Photograph of Fort Monroe, Virginia
Reviews
Brief Thoughts on a Multitude of Media, from books, to television to movies and PodCasts
Rating Methodology
1 Star: Unreadable and/or filled with false or incorrect information
2 Stars: Readable but not enjoyable and/or author gets some facts wrong
3 Stars: Readable and/or enjoyable. I learned a little from reading this book.
4 Stars: Thoroughly enjoyable and I learned a great deal from reading this book
5 Stars: Thoroughly enjoyable, and not only did I learn, but the author offers insights that advance knowledge
A must read for anyone looking to understand veterans returning from war. Shay takes a unique look at combat trauma through the eyes of Vietnam Veterans. Further, Shay then takes various passages from the Iliad to display how warriors have experienced similar aspects of conflict since the dawn of warfare.
Terrific book that details doctrinal change in the U.S. Army beginning with the Active Defense Concept, though the ideas of AirLand Battle, culminating in the efforts to integrate counterinsurgency doctrine. More than a history of doctrine, Jensen describes the conditions that enable innovation. Moreover, the innovation is examined through the lens of non-material solutions within the DOTMLPF-P paradigm. These conditions include incubators, or small groups outside the normal chain of command who can think and develop ideas without the normal constraints of a large bureaucracy. Further, these new and innovative ideas need more than support, but rather a champion for their cause. Any military officer working in a futures command, a training command, or on a service staff should take the time to read this book.
Inside the Five Sided Box: Lessons Learned from a Lifetime of Leadership in the Pentagon
by Ash Carter
4 out of 5 Stars
Terrific book that details the decision making and leadership lessons of the former #3, #2, and #1 leader in the Pentagon (Acquisition Czar, Deputy SECDEF, and SECDEF). Ash Carter served in multiple high level positions culminating as the Secretary of Defense in the last two years of the Obama Administration. His insights into how a Defense Secretary take information and process it to inform decisions makes this book worth the time to read.
Carter discusses all aspects from the intricacies of the budget to organizational leadership, to nuclear command and control to how he prepared for congressional testimony. A must read for defense and military professionals who look to serve at the strategic and policy level.
The General’s War: Operational Level Command on the Western Front 1918
by David T. Zabecki
4 out of 5 Stars
Terrific book that examines the operational level of war along with the leaders and decisions at said level. The book reviews the performance of Foch, Petain, Pershing, Haig, Ludendorff, and Hindenburg. Ultimately, when generals succeeded, it was due to their ability to link tactical actions in space and time to form an operational campaign. These campaigns focused and never lost sight of operational objectives.
Not lost in the author’s account is his descriptions of the operational level of war. An understanding and ability to think at this level, which between the tactical and the strategic is often what separates professionals from amateurs.
Moving Mountains; Lessons in Leadership and Logistics from the Gulf War
by William G. Pagonis and Jeffrey L. Cruikshank
3 out of 5 Stars
Good book that details General Pagonis's leadership lessons and sustainment/logistics lessons from the onset of Desert Shield, through Desert Storm, and into the redeployment operations of Desert Farewell. Some highlights:
-Observations that we were lucky to fight an adversary with no navy or real air force to contend with, hence movement into theater was uncontested
-Trust the TPFDD; what you think you need right now, may not be what you need a week or a month from now, maintain a wide perspective and protect future operations
-The army needs more HETs and Material Handling Equipment, (we still do), we can't always rely on the ability to contract for them in theater
-Armies Eat and Armies Drive
-Don't gloss over the value of MWR
-Don't gloss over the value of medals, coins, and other awards...the military doesn't offer instant promotions, changes in title, or cash bonuses...use the tools that you have
-Treasure disagreements, and resolve them
How the War was Won: Air-Sea Power and Allied Victory in World War II
by Phillips Payson O’Brien
5 out of 5 Stars
Terrific book that examines the air and maritime conflicts of World War II. the author proposes that it was the conflict in the air and on the sea that was paramount to the defeat of Nazi Germany and Imperial Japan. Once the U.S. won the Battle of the Atlantic and took the Marianas Islands, the outcome of the the war was certain. Moreover, the author proposes that the air and sea aspects of the war was the main effort of the United States, well above any land battles. Indeed, the U.S. destroyed more enemy land forces in the production and transportation phase than in battle when they were employed.
