So it’s not shaping up to be a normal summer. Your vacation plans may have changed. Your kids may not be able to go to camp or the pool. You might still be working from the dining room table. Your PCS move might have nearly done your family in with all the extra uncertainty. You’re wearing a mask when you go anywhere. And goodness only knows what the fall will bring.
Still, the days are long and hot. Grills are fired up. There are new jobs and new neighbors. Maybe there’s a trip to a nearby lake or beach—don’t forget the sunscreen!
Around the U.S. Army War College, the rhythm of life changes in the summer as one year’s resident class departs and the new class arrives. Usually, though, the post is still pretty lively with Distance Education Program students in residence for two weeks and graduation in July at the end of the Second Resident Course. But these courses were moved online, so things are a little quiet (though parking is easy).
Here at War Room, we are regrouping our editorial team after sustaining a breakneck publishing schedule through the spring, and we’re recruiting new folks to join the editorial team. We’re planning and organizing and thinking through what we want to accomplish in the next year. We’ve got some file and database management to do. And so, we’re hitting the pause button on publishing new content for a couple weeks. From 29 June 2020 through 10 July 2020, you won’t see new content on War Room. We’ll continue our work behind the scenes to take in and edit submissions, correspond with authors and readers, and keep the administrative side of the house rolling. So if you have something to submit, send it our way!
Never fear, though, while we’re away, it’s a great time to catch up on all those podcast episodes of A Better Peace that you didn’t have time to listen to because your commute evaporated. And we’ll be reposting and repackaging some articles that you might have missed the first time around. Stay tuned on our social media platforms (Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram) and our email newsletter (subscribe here) for these content pushes.
While you wait for us to come back with new content in July, we figure you might need some new reading material—or something to throw in your beach bag. And because your friendly War Room editors like to be just a bit contrarian, here are a few off-the-beaten-path reading recommendations that might not make the latest military or NatSec reading list, but they will certainly keep you thinking.
The Vanishing Half by Britt Bennett
Freedom’s Main Line: The Journey of Reconciliation and the Freedom Rides by Derek Charles Catsam
Invisible Women: Exposing Data Bias in a World Designed for Men by Caroline Criado Perez
The Irrational Ape: Why Flawed Logic Puts us all at Risk and How Critical Thinking Can Save the World by David Robert Grimes
A Three-Cornered War: The Union, the Confederacy, and Native Peoples in the Fight for the West by Megan Kate Nelson
The Lady Tasting Tea: How Statistics Revolutionized Science in the Twentieth Century by David Salsberg
Alice in Puzzleland by Raymond Smullyan
How the Few Became the Proud: Crafting the Marine Corps Mystique, 1874–1918 by Heather Venable
Here’s to a great summer from the War Room editorial team. Happy reading, writing, and listening!
Jacqueline E. Whitt is an Associate Professor of Strategy at the U.S. Army War College and the Editor-in-Chief of WAR ROOM. The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of the U.S. Army War College, the U.S. Army, or the Department of Defense.
Photo Credit: Image by Perfecto_Capucine from Pixabay