Below you'll find a list of all posts that have been categorized as “Commentary”
INSTITUTE FOR CEREMONIAL STANDARDS Doctrine Clarification Series DCS 20-001 Competitive Timing Logic in Military Drill Performance The Structural “Why” Behind Time Limits Time limits in drill competition are not arbitrary administrative constraints. They are structural safeguards rooted in physiology, motor learning science, program design theory, audience psychology, and adjudication reliability. When timing windows are inflated without structural justification, performance density …
A Clarification for Leaders, Instructors, and Ceremonial Teams Drill and Ceremonies (D&C) is often dismissed as “just tradition” or “just training.” That classification is incomplete. D&C is not operational warfighting doctrine. But it functions as institutional service doctrine—the body of standards that governs how a military service visibly represents authority, discipline, and national legitimacy. That distinction matters. What Doctrine Actually …
Public discussion frequently merges two separate realities:
Congressional recognition of World War II Merchant Mariners as veterans and legal and doctrinal authority to form or represent a color guard
Joint color guards representing the Department of Homeland Security are increasingly visible at national ceremonies, public events, and major sporting venues. Their presence reflects the broad mission of DHS and the service of its many law-enforcement components.
Military drill and ceremonies are often dismissed today as outdated, overly formal, or “just tradition.” Yet long before drill manuals, long before modern armies, the greatest civilizations of the ancient world understood something profound: disciplined movement shapes disciplined minds. The way a person stands, walks, trains, and carries himself is inseparable from their character. The ancients believed this so deeply …
Drift in Drill & Ceremonies is not accidental.
It is not generational. It is not ignorance alone. And it is not simply ego.
Authority, Emulation, and Ego in Drill & Ceremonies The category error: elite ceremonial technique being imitated in environments where it is not authorized. This is subtle — and therefore more dangerous — because it looks disciplined. What People Are Copying The maneuver being imitated is the four-man color guard countermarch executed with simultaneous pivots, as performed by: This technique is …
Across the United States, military and cadet units routinely conduct physical training runs with a unit guidon.
This practice is normal, historically grounded, and fully supported by service drill doctrine.
Recently, I received a very good question regarding Civil Air Patrol cadets and if they can circumvent the CAP written drill and ceremonies standards that do not follow USAF doctrine. At first it makes sense to skip over bad CAP writing and opt to follow the parent service doctrine. However, that’s not the way things work. Let’s get into this.
In the somber process of bringing home our fallen service members, every detail matters. The sight of a flag-draped casket signifies the highest honor a nation can bestow. However, a modern logistical trend is starting to violate the very protocols meant to protect that dignity: the practice of draping the interment flag over the shipping container holding the casket, rather …