This book was terrific, an absolute must read for anyone who wants to understand what "readiness" means. Betts describes how readiness, like anything else in DoD or the services is about choices. Betts describes the differences between Operational Readiness and Structural Readiness, and how investment in one leads to risk in another. Leaders should move beyond promoting "readiness" as a broad concept and look to answer three questions:
1. Readiness for When?
2. Readiness For What?
3. Readiness Of what?
Terrific book that examines material and non-material innovations of the U.S. Navy in the lead up and during the Second World War. These innovations include fire control mechanisms, the development of the Combat Information Center (CIC), and the PAC 10. Further, Hone describes how the Navy emphasized war games and experimentation to transform itself into a learning organization. Hone's emphasis on the value of doctrine, battle drills, an understanding of the tactical, operational, and strategic levels of war provide the reader valuable insights into how each of today's services should prepare for the next war.
This was a terrific book! The author takes the reader on a world and history tour to describe the flags of the world. Marshall goes further than current nation states and discusses the flags of non-state actors such as the Red Cross, Hezbollah, the United Nations and NATO. Each color and design on every flag has some type of meaning, either real or legend. Some flags have symbols of piece, others display swords, or an AK-47. Colors on flags can represent ethnic groups, religion, or red for blood combined with white for peace.
For anyone interested in world history, military history, or flags in general, I highly recommend this book.
An entertaining book where Zinni shares his thoughts and lessons learned from over 39 years of service. Zinni criticizes the lack of strategic understanding by policy makers on the appropriate use and employment of the military. Further, Zinni takes the time to critique how the U.S. went about the fights in Afghanistan and Iraq throughout the book. His thesis seems to center on leaders and policy makers need to take the time to carefully plan and think through the effects of using the military to achieve policy ends. Further, Zinni makes the case that other agencies / elements of national power require planning capabilities to better contribute to America's overseas adventures.
Worth the time to read.
The best book I read in 2018. The story tells the tale of a young women and her time in the IDF. While she never saw major combat operations, her experiences in day-to-day missions such as checkpoints leave her scarred.
The author’s voice and writing is unforgettable, strong, descriptive, and unique. Some examples of the writing:
“I just understood that there are people who live or the fight; for the moments before you lose or win. People for whom this world is not enough; they want ice water in their veins, beauty at any cost, climbing out of ditches under gunfire, exploding necklaces of grenades…And then I knew: those fascinating people – I was never one of them.”
“I was on the landline the whole night talking to Avishag. All of the other girls stayed at Lea’s party. She made people stay, even after they heard something was up with Dan. I didn’t care about that. And I didn’t care that my mom could hear me or that my sister could hear me or that my dad could hear me. At first the thing that was up was that Dan hit his head so Avishag was worried, and then the thing was that he was badly injured in the head and in the hospital but Avishag’s mom told her not to go, and then the thing was that he was accidentally shot in the head, and then the final thing was that he and a couple of classmates went to the cellular tower hill and they called this girl, or that, but then they played Russian roulette because no one answered. I mean, no one but those in the town had cell reception and almost everyone was at Lea’s party, and that was the thing. At six in the morning the thing was that Dan had died.
But I don’t believe any of these rumors. I think he just went up that hill and blew his fucking brains out all by himself. “
The Rise of the Military Welfare State
by Jennifer Mittlestadt
3 out of 5 Stars
This was an interesting history on the development of many of the Army's social programs, from on-base clubs to Family Readiness Groups (FRGs). Mittelstadt contrasts how free market economists such as Milton Freedman advocated for simply giving soldiers more cash, while career soldiers such as Westmoreland advocated for the Army providing housing and other services. Interestedly, it was under Clinton and Gore that the Army moved to the free market models.
What the book lacks is any insights or discussion on the way forward, and what the Army could do better. With that I would move the book to 4-stars. For any career officer, or anyone entering command, I would suggest this book as an excellent background on the services that soldiers and family members expect.
This is a strong book on the considerations that go into grand strategy and the traits of someone who aspires to be a grand strategist. Gaddis offers a multitude of considerations using the teachings and lessons learned from the likes of Thucydides, Clausewitz, Octavian/Augustus, Napoleon, and Lincoln to name just a few. Some of these names, such as Napoleon serve as an example of poor strategy (albeit with outstanding tactics and operational art).
The only shortfall I saw in this book was it's focus on Western strategy and strategists. A chapter on Mao, or Ho Chi Mihn would strengthen this book.
