The Pen

Original Articles by Warfighting Society Members

Rediscovering the 60: Handheld Mortars for the Modern Fight by Capt Mitchell Teefey, USMC

Mortarmen with 2nd Battalion, 2nd Marines, fire a M224 60mm Mortar in handheld mode. Image source: https://tinyurl.com/bdeaxwub There’s...

thewarfightingsociety

7 days ago6 min read

Three Lessons from the Gate: A Platoon Commander’s Take on the Kabul NEO By Captain Mitchell Teefey, USMC

Charlie-2, 1/8, in Kuwait after departing Kabul, Afghanistan. Credit: Image provided by author. I’ve written a lot of platoon-level AARs...

thewarfightingsociety

Apr 175 min read

Reexamining Operation Moshtarak: Lessons for the Marine Corps and the Joint Force by Major Benjamin Vanhorrick, USMC

Alongside Afghan Army troops, Marines of 1st Battalion, 3rd Marines, hold positions east of Marjah, 9 February 2010....

thewarfightingsociety

Feb 207 min read

“What Should I be Reading?”: Professional Reading for Company Commanders by Lieutenant Colonel Brendan McBreen

Source: Marine Corps Times ( https://shorturl.at/6ySvz ) Editor’s Note: In 2015, “Matthew,” an infantry captain serving at The Basic...

thewarfightingsociety

Jan 28 min read

Educate the Educators: Institutionalizing Wargames in the Marine Corps’ Training Command By Nicanor A. Galvan

Friday Afternoon, January 2023, Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune “You are in my ZOC–stop moving that counter!” My colleague Rob yelled as I...

thewarfightingsociety

Nov 22, 20248 min read

A Critique of Current Marine Corps COC TTPs By Major Joshua Burchfield

An aerial view of the 1st Marine Division Main COC in Camp Matilda, Kuwait, Operation Iraq Freedom. Credit: https://shorturl.at/BFCy3...

thewarfightingsociety

Nov 18, 20247 min read

Progress and Perils: Educational Wargaming in the US Marine Corps By Damien O’Connell

Marines of Third Battalion, Seventh Marines, duke it out in Take That Hill! while deployed to Australia in 2022. (Credit: Zachary...

thewarfightingsociety

Dec 22, 202334 min read

Developing a Decision-Forcing Case by Captain Madeline Hoffman, USMC

Officer candidates receive a class. (Credit: https://officercandidatesschool.com/2010/07/19/academics-at-ocs/) Over the past year, I have...

thewarfightingsociety

Dec 14, 20236 min read

From Skeptic to Champion: A SNCO's Journey to DFCs by SgtMaj Nicanor "Nick" Galvan, USMC (Ret.)

2011 - Marine Corps Base Quantico, "Crossroads of the Corps." Many Marines revere this place. It plays a crucial role in educating our...

thewarfightingsociety

Dec 13, 20237 min read

Wargame Review: Bobby Lee: The Civil War in Virginia 1861-1865 by Captain William Allred, USMC

The Battleboard in Bobby Lee Credit: MarcoOmnigamer, https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=APGIZslPYmQ Overview Bobby Lee...

thewarfightingsociety

Nov 13, 20235 min read

Wargaming at the Company Level: Assessments and Recommendations to Avoid a Wargaming Bust

By Majors Matthew Tweedy and Taylor McKechnie, USMC Marines Play in 2/2's March Madness-Style Tournament in Okinawa, December 2019...

thewarfightingsociety

Sep 27, 202313 min read

Kriegspiel 2030: A Free-Play Tactical System for the Infantry By Capt William Allred, USMC

(Credit: https://www.marines.mil/News/News-Display/Article/3108841/ii-mef-marines-apply-future-concepts-in-wargaming/) Kriegspiel 2030 is...

thewarfightingsociety

Sep 12, 20232 min read

Building the New Infantry: It’s All About Culture By Corporal Joshua Sulentic, USMC

A Marine lance corporal and corporal on patrol in Helmand Province, 2014. (Credit: https://www.defense.gov/Multimedia/Photos/igphoto/2001...

thewarfightingsociety

Sep 10, 20239 min read

Intellectuals and Mechanics by Major Matthew Tweedy, USMC

Source: https://www.military.com/daily-news/2017/02/09/corps-wants-194000-troops-cyber-information-ops-isr.html Organizations thrive by...

thewarfightingsociety

Jul 2, 20235 min read

Translating War: An Annotated Bibliography of Translated Works by Stuart Britton

A Sample of Stuart's Translations Military professionals in the English-speaking world should know the name Stuart Britton. Stuart, the...

thewarfightingsociety

Feb 25, 202340 min read

Expeditionary Advanced Bases…Again By Captain James Michael, USMC

The Siege of Famagusta, Cyrpus, 1570-1571 https://bit.ly/3XfBo7z In 2020, the Commandant of the United States Marine Corps (USMC)...

thewarfightingsociety

Jan 9, 202312 min read

Commanders Own PME: A Follow Up to “Time for Another Stand-Down” by Captain Devon Sanderfield, USMC

Tactical small unmanned aerial systems and precision-guided munitions have forced military units to distribute to survive on the modern...

thewarfightingsociety

Dec 21, 20226 min read

900 Orders by LtCol Brendan McBreen, USMC (Ret.)

Editor's Note: This essay was originally published on LtCol McBreen's website, http://www.2ndbn5thmar.com/. A lieutenant asked me last...

thewarfightingsociety

Nov 23, 20226 min read

What Good Losers Do: One Year Later By Easton

Marines of Third Battalion, Fifth Marines, fighting in Sangin, Afghanistan, 2010 (https://www.npr.org/2011/10/31/141724272/an-afghan-hell...

thewarfightingsociety

Nov 11, 202217 min read

You Had ONE Job: The U.S. Military’s Epic Fail in Afghanistan by LtCol Brendan McBreen, USMC (Ret.)

Editor's Note: This essay was originally written in October 2021. Then-Lieutenant Colonel McBreen with Afghan Generals Munir Mangal–201st...

thewarfightingsociety

Nov 9, 20225 min read