

Stay safe. Stay healthy. Be strong. Lead well.

Chad