Military Review English Edition January-February 2015 | Page 2

MR

Col. Anna R. Friederich-Maggard

Happy New Year!

A

s I reflect on 2014, I am
thankful for the opportunity to serve as the editor-in-chief of such a prestigious
publication and as the director of a professional
organization filled with dedicated and talented staff.
The editors, visual information specialists, administrative personnel, and soldiers of Military Review
have worked tirelessly together to make extensive
improvements in our journal since I grabbed the
reins almost 18 months ago. They possess the vision,
creativity, and expertise to take this organization to
even greater heights in 2015.
The leadership at the Combined Arms Center
(CAC) and Leader Development and Education
(LD&E) also played an important role in our
success by allowing us the latitude to follow our
instincts and find our own direction, and we
certainly did that in this edition. The JanuaryFebruary issue features an article from outgoing
Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel on the challenges he has faced reshaping the military—the Army
specifically—in an era of austerity. Lt. Gen. Joseph
Anderson, commander, International Security
Assistance Force Joint Command and deputy
commanding general, U.S. Forces-Afghanistan,
contributes a piece as well that captures the challenges faced by the final three-star operational

headquarters in theater during its transition over
the last year. Additionally, Col. Tom Hanson,
Director of the Combat Studies Institute, provides
a very intuitive review essay that juxtaposes two
books on the South Vietnamese Army’s 1971 invasion of Laos.
In my past letters to our readers, I’ve emphasized the importance of writing as a way to not
only tell the Army story, but to pass along lessons
learned, facilitate the creation of new doctrine,
and simply to document experiences for historical
purposes. “On Writing: Why We Write,” an article
by blogger Doctrine Man, really puts this into context. You can find it on his website, The Pendulum,
at https://medium.com/@Doctrine_Man/
on-writing-10c2f650109b.
The Army Press will soon be open for business
with the roll out of the Army University later this
year. As we move closer to the opening, we will provide a link to a new website that will house an Army
Press publication platform as well as links to numerous Army Press products, Centers of Excellence
and Department of Defense publications, and other
military forums. Changes are coming; stay tuned for
more information about the Army Press and how
it will benefit the Army University and the Army.
The team at Military Review wishes you a safe and
prosperous new year!

During a team-building challenge, soldiers from 3rd Battalion, 227th Aviation
Regiment, 1st Air Cavalry Brigade, 1st
Cavalry Division, low crawl through an
obstacle course 23 March 2010.
(Photo by Sgt. Travis Zielinsk, 1st Cavalry Division PAO)

2

November-December 2014  MILITARY REVIEW