Networks of Knowledge: Three Steps to a Better Military Blogosphere

BY MAJOR MATT CAVANAUGH

I recently co-wrote an essay over at Cicero Magazine - "The Long Gray Online: Driving Military Leadership and Innovation Online." The combined essay was a look into the voluntary, part-time military blogging efforts of a few mid-career officers (Major Nate Finney at The Bridge, Major Joe Byerly at The Little Green Notebook, Major John McRae, and myself here at WarCouncil). It was nice, but, if I were being (self)critical, I would say the essay is somewhat self-congratulatory and a bit over the top:

"...a core group of mid-grade officers are changing the way professional discussions, doctrinal analysis, and institutional innovations take place in the Army. Like the famous interwar dialogue between Patton and Eisenhower that later found battlefield application during WWII, this group is attempting to foster a smarter, more relevant Army. Unlike those dialogues, they are using the internet and military blogging to drive change and new ideas."

Snarky response: Can I be Marshall? (Actually, I'd be lucky if the other guys didn't just call me "Mr. Pink" and tell me to sit quietly in the corner.)

On the one hand, this credit is entirely merited. This is hard work. Unpaid. Taken from personal time. I like to say that WarCouncil was born at 4 A.M. - a reference to the literal time each day that I write online content. No kidding, I'm actually pedaling my newborn baby's crib device with my left foot as I type these sentences (she's not sleeping the full night yet, and I have the early shift so my wife can get some sleep). So I do think recognition is in order (I prefer cash, but I'll take plastic).

But still, count me as a skeptical member of this Cicero-led praise-singing choir. I have doubts. I think there is some value in these efforts, but it's too soon to quantify. If WarCouncil was born at 4, then the military blogging clock currently reads 4:03 A.M. These efforts have just gotten going; they're still rough and scattered across the internet's vast content expanse. Moreover, how impactful, really, are these websites? On actual self-study, on real policy - have they shaped opinion for the better? I'd like to think so, I really would, but the academic part of me screams to withhold judgment.

My mushy middle position, then, is that we've gotten some important conversations going and stimulated a bit of discussion. However, there is still a long way to go and much to do to make these efforts more meaningful and more impactful. For starters, and this is something that I've kicked around: how do I integrate WarCouncil into this emergent network of knowledge? How do I support and augment the The Bridge and The Little Green Notebook? These are parallel efforts, and, whereas most of the internet seeks zero-sum dominance - the editors at these other sites have the job security of the Profession of Arms. In short, we're not in this for the money. Keeping that in mind, where do we go from here, and how do we make the sum of these web-writing activities greater than their individual parts? 

What follows is a short concept sketch for taking these networks of knowledge forward, three steps that would bring us a better military blogosphere - it's time to schedule, synchronize, and struggle. READ MORE