The Army is pushing “cyber warfare” and “cyber intelligence” specialties these days, and Analyst positions are going unfilled. My own Battalion now has openings, and we’re about to have one more. But once again, the Powers That Be have decided that the future is going to be nothing but high tech, and there’s nothing that can’t be solved by throwing enough megabytes at it.

I say “once again” because the military seems to do this in cycles. In the 1970’s, it was decided that spy satellites could do anything and everything, and that old fashioned eyes and ears on the ground, and even reconnaissance aircraft, were just no longer necessary and indeed, anachronistic.

But an aircraft can go to specific places, and at any time, whereas a satellite is in a fixed, known orbit that can be predicted. And no satellite can pick up on the mood and morale of the people that someone might be curious about. A time will come when we’ll regret getting rid of the ordinary analysts… not that I’m biased, of course!

In the meantime, yes, Juni and Emma go down the street to the fictional 813th Aviation Battalion to begin the KFOR chapter of BOHICA Blues. As with my previous chapters, I am going to modify names and events a bit, while closely following the overall situations. I don’t want to make the comic about a particular, specific person or unit, so I will take elements of people, personalities, events, and so on and refine and interpret them into original characters.

Ken Specter is a character from way back, when Joe went to Warrior Leader’s Course back in 2017. His character fits well into the dynamic I am trying to create with the fictional 813th Battalion, and Juni and Emma will help shape the events of the coming year’s adventure.

As for the comic, at least for the month of January I am posting on the 1st and the 15th of the month, instead of the usual 1st, 10th, and 20th. I am attending a Senior Leadership Course and so my time is filled with classes and assignments. I hope to be back on a regular posting schedule again (ideally) by February.