Well-informed defence blog

For a few months now, James Corum has been on the list of Telegraph bloggers. I have known Jim since our Oxford days, and have followed his career with interest. He is now Dean of the Baltic Defence College in Estonia and is an acknowledged authority on counter-subversion. I have read most of the seven books that he has published and his writing style is engaging, conveying information on military matters in an accessible way without patronising the reader.

Last November, Jim was recruited to the team of Telegraph bloggers and writes a blog on defence. His in-depth knowledge of military matters, together with experience in the field make for some first-rate commentary on matters of current concern. His post today looks at the political correctness that has pervaded the Department of Defense and makes an observation that will have a familiar ring to many people outside the military:

Despite the negative effects on morale and efficiency these policies have had, they could not be criticised by anyone who valued his or her career.

He examines the report on the Fort Hood tragedy last year when a Muslim US Army Major killed 13 soldiers and wounded 28. He obseves:

The report failed to note some of the central facts of the case. For example, the perpetrator, Major Hassan, was never refereed to by name but as “the alleged perpetrator.” The report concentrated its efforts on issues such as base emergency response plans. In a way, this is a good idea because the politically correct policies of the Obama administration will do nothing to prevent future Islamist-inspired attacks and so we’d better have a good casualty response system ready for the next mass killing.

See: Pentagon report on Fort Hood is a travesty that doesn't even mention Islam