6 years ago today I learned that “A New Conception of War” made it on to the @USMC Reading List. Thanks to @MC_UPress for publishing it, Gen Berger for putting it on the list, and @CMC_MarineCorps for keeping it there.
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Beyond the Checklist: Operationalizing Boyd, Heal, Vandergriff, and OBT&E in Frontline Police Leadership
By Fred T. Leland Jr.
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Managing the Chaos: Implicit Intent, Shared Doctrine, and Decentralized Command
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When policing becomes partisan, it isn't just an ethical failing—it is a catastrophic cognitive and moral failure.
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The Field Command Papers
The Tactical Legacy of Charles “Sid” Heal
Part 2 Navigating Friction, Fog, and the Edge of Chaos
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From Clausewitz to Boyd: Turning Friction Into a Tool fredleland.substack.com/p/th…
…In those two short paragraphs, Sid called out the fundamental illusion of modern bureaucratic training: we have traded cognitive agility for quantifiable compliance.
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The ultimate test of leadership and tactical competence isn't knowing the textbook cold; it is recognizing the exact moment the textbook no longer applies, and having the cognitive adaptability to act in the flash of the kingfisher.
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"We do not see things as they are; we see them as we are."
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How does your agency handle the line between firmness and internal justice? What steps can first-line supervisors take today to strengthen the "Circle of Safety" in roll call? Let me know your thoughts in the comments below. fredleland.substack.com/p/th…
When your debrief process is designed to assign blame, officers learn to hide operational friction instead of solving it. We sanitize the story to protect ourselves from liability, and as a result, the organization learns nothing. fredleland.substack.com/p/de…





