What this fancy article calls "minimalism", I think anyone who has ever been through basic training is very familiar with. Except it wasn't trendy, fashionable,

What this fancy article calls "minimalism", I think anyone who has ever been through basic training is very familiar with. Except it wasn't trendy, fashionable, and certainly not "elite" - it was how you kept your personal area and your belongings unless you wanted a good smoking from your platoon sergeant. Additionally, the more uses you could find for a single item, meant less items for you to hump in your pack on a N-mile road march.