The Strategy Bridge: "The Past as a Prologue: The Future of the U.S. Military in One Graphic"

Where have I heard this before?

I wasn't the first to draw this map. Adam Siegel did at the Center for Naval Analyses.  When he went off to get his PhD, I was asked to expand his focus on naval ops to include army and air force. That effort begat The Pentagon's New Map effort.

Now, many years later, similar effort yields similar picture and similar conclusions, which is why I always said that this wasn't an idea or theory but an inescapable reality that was splitting our force in two. We could either embrace it or try to ignore it, but the world out there wasn't going to change along with our fluctuating fascination for, and addiction to, Big War.

So here's the new map - same as the old:

It's part of a strong 2015 piece by Daniel Sukman (strategist in the U.S. Army and a member of the Military Writers Guild). 

And yes, he does make the link back to my earlier work:

Interestingly, this review of operations since 1980 confirms the Non-Integrating Gap theory proposed by Thomas Barnett in his seminal book, The Pentagon’s New Map. According to Barnett, areas of lesser development — Latin America, the Middle East, and areas of the Pacific — constitute this gap. Moreover, use of the military element of national power tends to occur in these areas. Nations outside of the gap tend to resolve conflict without outside intervention.

To address global requirements, Barnett introduced the concept of the Leviathan and Sysadmin force. In Barnett’s paradigm, the focus of the Leviathan force is major combat operations. The focus of the Sysadmin force is other missions ranging from humanitarian assistance to “Phase 4” nation building activities.

The creation of the Sysadmin and Leviathan force as envisioned by Barnett may not achievable in an era of fiscal constraints. However, the joint force should prioritize the ten missions outlined in the 2014 Quadrennial Defense Review per geographic area of responsibility. Using the past as a prologue indicates the feasibility of this approach.

Just bumped into the reference on Twitter, and wanted to catalogue here.

Huge Enterra Solutions market breakthrough

I, of course, could not be prouder of the team at Enterra Solutions. While I left the firm nearly a decade ago, I was there for the lean early years. So, to see its development unfold so brilliantly now is very satisfying. My congratulations to all involved.  Magnificent achievement!

Forbes News Coverage

Enterra/Nestlé Business Wire Press Release

Enterra Solutions Artificial Intelligence Video

Nestlé USA and Enterra Solutions Sign Multi-Year Cognitive Computing Agreement

Stephen DeAngelis

July 16, 2019

It is with a great deal of pleasure I announce Enterra Solutions® has signed a multi-year solution-as-a-service contract with Nestlé USA®. The agreement calls for Enterra to provide a next generation analytics and insights platform along with other business applications to Nestlé. Enterra has been working with Nestlé USA for several years and together, the companies have developed and will continue to deploy an industry-leading advanced analytics and insights capability. Our initial efforts are focused on the implementation of an Autonomous Demand Insights module within the Enterra Category Management Intelligent System™ (ECMIS) as well as the application of the Enterra Enterprise Cognitive System™ across the Nestlé USA retail partner network.

This business solution leverages autonomous decision-making and end-to-end optimization (Demand + Supply Insights) capabilities in order to drive growth, increase efficiency, and support Nestlé USA’s efforts to build the foundation for the Nestlé USA Intelligent Enterprise – one that fully leverages data, expert knowledge and advanced technologies to generate insights that automate and optimize business processes and decision-making. This shall be achieved through the utilization of Enterra’s cognitive computing platform, intelligent business applications and advanced analytics services integrated as one solution.

As part of the engagement, Enterra will harmonize siloed areas of the business, including category management and supply chain logistics into one company wide system. Additionally, Enterra will establish a Center for Advanced Analytics at Nestlé USA’s headquarters in Arlington, VA, including an Advanced Analytics team of mathematicians, data scientists, consumer packaged goods experts and data management specialists.

In the press release announcing the contract, Nestlé USA Chief Analytics Officer, Shan Collins, states, “We look forward to leveraging Enterra’s cutting-edge cognitive computing technologies and their scientific methods to generate industry leading advanced analytics and insights that will drive differentiation, accelerate growth and increase profitability across Nestlé USA. Our initial focus will be on creating value and competitive advantage in demand insights through autonomously generated, optimized marketing campaigns. This is the first step in transforming Nestlé USA into an Intelligent Enterprise.”

Enterra is excited to partner with Nestlé USA on the development and deployment of an industry-leading advanced analytics and insights solution. Our objective is to deploy and operate an end-to-end cognitive computing platform that will position Nestlé USA as the most advanced and innovative consumer packaged goods company in the industry. The use of real-time data and autonomous decision-making will give Nestlé USA a unique advantage in a highly competitive marketplace.

Most of the data analytics and modeling will be performed at Nestlé USA in Northern Virginia and Enterra’s offices in Pennsylvania. Enterra’s partner Massive Dynamics™, a leading mathematics and analytics company in Princeton, NJ, will provide advanced mathematics capabilities to support this initiative.

Named among “The World’s Most Admired Food Companies” in Fortune magazine for twenty-two consecutive years, Nestlé USA brands are in nearly every home in the country. With some of the most recognizable food and beverage brands, including Coffee-mate, DiGiorno, and Nestlé Toll House, the largest coffee portfolio in the U.S. with Nescafé, Nestlé Starbucks Coffee, and Chameleon Cold Brew, and category disrupters like Sweet Earth, Nestlé USA makes delicious, convenient products people love. With 2018 sales of $9.7 billion, Nestlé USA is part of Nestlé S.A. in Vevey, Switzerland — the world’s largest food and beverage company. For product news and information, visit Nestleusa.com or Facebook.com/NestleUSA.

For additional coverage about the Nestlé USA/Enterra Solutions contract, read the article by David Bloom (@DavidBloom) in Forbes magazine entitled, “Nestlé Selects AI-Driven Analytics Firm Enterra To Build Platform for Marketing, Autonomous Sales.” To comment on the news release, please go the news release on my LinkedIn page. You might also enjoy watching a video about Enterra's Artificial Intelligence.

The "Climate Changes Everything" June 2019 Brief

65-minute presentation delivered in Idaho to a convention.