Terrific book. Schadlow, who is the current NSC deputy uses the case study method to examine America's success and failures in consolidating military victory. Schadlow argues that governance has been and always will be a key aspect of military operations, especially for the army, which is unique in its ability to gain and hold territory. Further, Schadlow makes the case that principles of war, specifically mass, still matter after major combat operations. When looking at force structure, the army needs to consider the capabilities to provide governance in the immediate aftermath of major combat operations. Simply wishing away the task to other government agencies who are not manned to do the job is the wrong path to take.
Other interesting points is her critique of the 6-Phase model, which she argues led to linear thinking of when to begin governance and transition. Using the model, planners in Iraq waited until the beginning of Phase 4 to begin governance, in lieu of simultaneous combat and governance in rear areas. This led to the U.S. losing the initiative in multiple areas where Shia militias supported by Iran filled governance gaps.
The Enlightened Soldier: Scharnhorst and the Militarische Gesellschaft in Berlin, 1801-1805
by Charles Edward White
4 out of 5 Stars
Probably the best book i have read on the development of the Prussian General Staff (this makes #3). Scharnhorst understood that nations should never rely on the "great man theory" for a military, rather they must create systems that allow for the continual replacement of each individual. Further, Scharnhorst took to ensure that the military became a profession, where the officers read and studied their profession.
It's an expensive book, one that I had to receive through an inter-library loan (not paying over $100 for the book). This book may not be worth to purchase, but it is worth the time to read and reflect upon.
A Passion for Leadership; Lessons on Change and Reform from Fifty Years of Public Service
by Robert M. Gates
4 out of 5 Stars
Fantastic book. Gates uses his lessons learned as the Director of the CIA, President of Texas A&M, and Secretary of Defense to write about leading change in large bureaucratic organizations. Gates focuses on a leader's ability to build teams and break down stovepipes as essential elements of strategic leadership. In building teams, Gates reflects that changing an organization may require a leader sacrifice speed of change with a gain of getting change right. Slowing down the pace allows for greater buy in of a program, as well as better developed recommendations from all those involved.
Gates also reflects on the value of investing in personal relationships to help in gaining support for change proposals. This may mean frequent meetings with academics and state legislatures while serving at a public university, or taking the time to engage with people on the hill while serving in the Pentagon or at Langley. It is a fast read, and worth the time to do so.
The Future of War; A History
by Lawrence Freedman
5 out of 5 Stars
In this book, Freedman takes a look at the history of predictions as they relate to war. His history goes back to the late 19th Century all the way through recent documents such as the National Intelligence Council's Global Trends report.
The Box: How the Shipping Container Made the World Smaller and the World Economy Bigger
by Mark Levinson
3 out of 5 Stars
This book details the emergence and subsequent global dominance of the standard shipping container. Before the rise of the internet, globalization began with the standardization of rail lines, shipping, and trucking based on the invention of the connex. Indeed, entire communities dependent on dock workers who would load and unload ships when they came into port literally disappeared due to containerization. As it became apparent those jobs would go away, unions did their best to keep workers involved through legislation banning certain containers.
The book is a long read, and at times becomes a slog as the author dives deep into the details of global shipping, the relationships between unions and corporations trying to change the industry, but well worth the time for anyone who has the slightest interest in logistics.
Growing Physician Leaders: Empowering Doctors to Improve Our Healthcare
by Mark Hertling
4 out of 5 Stars
In this book, retired general Mark Hertling draws on his military experience with leadership and applies it to the medical profession. However, these lessons in leadership apply to all areas or professions. Hertling stresses empathy as the key trait of leaders. the ability to understand and communicate with those one leads is paramount to success. Further, Hertling emphasizes the ability not just to understand others, but the necessity of self-awareness (using Sun Zsu's axiom "know thy enemy, and know thyself").
The leadership Herlting stresses to men and women in the medical profession is focused on individual leadership. Where I would have liked to see more on leadership from the former IMT, 2nd Armored Division, and USAREUR Commander is thoughts on how to lead large organizations, or strategic leadership. While his book certainly offers leadership lessons for anyone to apply, experienced military officers won't see anything new within the book; although given the recent spate of Flag Officer misconduct, perhaps some would.
Overall I would recommend this book to anyone new to leadership, and to experience leaders looking for a reminder of the fundamentals, or the blocking and tackling techniques we rely on.
Just War Reconsidered; Strategy, Ethics, and Theory
by James Dubik
4 out of 5 Stars
In this book, Dubik re-examines just war theory through the strategic lens. Dubik informs his readers that what occurs at the strategic level of warfare has a direct impact on actions that occur within a conflict. Dubik places the onus on strategic level leaders to properly set war aims, strategies, policies and military campaigns. This, according to Dubik is a Jus in bello responsibility of senior military and political leaders.
