Articles
Forks, Spoons, and Holes in the Sidewalk
By Joe Byerly How many times have you tried something new, only to find it didn’t bring the results you hoped for? In fact, that “new” thing left you feeling exactly as you did in the beginning—disappointed, frustrated, maybe even stuck. I was...
Ep 161- The LANDEURO Talks
This is the longest episode ever of From the Green Notebook—and for good reason. Joe brings you a special LANDEURO Talks edition of the podcast, recorded at AUSA’s inaugural LANDEURO conference in Germany back in July. While at LANDEURO, Joe...
Compliance vs Commitment: Our Appearance as a Promise of Trust
Photo Credit: Donte Shelton, 49th Public Affairs Detachment By Sam Balch There are two common schools of thought about uniforms and personal appearance. Some see them as walking résumés, proof of what we have accomplished. Others treat them like...
Boromir and Faramir: A Cautionary Tale for the Ambitious Officer
by Major Colin A. Sexton In J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings, the brothers Boromir and Faramir of Gondor embody contrasting responses to power, purpose, and personal ambition. Their story is not just a subplot in a fantastical epic; it is a...
Harmony and Chaos: Navigating the BSB-DSSB Tug of War
by Tony Grajales Power corresponds to the human ability not just to act but to act in concert. – Hannah Arendt Spartans, Raiders, and the Pyramid In the U.S. Army, sustainment operations are more than support functions; they are a battlefield...
A Cat, a Hat, and the Benefit of Constraints
By Joe Byerly In 1957, Theodor Geisel’s publisher challenged him to create a children’s book with characters, a plot, and all the trappings of a great story using only a first-grade vocabulary list of less than 250 words. He produced The Cat...
From Problem to Prototype: Innovating Dental Care for Large Scale Combat Operations from the Ground Up
By FiSamuel Reggans As the First Sergeant of a Dental Company Area Support (DCAS), I’ve long understood how critical dental readiness is to combat power, and that is no different in Large Scale Combat Operations (LSCO). However, the doctrine and...
Skip Band of Brothers, Watch Andor!
By MAJ Proto and 2LT Phocas It would not be much of an exaggeration to say that nearly every junior officer has seen at least some part of the HBO hit Band of Brothers during their formative professional military education. It might even be safe to...
Advocating for Apathy
WASHINGTON, DC – JUNE 13: U.S. Army (Photo by Kayla Bartkowski/Getty Images) By Nathan A. Ballinger If everything is important, then nothing is. – Patrick M. Lencioni I’ve spent enough years as a senior noncommissioned...
Lay Your Ego Down (The Lumineers’ Version)
By Joe Byerly I caught The Lumineers in Raleigh this week. During the show, Wes Schultz mentioned that he and his bandmate Jeremiah Fraites have been writing and playing music together for over two decades. If you are a music fan like me, you...
What Happens When Robots Gain Human Rights?
I recently read Annalee Newitz’s debut sci-fi novel, Autonomous. The page-turning book follows the story of Jack, an anti-patent scientist turned drug pirate, and the human/robot team hot on her trail after one of her latest drug hacks...
The Coming Age of Artificial Intelligence
I recently picked up a copy of Amir Husain’s The Sentient Machine: The Coming Age of Artificial Intelligence. The book reminds me of Bill Gates’ The Road Ahead, published in 1997 when VHS was king, everyone went to Blockbuster, and the...
Our Year of War: An Interview with Lieutenant General (RET.) Daniel Bolger
Last month I had the privilege of reading LTG (RET.) Bolger’s latest book Our Year of War: Two Brothers, Vietnam, and a Nation Divided and it quickly became a page turner. The book not only tells the story of Chuck and Tom Hagel and...
What Are you Reading?
Are you looking for something to read for professional development? If you have been following this site for awhile, you know that I like to read. Matter of fact, I like to read ALOT. And at any give time, I’m reading between 3-5 books. They...
Introducing Legacy Magazine
While the content of From the Green Notebook is focused on the professional growth of service members, I love supporting those connected to the military who venture out to launch noteworthy initiatives. In this case, a group of spouses came...
The 2017 Ultimate Summer Reading List
By Joe Byerly Last summer I reached out to friends from around the national security community and asked what they were reading. The collective list became a hit, and for me personally, became the bulk of my reading material for the remainder of...
When War Comes Home: An Interview
I heard about American War back in December, and finally got my hands on a copy a few days after it was available for purchase. After reading the first couple of pages, I was hooked. It wasn’t only the subject matter that pulled me in,...
The Truth in Fiction: An Interview
I recently had the opportunity to sit down with author Mike Bond and discuss his latest book Assassins as well as the importance of fiction to military professionals. If the interview piques your interest, I encourage you to check out his book...
2016 in Books
By Joe Byerly Every December I share a list of books that I’ve read throughout the year with the hope that readers will check them out and consider adding a title or two to their libraries. This list is a testament to my amazing network...
Preparing Your Team for Atlantic Resolve
By LTG Frederick “Ben” Hodges For those leaders of rotational brigades who will participate in great training exercises and opportunities with our European Allies, I do not want you to view your mission in isolation....
