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Category: Parameters Bookshelf

War of Supply
November 22, 2023
Book Review: War of Supply John A. Bonin Author: David D. Dworak Reviewed by Dr. John A. Bonin, consultant, US Army War College The reviewer notes, “While there are thousands of books about World War II, there are relatively few on the war in the Mediterranean and fewer on its logistics.” Dworak provides just that, with a chronological account of Operation Torch in North Africa; Operations Husky, Avalanche, and Shingle in Sicily and Italy; and Operation Dragoon in southern France. https://press.armywarcollege.edu/parameters_bookshelf/30
Blood and Ruins: The Last Imperial War, 1931–1945
November 22, 2023
Book Review: Blood and Ruins: The Last Imperial War, 1931–1945 Jonathan Klug Author: Richard Overy Reviewed by Jonathan Klug, colonel, US Army, and assistant professor, Department of Military Strategy, Planning, and Operations, US Army War College Teaser: Many track the start of World War II to Poland in 1939. In Blood Ruins, Richard Overy contends the 1931 Japanese invasion of Manchuria was the start of an Asian war that later merged into the 1939 war in Europe when Japan attacked America in 1939. The book addresses policy and strategy as well as operational, technical, and tactical issues. https://press.armywarcollege.edu/parameters_bookshelf/29
The Origins of Victory: How Disruptive Military Innovation Determines the Fates of Great Powers 
October 17, 2023
Book Review: The Origins of Victory: How Disruptive Military Innovation Determines the Fates of Great Powers https://press.armywarcollege.edu/parameters_bookshelf/28 Author: Andrew F. Krepinevich Jr. Reviewed by Zachery Tyson Brown, defense analyst, Office of the Secretary of Defense Andrew F. Krepinevich has questions for policymakers when it comes to emerging technologies and warfare. In The Origins of Victory: How Disruptive Military Innovation Determines the Fates of Great Powers, Krepinevich asks: How do states gain advantages in military competition during periods of disruptive change? How are developmental technologies best incorporated into legacy military structures? Or are entirely new structures necessary?
Four Battlegrounds: Power in the Age of Artificial Intelligence
October 17, 2023
Book Review: Four Battlegrounds: Power in the Age of Artificial Intelligence https://press.armywarcollege.edu/parameters_bookshelf/27 Author: Paul Scharre Reviewed by Dr. Robert J. Bunker, director of research and analysis, managing partner, C/O Futures, LLC TEASER: Award-winning author Paul Scharre’s latest work, Four Battlegrounds: Power in the Age of Artificial Intelligence, envisions artificial intelligence as ushering in a “new industrial revolution” with big military, economic, and political implications. The reviewer sees this “readable, tightly structured” book as “fascinating and important work from a US national security studies perspective” and “after-hours supplemental reading for US military and policy professionals who want to understand the political-military importance of AI and its strategic (in fact, civilizational) implications for the future.”
The Air War in Vietnam
September 21, 2023
Book Review by Vince Alcazar of The Air War in Vietnam Author: Michael E. Weaver Reviewed by Vince Alcazar, Air Force (retired) planner and fighter pilot, Department of Defense The Air War in Vietnam addresses President Lyndon B. Johnson’s administration’s use of airpower (or lack of it) and why American airpower underperformed, as well as airpower innovations that influenced the US warfare model in the Vietnam War. The reviewer bills this work as “…an indispensable volume of airpower scholarship. It is a richly developed analysis of airpower in a decade-long war with challenging hybrid characteristics and shifting US strategies.”
Spies and Shuttles: NASA’s Secret Relationship with the DoD and CIA
September 21, 2023
Book Review by Carlos Barrera and Manuel Carranza of: Spies and Shuttles: NASA’s Secret Relationship with the DoD and CIA Author: James E. David Reviewed by Professor Carlos Barrera, Mexican Institute for Strategic Studies in National Security and Defence, and Manuel Carranza, defense and security affairs researcher Starting with the 1957 launches of the Soviet Union’s Sputnik 1 and 2, James E. David’s autobiography “offers a cautionary tale on grandiloquent endeavors and highlights the need to prioritize planning over narrative” in space. David was a curator in the Division of Space History at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum, which gave him access to newly declassified materials. He put this information to good use in Spies and Shuttles as he chronicles NASA’s history and impact.
