Most Read War on the Rocks Articles of 2018

Another grueling year in international security and another list of articles! There are some fun comparisons to be made looking back (see 2017, 2016, 2015, 2014, and 2013).

Our ‘Strategic Outpost’ writing team — David Barno and Nora Bensahel — have dominated this list in the past, but they have never taken the top spot until this year, so congrats to them! That article is one of three from ‘Strategic Outpost’ on this list. And for the first time, two other authors also appear three times on this list: the pseudonymous Col. ‘Ned Stark’ and Mike Benitez, both writing about Air Force personnel and cultural problems. This list includes terrific articles on the Navy, Army, and Marine Corps, but 7 of this year’s 25 most read were about the U.S. Air Force. Michael Kofman has consistently made this list since 2015 and I suspect he will continue to do so, since the challenges posed by Russia do not show any sign of abating. T.X. Hammes has made three of these lists and, notably, he is the only author on this year’s list that was also on our very first year’s list in 2013.

1. David Barno and Nora Bensahel, “Dumb and Dumber: The Army’s New PT Test”
2. Gen. David Goldfein, “The Air Force Chief Responds: Keep Writing Col. ‘Ned Stark,’ and Join My Team”
3. Col. ‘Ned Stark,’ “A Call for Senior Officer Reform in the Air Force: An Insider’s Perspective”
4. David Barno and Nora Bensahel, “Jim Mattis Fires a Clear Warning Shot”
5. Mike Benitez, “Air Force in Crisis, Part III: Dear Boss, It’s All About the Culture”
6. Robert Jervis, “A Horrifying and Believable Path to War with North Korea”
7. Col. ‘Ned Stark,’ “And Miles to Go Before I Sleep: The Air Force’s Stratification Problem”
8. Brett Friedman, “The Sailor Who Fought the Marine Corps and Won”
9. Mike Benitez, “Air Force in Crisis, Part II: How Did We Get Here?”
10. Josh Lospinoso, “Fish Out of Water: How the Military is an Impossible Place for Hackers, and What To Do About It”
11. Col. ‘Ned Stark,’ “Promoting What We Value in the Air Force: Wouldn’t That Be Nice?”
12. Māris Goldmanis, “Explaining the ‘Mystery’ of Numbers Stations”
13. Devin Stewart, “Trump and the End of Smugness”
14. Hal Brands and Francis J. Gavin, “The Historical Profession is Committing Slow-Motion Suicide”
15. Leo Blanken, Kai Thaxton, and Mike Alexander, “The Shock of the Mundane: The Dangerous Diffusion of Basic Infantry Tactics”
16. David Barno and Nora Bensahel, “Why Americans Aren’t Really Worried About War with North Korea”
17. Alice Hunt Friend and Kaitlyn Johnson, “The Sixth Service: What the Reorganization of Special Operations Forces Can Teach Us About Space Force”
18. Mike Benitez, “Air Force in Crisis, Part I: Why Pilot Retention Matters Right Now”
19. Will Fuller and Sally White, “So You’re Telling Me There’s a Chance: Observations from the Army Combat Fitness Test Pilot”
20. KC Reid, “How the Network Generation is Changing the Millennial Military”
21. Jean Michelin, “What ‘Generation Kill’ Tells a French Soldier About U.S. Military Culture”
22. T.X. Hammes, “America is Well Within Range of a Big Surprise, So Why Can’t It See?”
23. Michael Kofman, “Raiding and International Brigandry: Russia’s Strategy for Great Power Competition”
24. Daniel Corindina, “Passed Over, But Not Out: Thriving as a Career Major”
25. Steven Cummings, Jeff Cummings, John Kivelin, John Spencer, and Scott Cuomo, “Ten Ways to Fix the U.S. Military’s Close Combat Lethality”

Image: U.S. Air Force, Master Sgt. Tiffany Hughes