Knowledge that comes as second nature can also be referred to as tacit knowledge, and is not usually written down for a variety of reasons.
The ‘surprising’ part in my end comes from being jaded with how shallow so much media is today. It was refreshing to see details like this written down because it’s simultaneously obvious and true, and it lends credence to their analysis.
Or put more correctly, think tanks are collections of analysts who get paid to do research and generate reports on said research. This is often done to support an agenda on behalf of the one paying for it. But doesn't automatically make the research invalid.
A typical Western "military analyst" these days often comes with a law degree, MBA, or even a financial guy, sometimes with few years of service, or a stint in Westpoint, clinging for a claim of being "serious subject matter expert," and making money off that.
As I said few times over this week, a lot of them don't even know the difference in between a tank, and an APC, so bad it is really.
The ‘surprising’ part in my end comes from being jaded with how shallow so much media is today. It was refreshing to see details like this written down because it’s simultaneously obvious and true, and it lends credence to their analysis.