Original Sin: Power, Technology and War in Outer Space
September 21, 2023
Book Review by Jeffrey Caton of: Original Sin: Power, Technology and War in Outer Space Author: Bleddyn E. Bowen Reviewed by Jeffrey Caton, colonel, US Air Force (retired), and president, Kepler Strategies LLC Based on three key arguments, Original Sin covers the development of spacepower during the Cold War, space technology’s progress, and the weapons, planning and doctrine that surround space warfare. The reviewer notes, “What sets Original Sin apart from similar books is the outstanding context it provides and its willingness to challenge trite slogans attached to spacepower.”
Without Flyers, No Tannenberg: Aviation on the Eastern Front of 1914—Evolution of a Critical Role for Modern Warfare
September 21, 2023
Book Review by Greg Pickell: Without Flyers, No Tannenberg: Aviation on the Eastern Front of 1914—Evolution of a Critical Role for Modern Warfare Authors: Terrence J. Finnegan, Helmut Jäger, and Carl J. Bobrow Reviewed by Greg Pickell, US Army lieutenant colonel (retired) Providing valuable historical context, Without Flyers, No Tannenberg “offers a wealth of previously unavailable information and provided needed context to the German triumph over the Russian 2nd Army in the opening weeks of the First World War.” The book describes how aviation developed in Germany and Russia and offers detailed maps and graphics. The latter part of the book covers events following the defeat of Russian General Samsonov’s 2nd Army, to include the Battle of the Masurian Lakes and the campaign that followed.
Strategia: A Primer on Theory and Strategy for Students of War
August 29, 2023
Book Review by Phillip Dolitsky: Strategia: A Primer on Theory and Strategy for Students of War Author: Charles S. Oliviero Reviewed by Phillip Dolitsky, master’s student at the School of International Service, American University Strategia: A Primer on Theory and Strategy for Students of War poses the question “What is the true nature of war?” According to the author, even after studying war for 2,000 years, it is still misunderstood. Topics include war on land, war at sea, and war in the air. The reviewer notes that several relevant strategists names are noticeably absent from the work, including J. C. Wylie, Raymond Aron, Colin S. Gray, and Edward N. Luttwak, and even Thucydides.
How Civil Wars Start and How to Stop Them
August 29, 2023
Book Review by Robert J. Bunker: How Civil Wars Start and How to Stop Them Author: Barbara F. Walter Reviewed by Dr. Robert J. Bunker, director of research and analysis, managing partner, C/O Futures LLC How Civil Wars Start and How to Stop Them was written to acquaint readers with “the conditions that give rise to, and define, modern civil war” to “[understand how] close modern America is to erupting into conflict” (xviii). The reviewer notes, “American military officers, sworn government agents, and officials will find the work troubling” and praises its “nonpartisan exploration and objective analysis” in tackling a difficult topic.
Team America: Patton, MacArthur, Marshall, Eisenhower, and the World They Forged
August 29, 2023
Book Review by Wylie W. Johnson: Team America: Patton, MacArthur, Marshall, Eisenhower, and the World They Forged Author: Robert L. O’Connell Reviewed by Rev. Dr. Wylie W. Johnson, US Army War College class of 2010 Although early twentieth-century America’s Army was small, meagerly funded, short on equipment, and rife with other struggles, it saw the rise of great leaders. Team America: Patton, MacArthur, Marshall, Eisenhower, and the World They Forged focuses on four of them. They came from different backgrounds, yet “Together they accounted for 19 stars; together they brought about victory in their generation. Two became Chief of Staff of the Army. One rose to become the US Commander in Chief.
The Good Captain: A Personal Memoir of America at War
July 21, 2023
The Good Captain: A Personal Memoir of America at War