In addition to adding a new layer to the ethics of warfare, Dubik does a wonderful job of explaining decision making at the strategic level. There is a clear role of dialogue between senior military leaders, the executive, and the legislative branch of government. This dialogue impacts decision timelines, an aspect of war that flag officers should consider when developing their respective campaign plans.
I recommend this book to anyone looking to expand their mind on the ethics of warfare.
The German Generals Talk
by B.H. Liddell Hart
4 out of 5 Stars
B.H.L. Hart interviews the surviving German Generals from World War II and uses these interviews to form a wide ranging narrative from the Inter-war period though the Battle of the Ardennes. This includes the the invasions of Poland, France, the war in Russia, Normandy, and a section on the attempted assassination of Hitler in 1944. Hin interviews include German Generals such as Rundstedt, Kleist, Manstein, Thoma, and Manteuffel.
Throughout the book, Hart delivers useful observations and insights to anyone interested in WWII history, or the interplay of General Officers with their civilian leaders, albeit in Nazi Germany.
A fast paced book detailing the battle of Hue. Hue was the largest battle of the Tet offensive, and as it turns out a major victory for the North Vietnamese. The North Vietnamese completely surprised the American's with a conventional attack and defense of Hue. Few leaders at the GOFO level recognized the extent of the attack, nor what would be required to recapture the city. Indeed, leaders such as Westmoreland were in denial throughout the entire battle.
Bowden does a fine job in his research, telling the story from multiple perspectives. These include the tactical and strategic vantage points of both the Vietnamese and the Americans.
Thinking Fast and Thinking Slow
by Daniel Kahneman
5 out of 5 Stars
A must read for anyone interested in decision making. Kahneman describes the brain as operating in two distinct systems. System 1 where we make rapid decisions, and system 2 where we step back and think through our decisions. Kahneman also describes various types of heuristics (rules of thumb) we tend to use, and why they are wrong. For example, Kahneman looks at how we revert to the mean, and that we should not place too much emphasis on when we perform above and below that level. Kahneman pleads with his readers to step back, understand statistics and probabilities before making decisions. Where Kahneman hits is out of the ball park is how he describes what makes people happy. This is his final chapter and perhaps his greatest piece of writing. What makes us happy is being around the ones we love.
It might seen strange to have a book about hockey on a strategist's reading list. However, Ken Dryden, the famous goalie for the Montreal Canadians authors a magnificent book. Dryden details the 1979 season, a season that saw the beginning of the end of their hockey dynasty. Players who once scored 30 goals a season would score 20.
The one chapter in this book that really struck me was the chapter that detailed the rise of Soviet Hockey. Here, Dryden explores how the Soviets were able to start their national hockey program from a blank slate. This allowed for new types of thinking on playing and winning at the highest levels. The Soviets introduced the concept of puck control, creating space, and weaving players at various angles. This was in contrast tot he North American systems of skaters staying in their lanes, and playing a strictly vertical game.
The remarkable insight from Dryden, is he understood as a hockey player how much he could learn from his adversaries.
A Little War the Shook the World: Georgia, Russia, and the Future of the West
by Ronald S. Asmus
4 out of 5 Stars
I really enjoyed this book. The author stays at the strategic level of the conflict, and looked more towards the root causes of the conflict. The analysis of the Kosovo precedent was an aspect I had not seen before and helps to set the stage for the conflict. The irony of a nation training to and working with NATO making it less prepared for a major conflict with Russia was a little sad to read, but true.
Billion Dollar Lessons: What You Can Learn from the Most Inexcusable Business Failures of the Last 25 Years
by Paul B. Carroll and Chunka Mui
4 out of 5 Stars
When thinking about leadership or strategy, I find that is is better to understand failure than success. In Billion Dollar Lessons, Carroll explains multiple ways in which businesses fail at a spectacular level. The mental traps that CEOs and their businesses fall into correlate into how military and government planners fail in strategy. More than just describing the mental traps and anecdotal failures, Carroll provides recommendations on how to mitigate these risks. Paramount in the mitigation proposals is the concept of Red Teaming. A practice which in my opinion is underutilized by the military. I highly recommend this book as both a source for both military planning and military leadership.
