Recent Publications

War in the Villages: The U.S. Marine Corps Combined Action Platoons in the Vietnam War
April 21, 2023 — 50th Anniversary of Vietnam War in the Villages: The U.S. Marine Corps Combined Action Platoons in the Vietnam War by Ted N. Easterling | Reviewed by Dr. William Thomas Allison, professor of history, Georgia Southern University | Former Marine and Vietnam War veteran Ted Easterling evaluates the Marine Combined Action Platoons and their... MORE

War in the Village
US Army War College Press Parameters Bookshelf -- Online Book Reviews

Clear, Hold, and Destroy: Pacification in Phú Yên and the American War in Vietnam
April 21, 2023 — 50th Anniversary of Vietnam Clear, Hold, and Destroy: Pacification in Phú Yên and the American War in Vietnam by Robert J. Thompson III | Reviewed by Dr. Samantha A. Taylor, assistant professor of military and security studies, Air Command and Staff College | There is no shortage of books that explore the Vietnam War and why it ended the way it... MORE

Clear Hold, and Destroy
US Army War College Press Parameters Bookshelf -- Online Book Reviews

Determined to Persist: General Earle Wheeler, the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and the Military’s Foiled Pursuit of Victory in Vietnam
April 21, 2023 — 50th Anniversary of Vietnam Determined to Persist: General Earle Wheeler, the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and the Military’s Foiled Pursuit of Victory in Vietnam by Mark A. Viney | Reviewed by Dr. Gregory L. Cantwell, professor, Center for Strategic Leadership, US Army War College | How did the leadership dynamics of the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of... MORE

US Army War College Press Parameters Bookshelf -- Online Book Reviews

“Minotaurs, Not Centaurs: The Future of Manned-Unmanned Teaming”
April 12, 2023 — Contesting Paul Scharre’s influential vision of “centaur warfighting” and the idea that autonomous weapon systems will replace human warfighters, Sparrow and Henschke propose that the manned-unmanned teams of the future are more likely to be minotaurs—teams of humans under the control, supervision, or command of artificial intelligence. They examine the likely composition of the future force and prompt a necessary conversation about the ethical issues raised by minotaur warfighting. ... MORE

Useful Captives: The Role of POWs in American Military Conflicts
April 7, 2023 — Military History Useful Captives: The Role of POWs in American Military Conflicts Edited by Daniel Krebs and Lorien Foote | Reviewed by Dr. Michael E. Lynch, senior historian, Strategic Studies Institute, US Army War College | A book of useful and thought-provoking essays, Useful Captives: The Role of POWs in American Military History explores 300... MORE

Parameters Bookshelf – Online Book Reviews: Useful Captives: The Role of POWs in American Military

Old & New Battlespaces: Society, Military Power, and War
April 7, 2023 — Changing Character of War Old & New Battlespaces: Society, Military Power, and War by Jahara Matisek and Buddhika Jayamaha | Reviewed by Dr. Robert J. Bunker, director of research and analysis and managing partner, C/O Futures, LLC | In Old & New Battlespaces: Society, Military Power, and War, Drs. Jahara Matisek and Buddhika Jayamaha, examine the... MORE

Parameters Bookshelf – Changing Character of War
Old & New Battlespaces: Society, Military Power, and War
by Jahara Matisek and Buddhika Jayamaha

Career Diplomacy: Life and Work in the US Foreign Service – Fourth Edition
April 7, 2023 — Diplomacy Career Diplomacy: Life and Work in the US Foreign Service – Fourth Edition by Harry W. Kopp and John K. Naland | Reviewed by Christopher Sandrolini, Foreign Service Officer and professor, US Army War College | Like the military, American diplomacy predates the federal government. Career Diplomacy describes the US Foreign Service’s history... MORE

Parameters Bookshelf – Online Book Reviews: Career Diplomacy: Life and Work in the US Foreign Service – Fourth Edition

“The Case for an Army Stability Professional”
April 5, 2023 — The US Army is unprepared to occupy and stabilize territory because it does not adequately educate active-duty officers to do so. One way to professionalize the Army’s ability to carry out military government and stability operations is to develop active-duty functional area officers who can advise commanders and integrate staff planning for these operations. In this episode, author Andrew Colvin analyzes case studies, doctrine, and commentary to envision specialized staff officers with foreign language proficiency, cultural skills, advanced academic abilities, and a strong professional ethic. These officers would enhance the Army’s competence in stabilizing territory to achieve American policy objectives. ... MORE

On “The Grand Strategy of Gertrude Bell”: From the Arab Bureau to the Creation of Iraq
March 29, 2023 — The remarkable life of early-twentieth-century British adventurer Gertrude Bell has been well documented through her biographies and numerous travel books. Bell’s role as a grand strategist for the British government in the Middle East during World War I and the postwar period, however, is surprisingly understudied. Investigating Gertrude Bell as both a military strategist and a grand strategist offers important insights into... MORE

“Enhancing US Global Competitiveness through Women, Peace, and Security”
March 27, 2023 — In this episode: Global powers, regional hegemons, and non-state actors engaged in a perennial state of competition dominate today’s security environment. In response, the Department of Defense has adopted the competition continuum model of cooperation, competition below armed conflict, and armed conflict. The military could significantly improve its efforts to compete along this continuum and achieve national security objectives by leveraging the Women, Peace, and Security global policy framework that supports gender equality and values women’s diverse roles in global security. ... MORE

Review and Reply: On “Why America’s Army Can’t Win America’s Wars”
March 13, 2023 — Since achieving victory in World War II, the United States military has a less than enviable combat record in irregular warfare. This exchange provides differing perspectives on where past decisions and doctrines have led to defeat and where they may have succeeded if given more time or executed differently. This episode responds to John A. Nagl’s article, “Why America’s Army Can’t Win America’s Wars,” published in the Autumn 2022 issue of Parameters (vol. 52, no. 3). ... MORE

“Factoring Gender into Kinetic Operations”
March 9, 2023 — US military practice neither considers the gendered effects of kinetic actions in the planning and executing operations nor tracks and measures them. The Department of Defense’s implementation of the Women, Peace, and Security Act of 2017 instead focuses on the role of women in preventing armed conflict and resolving it. The implementation of the Department of Defense’s new Civilian Harm Mitigation and Response Action Plan, however, provides an opportunity to close this gap in an operationally relevant way. ... MORE