You Built a System. Did You Build Any Leaders?
By Sara Roger Nine business days into this new job, and just one more day before I begin a three-week training exercise with a brand-new team in a different country. Needless to say, the stress is present: I’m against the clock in getting spun up,...
Find Your Power and Use it for Good: Why I Stayed for a Career
by Ryan Cornell-d’Echert “Are you getting what you want from what you do?” One of my colleagues asked that to his students and protégés; it’s a powerful question that has stuck with me. Because military service is an enormous commitment, it is...
It’s All Theory Until We Do It
By Joe Byerly We can have the best of plans. We can have the greatest of intentions. But until those plans and intentions collide with reality—it’s all just theory. Theories aren’t reality. They’re untested. They live in our minds—with plot lines...
Serving Until the End
by Chris Mulder Why I Joined the Air Force: A Family Legacy of Flying “You should serve as long as you can,” an old boss advised me while I contemplated my future. As I considered his advice, I reflected on why I entered the Air Force in the first...
Betting on Yourself
By Joe Byerly Before I had kids, I used to enjoy placing bets. I played blackjack at Caesar’s Palace in Las Vegas when I was stationed out on the west coast. I threw down friendly wagers on the game at Super Bowl parties. When I lived at Fort...
FM 1: A Primer to Our Profession of Arms and to Professional Development
By: Michael Villahermosa In 2008 when I arrived at 30th AG, Replacement Battalion, I was handed the IET Soldier’s Handbook (TRADOC Pamphlet 600-4). For the next 16 weeks, I carried this dry read about the Army Values, Warrior Ethos, and using...
Reflections of a Specialty Platoon Leader (and Why You Should Do It)
by William Moorhead As an Infantry Lieutenant, your time as a Platoon Leader (PL) is the peak of your first four years in the Army. You will train for it, stress over it, and only begin to appreciate it once you are out of the seat and begin...
Don’t Let the Colors Touch
By Joe Byerly Wake upSlog down a cup of coffeeBrush teeth and shaveGranola barGrab my bagFlip the office light onEmailsPhysical trainingShowerMeetingsTrainingMore meetingsLast minute emergenciesEmergencies that shouldn’t be last minuteGrab my...
From Gatekeeping to Growth: Culture Change Lessons from an RTB Commander
by Jace Neuenschwander “I learned the hard way. Sometimes the best way to change a culture is to stop trying to change it.” A former Battalion Commander said these words to me, and his advice has stuck with me for years. This former Commander led...
Risk, Data, and Leader Presence: A Better Way to Combat Corrosive Behavior
By Kyle D. Popelka On a characteristically comfortable December day in southern Arizona, commanders and senior enlisted advisors from across Fort Huachuca gathered to discuss risk reduction and combating harmful behaviors within the force. Leaders...
8 Reasons Why NCOs Should Write and Publish
By Alex Licea and Harlan Kefalas Whether it is flipping through the pages of military journals or reading articles on various military websites, we both notice one trend: Many if not most of the pieces we read are written by officers, both active...
Leadership in the Digital Age
How have blogs, social media, and the internet shaped leadership and leader development in the Digital Age? Join us at the AUSA Annual Meeting on October 3rd from 1330-1430 (EST) in Room 204 A&B as we answer this question! Even...
Writing in the Military: The Problem of Time
By LTC Scott Shaw In a recent article, US Army Major and Strategist Matt Cavanaugh states there are three reasons that military officers do not write and thus do not contribute to our profession: the failure to wield the pen, the failure to wield...
Harnessing Social Media for Military Power
In 2008, Scott Beale wanted to attend the Google party at South by Southwest Interactive (a 5-day conference featuring presentations and panels from rising stars and big names in the technology and entertainment fields); however, the line was way...
On Senior Leaders and Social Media: An Interview with Brigadier Mick Ryan
This post originally appeared at Small Wars Journal on May 26, 2015 Several years ago, I discovered the power of social media and its potential impacts on the military profession and us as individuals. From sharing articles and ideas to connecting...
Writing in the Professional Military: I tried it and was not attacked by sea monsters
This post originally appeared @ Tom Ricks’ Best Defense on 1/29/15. The maps of cartographers early in the Age of Exploration included an interesting element that affected early explorers. When drawing areas of uncharted waters, they...
Think, Write, and Publish: An Army Captain’s Perspective
This post is also available on the Small Wars Journal “Nail your whispers to the wall. Conclude the trilogy of read..think..and write. Is there ‘career risk’ in publishing? I suppose. Hasn’t hurt me too badly over the years, I’d...
A Charge to Veterans No Longer in Uniform
Below is a letter that General Jonathan Wainwright sent to Soldiers discharged from the military, following their service in World War II. As our military downsizes and many choose to leave the service, I think this letter reminds us of...
The Power of a Note
By Joe Byerly Tonight I read an article in the Army Times titled Nearly Half of Soldiers say Army isn’t committed to them and for whatever reason it made me think of a handwritten note I received almost 10 years ago from my Battalion...
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