Interesting, and a great follow up to "Salt, Sugar, Fat." America is addicted to caffeine, and not just with coffee. The author goes into detail on the history of caffeine in America, behind the scenes of soft drink and energy drink companies and how they target specific segments of the population. The author had a nice piece in the Washington Post on the "5 Myths of Caffeine"
I was disappointed in this book. Despite the title, the book parley focuses on the strategic and operational failures in both Iraq and Afghanistan. Rather, Bolger details a number of tactical level engagements, while interesting are largely irrelevant. Major incidents such as Abu Ghraib and the moral failures of servicemen and leaders in Iraq and Kirghistan receive a mere mention. Bolger's constant praise of Nate Sassman goes from bizarre to downright creepy. Sassman had a moral failing in Iraq, wrote a book on why he thought he did everything right, and Bolger seems to have bought into his BS. I do not recommend the purchasing of this book to anyone looking for an explanation of why we lost in read Fiasco by Tom Ricks, or either of Chandrasekaran's books
The Man in the High Castle
Amazon Series
4 out of 5 Stars
I published my review of The Man in the High Castle here on TheStrategyBridge.
Emma Sky does a wonderful job in describing the Iraq War from a non-military perspective, moreover, her observations on military culture are spot on. Sky, over the course of nearly a decade developed a profound understanding of Iraqi politics and culture, there may be no better expert other than Iraqis themselves. However...her expertise on Iraqi politics is tempered on what seems to be a lack of understanding of U.S. and British politics. She found it difficult to comprehend why President Obama was set on withdrawing from Iraq...good or bad, it was a campaign promise that he ran on and was elected to do. Ultimately the military exists as a form of national power to achieve political ends. Sky, in her service to the U.S., Britain, and Iraq seemed to miss this aspect.
I think the most profound statement within the book was her observation that General Odierno commanded nearly 150k troops in Iraq, yet only had 1 POLAD to guide the actions of his forces and staff. Sky was invaluable to U.S. military decision making, the U.S. military would be well advised to find more people like her for future conflicts...every General Officer needs a civilian adviser who can speak truth-to-power when the military staff is unable to.
A deep dive analysis of how the Luftwaffe fought in WWII. More than just the operational strategy, Murray relates the industrial and institutional decisions of Goering and the Third Reich and how they each led to ultimate defeat. The Luftwaffe fought on four fronts (Western Europe, Russia, Balkans and over Germany) simultaneously, with each new front the Germans opened, the Luftwaffe had to spread its forces, ultimately turning into a battle of attrition (aircraft and pilots) which they could never win. Further, decisions to loot factories in occupied territories and store machine parts in Germany ensured that when those factories were needed, they were not available. The Germans were not efficient occupiers.
The only flaw in the writing, Murray often gets bogged down with statistics and numbers which can be a bit mind numbing, but the prose and analysis in the book was spot on
Military Adaptation in War: With Fear of Change
by Williamson Murray
3 out of 5 Stars
I enjoyed this book as it relates to how militarys adapt during war. Murray is able to transition from tactical to operational to strategic historical points, but often spends too much time on tactical considerations that can be tedious to get through. I thought Murray could have spent some more time translating historical lessons learned to modern conflicts we find ourselves in
To End a War
by Richard Holbrooke
4 out of 5 Stars
Valuable insights from the man who helped forge the Dayton Accords to end the war in Bosnia. His writings displayed how invaluable American leadership is to European peace and the intersections of domestic politics and foreign affairs. What I found most fascinating was his descriptions of Milosevic, who in another life would fit in perfectly as an American politician.
Consequence: a Memoir
by Eric Fair
3 out of 5 Stars
My review of Consequence can be found here on TheStrategyBridge
Ghost Fleet: A Novel of the Next World War
By P.W. Singer
3 out of 5 Stars
As much as I enjoyed Singer's previous works of non-fiction, his first attempt at a novel leaves quite a bit to be desired. First the good; his writing style makes for an easy flow of the book. Singer's description of what future warfare may look like at the tactical level of war is fun to read, this includes how forces may use both soft and hard technology. Now the bad...little to zero character development throughout the book. I felt zero empathy for any characters...the only interesting sub-plot was the search for a serial killer, which ad no impact on the bigger picture of the conflict. A further weakness of the book is that Singer fails to communicate why two major powers would go to war in the first place other than people believed war was inevitable...hardly a matter of Fear, Honor, Interest.
Statesmanship, Character, and Leadership in America
By Richard Newell
3 out of 5 Stars
This book was pretty good, it focused on a number of American statesman (and women) from George Washington thru President Ford. Newell does a good job of presenting both sides of each individual case study, the weakness in the book is the singular focus on specific speeches of each statesman to sum up what is often a lifelong pursuit.
