Field-grade officers, CW4-CW5, senior NCOs

Military Review, Jan-Feb, 2005 by Peter J. Schoomaker

National Security Strategy of the United States of America, The White House, Washington, D.C., U.S. Government Printing Office (GPO), 17 September 2002, 31 pages, (available at <www.whitehouse.gov/nsc/nss.pdf>). The aim of this strategy is to help make the world safer and better, with the goal of political and economic freedom, peaceful relations with other nations, and respect for human dignity.

National Strategy for Combating Terrorism, The White House, Washington, D.C., GPO, February 2003, 30 pages, (available at <www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2003/02/counter_terrorism/counter_terrorism_ strategy.pdf>). The aim of this strategy is to establish a new international norm regarding terrorism that requires nonsupport, nontolerance, and active opposition to terrorists.

Inside al Qaeda: Global Network of Terror, Rohan Gunaratna, Berkley Publishing Group, New York, 2003, 304 pages, $14.00. Based on over 5 years of research, Inside al Qaeda is the definitive story behind the rise of this small, mysterious group to become the notorious organization making headlines today. The book is essential reading for senior officers and NCOs in the Global War on Terrorism.

Battle Cry of Freedom: The Civil War Era, James M. McPherson, Oxford University Press, New York, 2003, 944 pages, $18.95. Battle Cry of Freedom is James M. McPherson's brilliant account of the war that made the country what it is today--the American Civil War. In clear, incisive detail, he discusses the causes of the war, military operations, soldiers, and leaders, as well as the political, economic, and social aspects of life in the Union and the Confederacy before and during the war. Numerous historians have pronounced Battle Cry of Freedom the best one-volume book on the Civil War ever written. The book is essential reading for senior officers and NCOs wanting to understand this important conflict.

Supplying War: Logistics from Wallenstein to Patton, Martin Van Creveld, Cambridge University Press, New York, 1979, 295 pages, $29.99. In his survey of four centuries of military history, noted historian Martin Van Creveld points out clearly the reasons "amateurs study tactics; professionals study logistics." Most battlefield results would not have been possible without the careful organization and allocation of logistical resources. Field-grade officers, warrant officers, and senior NCOs who fail to consider logistics in their plans and operations do so at their peril.

George C. Marshall: Soldier-Statesman of the American Century, Mark A. Stoler, Twayne Publishers, New York, 1989, 252 pages, $22.00. General George C. Marshall played a pivotal role in U.S. history between 1939 and 1951. In this fascinating book, Mark A. Stoler integrates an extensive variety of primary and secondary sources, including Marshall's private papers, in the story of the frustrations and successes of Marshall's attempts to forge a workable military policy during World War II consistent with the basic principles of U.S. democracy. Best remembered for the Marshall Plan, Marshall is made comprehensible as a strategist at the center of the most destructive conflict in world history.

The General's War: The Inside Story of the Conflict in the Gulf, Michael R. Gordon and Bernard E. Trainor, Back Bay Books, New York, 1995, 576 pages, $18.95. Drawing on interviews with senior officials, Michael R. Gordon and Bernard E. Trainor provide a behind-the-scenes look at the highest levels of military decisionmaking that determined the outcome of the Persian Gulf War. The General's War is an excellent primer for all senior leaders about the importance of personality in politics and war.

On Becoming a Leader, Warren Bennis, Perseus Publishing, Cambridge, MA, Revised edition, 2003, 256 pages, $17.50. Management expert Warren Bennis shows how individuals develop leadership traits and how organizations encourage or stifle potential leaders. He profiles dynamic figures from diverse business arenas to demonstrate how all leaders share distinctive characteristics. This provocative examination will encourage all aspiring leaders to take risks, embrace change, and transform their visions into reality.

The Art of War, Sun Tzu, Samuel Griffith, trans., Oxford University Press, New York, New edition 2003, 222 pages, $9.95. Written in China over 2,000 years ago, Sun Tzu's The Art of War provides the first-known attempt to formulate a rational basis for planning and conducting military operations. These wise, aphoristic essays contain timeless principles acted on by such 20th-century Chinese generals as Mao Tse-tung.

On War, Carl von Clausewitz, Michael Howard and Peter Paret, ed. and trans., Princeton University Press, NJ, 1976, 711 pages, $14.95. This edition of On War, the third English version published, is easily the best. In this indexed edition, editors Michael Howard and Peter Paret provide an accurate translation from the original 1832 version. On War represents one of the greatest works on military thought and strategy ever written and contains ideas and concepts that apply at either the operational or the national level. Carl von Clausewitz remains essential reading for all senior leaders.