Things I Like: Justin Taylor on YouTube

It’s been a while since I did a “Things I Like” post, and given the fact that there is a lot of military news, I thought I would recommend one of my favorite military YouTubers.

Today’s featured fellow is probably not the guy you go to for a hot take on a military movement or a tactical analysis of an imminent or just completed operation, but rather is somebody who explains the backstory of how the United States military works, the problems it faces, and how, on an operational level, the people on the ground address the challenges. 

I’m talking about Justin Taylor, who has a modest-sized YouTube channel that is just a hell of a lot of fun to watch, and from which you can learn about the on-the-ground level of what it is like to serve in the US military, and what the challenges are both for soldiers and for the military planners who are trying to achieve objectives. 

A lot of the military-related YouTube channels I watch have a more analytical focus. The presenters are able to give their perspectives from the point of view of former members of the military (usually the Air Force or the Navy), but their focus is more from a 10,000-foot perspective, with some added value based on their having served on the front lines. 

Taylor, like another favorite of mine, Chris Cappy, didn’t stick around to rise up the ranks, which  may seem to be a weakness, but actually turns out to be a strength. Their perspective is based very much on the practical side of things, and they use their experience to flesh out the level below the higher-level strategic stuff we often focus on. 

Taylor is a West Point grad, but you would never know it from his videos. Well, you might, in the sense that he is clearly very smart and knows a lot of stuff. But that isn’t what jumps out at you; what does is just how much he understands infantry life, tactics, and why the military is as it is. 

It’s not that Taylor doesn’t discuss the larger strategic issues; he does, and in a fun way. It’s just that he doesn’t do so from the perspective of a professor at the war college. 

I don’t watch these videos to confirm my priors, to help me get a grasp on what may happen in the next few days, but rather to get an informed and amusing view of what the reality on the ground is for those who have to make the vision of the policymakers happen. 

I wouldn’t say something as stupid as, “If you have to watch one military-related channel, this is the one” about Taylor (or Cappy, or anybody else…). There is no perfect perspective. Synoptic views only exist in novels, not real life.

But if you want a fun way to learn about military-related stuff, Justin is a great guy to follow. 

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