The Twilight War: The Secret History of America's 30-year Conflict with Iran
By David Crist
4 out of 5 Stars
Awesome and detailed history of 30 plus years of a low level conflict between the U.S. and Iran...interesting to read about how we essentially have been talking past each other for 30 years, and how internal politics in both Iran and the U.S. prevent constructive relations between the two nations
The Army After Next: The First Post-Industrial Army
By Thomas Adams
4 out of 5 Stars
Fascinating read, funny how we repeat ourselves as we go through the same issues today, from the "ilities" to the need for faster deployment times (that in reality are not necessary). Good accounts of the Stryker debacle and other assumptions that should never be made that we somehow make today...if you work in the institutional Army, you should read this book
Children at War
By P.W. Singer
4 out of 5 Stars
Enjoyed this book as I have for all of Singer's books. (I have read them in reverse order) Children at War explores how mores have been reduced over recent decades as children have become participants in conflicts across the globe. Children at War is not limited to Africa or the Middle East, but occurs in South America, Europe, and Asia. It continues to occur because as Pape would say on suicide bombings...it works. Not only has it worked, but for criminals and warlords who employ children have found them to be highly effective, cheap, and easily replaceable
Lifting the Fog of Peace: How American's Learned to Fight Modern War
By Janine Davidson
4 out of 5 Stars
I enjoyed this book, but was unclear of who the audience should be. It seemed to be written for the general public, but only defense professionals would likely read her book. Davidson does a nice job describing the Army's ability to successfully learn and implement change through doctrine. However, there are cases where learning goes wrong and leads to debacles such as Effects Based Operations...I would have liked to have seen her discuss those failed efforts.
Corporate Warriors: The Rise of the Privatized Military Industry
By P.W. Singer
4 out of 5 Stars
I enjoyed this book, it was largely written prior to all incidents with Blackwater over the past few years, but his predictions seem to come to fruition. This was also a good history of Private Firms in warfare, something not unique to the United States. Indeed, Singer discusses corporations such as The East India company, the use of "contractors" such as Baron Von Steuben, and the Hessions as examples of the ubiquity of corporate warfare.
The Iran - Iraq War
By Williamson Murray
4 out of 5 Stars
Nice that an author covered a War from the Strategic and Operational level of conflict. Two nations slugged it out over 8 years, Iran thought religious zeal and revolutionary fervor could replace sound tactics and strategy, from alienating the west which limited the ability to import arms and repair parts to refusing to make soldiers shave limiting the effectiveness of gas masks. For his part, Saddam Hussein did everything he could to cost hi nation the war, a great example of another dictator who understood nothing of warfare, and purged his best officers in fear of a strong army while at war.
Scales on War: The Future of America's Military at Risk
By Bob Scales
3 out of 5 Stars
Interesting topics covered by General Scales. The author makes important points on the need for the U.S. military to invest in our capabilities at the tactical level. He is insistent on the requirement for victory at the small unit level in warfare, specifically the infantry and other combat arms. I found two flaws in his arguments, first, Scales equates small tactical level victories to winning in warfare. He seems to believe that the sum of tactical wins will equal strategic success, this is rarely the case. Second, along the lines of General Smith's "The Utility of Force," Scales makes the assumption that future wars will resemble the wars of today. While this is possible, it may not be the case. The United States should decide what acceptable levels of risk are when determining force structure, and taking risk of losing in major combat operations vis-a-vis counterinsurgency may not be the best option.
A definite positive of the book was Scales description of the four types of General Officers, and his laying out the need for strategic level thinking in the General Officer Corps.
How Everything Became War and the Military Became Everything: Tales from the Pentagon
by Rosa Brooks
4 out of 5 Stars
Fascinating take on the state of U.S. foreign policy. Her basic thesis revolves on how the United States has evolved into a nation that looks to the military to solve nearly all its problems. More than just fighting the nations wars, the U.S. military takes on a range of missions from Humanitarian Assistance to Public Diplomacy, often leaving other agencies and elements of national power behind.
Grunt: The Curious Science of Humans at War
by Mary Roach
3 out of 5 Stars
In this book, Mary Roach examines the various way science assists American men and women in combat. From diarrhea medicine to exo-skeletons, Roach takes an in-depth look from the lab to the field.
War Play: Video Games and the Future of Armed Conflict
by Cory Mead
3 out of 5 Stars
decent book, it does give a nice history of models and simulations and how that Army has adopted them over the years. It does detail the success of such games as "America's Army" on recruiting, but does not go into detail on failures of games and why, rather he offers one small footnote.