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When did World War III become so boring?
This month is the eighty-first anniversary of Japan’s attack on Pearl Harbor, which triggered America’s entry into World War II. Such events are not top of mind for most Americans. We seem exhausted after two decades of the global war on terror. As someone who came of age during the Cold War, I find myself asking “when did World War III become...
The Next Phase of the Russo-Ukraine War: The Impact of Air Force General Sergei Vladimirovich Surovikin
Originally posted on Defense.info The Kremlin announced in early October that a new overall theater commander had been appointed to run its ‘special military operation’ in Ukraine. The new commander of the Russian Ukrainian front is four-star Air Force General Sergei Vladimirovich Surovikin, who is also the commander of the Russian Aerospace...
Reaping the Whirlwind: Reflections on More Than Two Decades of Western Appeasement of Vladimir Putin
The War in Ukraine is – justifiably – the biggest news story in the world. Russia is delivering a major shock to the Post-Cold War geo-political system. Why is this happening now and how did it happen? I think it’s important to understand that the ongoing catastrophe in Ukraine is in many ways the product of some twenty-three years of Western...
How I Choose the Names of my Fictional Characters
I’m often asked how I choose the names of my fictional characters. In the case of The Able Archers, people have asked me how I chose the names of the two protagonists, the American Kevin Cattani, and the Russian Ivan Levchenko I chose Kevin Cattani’s name for the following reasons: My own first name is Celtic. My last name (Morra) is Italian...
Interview by Dr. Robbin Laird: How Not to End the World
I recently sat down with Dr Robbin Laird to chat about the relevance of The Able Archers to current events in Eastern Europe and elsewhere. How Not to End the World: Brian Morra Talks About The Able Archers By Robbin Laird Recently, I reviewed the forthcoming book by Brian J. Morra, entitled The Able Archers. The novel (which I highly recommend)...
Veterans Day/Series Preview
Today is Veterans Day/Remembrance Day. I’d like to acknowledge the service of my two grandfathers, both of whom saw combat in World War I. My maternal grandfather, John Flood, served as a non-commissioned officer in the British Army through all four years of the Great War. He was gassed twice. My paternal grandfather, John Morra, was a...
The Story Behind The Able Archers Dedications – Part Three
This is the third and final blog post on the men to whom I dedicated The Able Archers. Each was responsible in an important way for preventing an escalation to world war in the fall of 1983. General Charles L. Donnelly, Jr., United States Air Force (b. 24 August 1929, d. 3 July 1994) Lieutenant Colonel Stanislav Petrov, Air Defense Forces...
The Story Behind The Able Archers Dedications – Part Two
This post will continue my discussion of the three men to whom I have dedicated The Able Archers. I covered General Charles Donnelly, Jr., in my last blog post and will address Lieutenant General Leonard Perroots in a future one. Today’s post is about Lieutenant Colonel Stanislav Petrov – the ‘man who saved the world’. Lieutenant Colonel...
The Story Behind the Able Archers Dedications – Part One
I dedicated The Able Archers to the memory of three men who were instrumental in preventing an escalation to world war in the fall of 1983. General Charles L. Donnelly, Jr., United States Air Force (b. 24 August 1929, d. 3 July 1994) Lieutenant Colonel Stanislav Petrov, Air Defense Forces of the Soviet Union (b. 7 September 1939, d. 17 May 2017)...
Fictional protagonists of the Able Archers Series
Biographies of the fictional protagonists of the Able Archers Series Current as of November 1983 Kevin Cattani, United States Air Force Intelligence Born: Southern Virginia, USA, in 1956 Education: BA, College of William and Mary, Williamsburg, Virginia, 1977 US Air Force Training: Air Force Officers Training School, 1977, San Antonio, Texas...