Auftrag. Mensch. Organisation. Führung zwischen Chaos und Perfektion.
[Verlag NZZ Folio, 08.12.2025, Patrick Hofstetter, Thomas Vogel und Reto Wegmann]
Unter dem Dreiklang «Auftrag – Mensch – Organisation» verbinden die Autoren militärische Führungsprinzipien mit den Herausforderungen ziviler Organisationen und machen sie für den Alltag von Führungskräften nutzbar. Der kompakte Ratgeber präsentiert ihre persönlichen Erfahrungen anhand eines fiktiven Charakters, dem Oberleutnant Lukas Weber. Lukas ist Startup-Gründer, ETH Zürich-Abgänger, Milizoffizier, Freizeitmusiker. Er nutzt Tipps und Tricks aus seiner Führungsausbildung in der Schweizer Armee, um sich durch das Chaos seines Lebens zu kämpfen. Damit soll das Werk nicht nur hilfreich, sondern auch unterhaltsam zu lesen sein. Das Command-Leadership-Management-Modell und der OODA-Loop dienen dabei als robuste Orientierung: von der Problemerfassung über die Auftragsanalyse bis hin zu Lagemeetings, Kulturarbeit und persönlicher Stressregulation. Wer seine Führung zwischen Chaos und Perfektion bewusster gestalten will, findet in diesem Buch eine verständliche und zugleich anspruchsvolle Grundlage für den eigenen Führungsalltag – egal, ob Bereichsleiterin, Zugführer oder Projektverantwortliche.
Link: https://www.nzz-libro.ch/Auftrag.-Mensch.-Organisation.-978-3-03980-033-9
The Wartech Nexus – Are Military Structures Fit Enough?
[Defence Horizon Journal, 12.06.2025, Bernhard Schulyok, Lukas Grangl]
In this journal article, the authors argue that to stay effective, armed forces need the ability to integrate technological innovation quickly and effectively. Militaries› institutional tendency to favour a purely conservative approach puts them at risk as they are unprepared if a potential enemy uses technological innovation to his advantage. Therefore, the authors see «institutional fitness», the military’s ability to change, as crucial. Their suggested path towards institutional fitness includes decentralised decision-making, public-private partnerships and cultural transformation. A valuable read.
Link: https://tdhj.org/blog/post/wartech-military-innovation/
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s War with the Rules of Engagement
[Just Security, 09.10.2025, Daniel Maurer]
U.S. defense secretary Pete Hegseth, leader of the renamed Department of War, has repeatedly called for Rules of Engagements to be lifted, so that the hands of U.S. soldiers could be «untied». He wants the U.S. Armed Forces to focus on lethality to be victorious, ignoring various other factors that contribute to military success, such as having a coherent (military) strategy that meaningfully bridges the existing means to the desired ends. The article notes how Hegseth’s denigration of the RoE risks encouraging lawlessness within the U.S. Armed Forces. As President Trump is deploying the National Guard domestically, such lawlessness can impact U.S. citizens not just peripherally, but directly.
Link: https://www.justsecurity.org/122191/hegseths-war-rules-engagement/
When the Campaign Meets the City: Urban Battles and the Operational Level of War
[Modern War Institute, Alec Wahlman, 07.09.2020]
The author uses an example of a potential Russian advance on Warsaw to show how seemingly minor tactical successes can have operational-level effects. He then argues that the tactical level is not to be seen as divorced from the operational level of war, but rather that both should be connected meaningfully to serve the broader military strategic goals effectively.
Building Trust in Military AI Starts with Opening the Black Box
[War on the Rocks, 12.08.2025, Roy Lindelauf , Herwin Meerveld]
As the capabilities of AI are advancing, many pundits have already argued for a rapid integration of AI into the armed forces. Yet the authors of this article argue that if militaries’ AI adoption is hastened, they risk investing into AI-solutions that aren’t a solution at all. Moreover, over-reliance on AI carries its own risks, as does the skipping of answering ethical questions before deploying AI within the armed forces. The authors therefore argue that militaries should adopt AI, yet do so in a systematic and thought-out manner and not in haste. They propose that increasing AI literacy within the armed forces as well as within the defence sector can serve as a first step and will help militaries adopt AI systematically whilst also helping to mitigate the risks associated with AI-use in defence.
Link: https://warontherocks.com/2025/08/building-trust-in-military-ai-starts-with-opening-the-black-box/
Dispersed, Disguised, and Degradable —The Implications of the Fighting in Ukraine for Future U.S.-Involved Conflicts
[RAND, 22.05.2025, Mark Hvizda et al.]
The authors of this RAND report look at the Russian War in Ukraine and which lessons can be drawn from it for future conflicts. Both the tactical and the operational level of war are investigated. The report addresses UAS and precision-mass strikes, how the gap between UAS and cruise missiles is shrinking, why offensive operations have become even more challenging, and why air superiority remains critical. The link leads you to a summary page, there you can download the full report.
Link: https://www.rand.org/pubs/research_reports/RRA3141-2.html
Drift or Abandonment? Exploring How US Domestic Politics and External Realities May Affect US Security Engagement in Europe 2025-2029
[Swedish Defence Research Agency, 09.09.2025, Alin Aronsson, Björn Ottosson]
As a reaction to the Trump administration’s chaotic behaviour and ever-changing approach to European security, the authors of this study analyse possible U.S. defence postures in Europe during Trump’s second term (2025–2029). They outline four scenarios: Policy Drift (gradual change), Bilateralisation (fragmented ties to Europe on a country-by-country basis), Asia First (abrupt Indo-Pacific pivot), and Abandonment (U.S. withdrawal from NATO). All scenarios involve reduced American military presence, creating risks for NATO cohesion and European security. The study urges European leaders to address these risks by strengthening interoperability and strategic cooperation to move towards strategic autonomy. A crucial first step towards autonomy would be compensating for existing European capability gaps of capabilities which for now only the U.S. armed forces can adequately provide, such as ISR (Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance), missile defence and long-range strike capabilities. The full report can be downloaded on the following page.
Link: https://www.foi.se/en/foi/reports/report-summary.html?reportNo=FOI-R–5777–SE
Breaking NATO’s Cult of the Urban Offense
[Modern War Institute, 16.08.2025, John Spencer et al.]
This article draws an interesting connection between the Allies’ struggle to liberate Nazi-occupied Europe and today’s focus of Western armies on the urban offense. John Spencer, Stuart Lyle and Jayson Geroux argue that this focus on the urban offense is not justified anymore in today’s context, and that training for urban defence should be prioritised. They conclude that “[o]ffense and defense are not opposites. They are interdependent. To focus on only one is to plan for failure.”
Link: https://mwi.westpoint.edu/breaking-natos-cult-of-the-urban-offense/
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