Reading List
In addition to our manuals which you can buy directly from us or from our growing network if ATP's and CFI's we have organized a thorough reading list of books that may be of interest to the serious student of defensive strategy. You can click on the book itself to purchase it directly from Amazon.
MANEUVER WARFARE AND FOURTH GENERATION WARFARE
Maneuver Warfare Handbook
William S. Lind Maneuver warfare, often controversial and requiring operational and tactical innovation, poses perhaps the most important doctrinal questions currently facing the conventional military forces of the U.S. Its purpose is to defeat the enemy by disrupting the opponent’s ability to react, rather than by physical destruction of forces. This book develops and explains the theory of maneuver warfare and offers specific tactical, operational, and organizational recommendations for improving ground combat forces. The authors translate concepts—too often vaguely stated by manuever warfare advocates—into concrete doctrine. Although the book uses the Marine Corps as a model, the concepts, tactics, and doctrine discussed apply to any ground combat force.
The Pentagon’s New Map
Thomas P.M. Barnett
Since the end of the Cold War, America's national security establishment has been searching for a new operating theory to explain how this seemingly "chaotic" world actually works. Gone is the clash of blocs, but replaced by what? Thomas Barnett has the answers. A senior military analyst with the U.S. Naval War College, he has given a constant stream of briefings over the past few years, and particularly since 9/11, to the highest of high-level civilian and military policymakers-and now he gives it to you. The Pentagon's New Map is a cutting-edge approach to globalization that combines security, economic, political, and cultural factors to do no less than predict and explain the nature of war and peace in the twenty-first century. Building on the works of Friedman, Huntington, and Fukuyama, and then taking a leap beyond, Barnett crystallizes recent American military history and strategy, sets the parameters for where our forces will likely be headed in the future, outlines the unique role that America can and will play in establishing international stability-and provides much-needed hope at a crucial yet uncertain time in world history. For anyone seeking to understand the Iraqs, Afghanistans, and Liberias of the present and future, the intimate new links between foreign policy and national security, and the operational realities of the world as it exists today, The Pentagon's New Map is a template, a Rosetta stone. Agree with it, disagree with it, argue with it-there is no book more essential for 2004 and beyond.
The Sling and the Stone: On War in the 21st Century
Thomas X. Hammes
4GW (Fourth Generation Warfare) is the only kind of war America has ever lost. And we have done so three times - in Vietnam, Lebanon, and Somalia. This form of warfare has also defeated the French in Vietnam and Algeria, and the USSR in Afghanistan. As the only Goliath left in the world, we should be worried that the world's Davids have found a sling and stone that work." - Chapter 1, The Sling and the Stone: On War in the 21st Century. The War in Iraq. The War on Terror. These types of "asymmetrical" warfare are the conflicts of the 21st century - and show how difficult it is for the world's remaining superpower to battle insurgents and terrorists who will fight unconventionally in the face of superior military power. This change in military conflict may seem sudden.
Imperial Hubris: Why the West Is Losing the War on Terror
Michael Scheuer
Though U.S. leaders try to convince the world of their success in fighting al Qaeda, one anonymous member of the U.S. intelligence community would like to inform the public that we are, in fact, losing the war on terror. Further, until U.S. leaders recognize the errant path they have irresponsibly chosen, he says, our enemies will only grow stronger. According to the author, the greatest danger for Americans confronting the Islamist threat is to believe—at the urging of U.S. leaders—that Muslims attack us for what we are and what we think rather than for what we do. Blustering political rhetoric “informs” the public that the Islamists are offended by the Western world’s democratic freedoms, civil liberties, inter-mingling of genders, and separation of church and state. However, although aspects of the modern world may offend conservative Muslims, no Islamist leader has fomented jihad to destroy participatory democracy, for example, the national association of credit unions, or coed universities. Instead, a growing segment of the Islamic world strenuously disapproves of specific U.S. policies and their attendant military, political, and economic implications. Capitalizing on growing anti-U.S. animosity, Osama bin Laden’s genius lies not simply in calling for jihad, but in articulating a consistent and convincing case that Islam is under attack by America. Al Qaeda’s public statements condemn America’s protection of corrupt Muslim regimes, unqualified support for Israel, the occupation of Iraq and Afghanistan, and a further litany of real-world grievances. Bin Laden’s supporters thus identify their problem and believe their solution lies in war. Anonymous contends they will go to any length, not to destroy our secular, democratic way of life, but to deter what they view as specific attacks on their lands, their communities, and their religion. Unless U.S. leaders recognize this fact and adjust their policies abroad accordingly, even moderate Muslims will join the bin Laden camp.
Neither Shall The Sword
Chet Richards Events
Since Sept. 11, 2001, have introduced the world to a new type of threat, one not tied to a particular country and one that doesn’t field conventional armies to challenge us on the battlefield. Al-Qaida and its kin have taken the techniques of guerrilla warfare, added new technologies such as the Internet, and brought war to the homelands of the United States and Western Europe. Despite spending on defense that equals the rest of the world, combined, and initiating a war in Iraq that will likely surpass Vietnam in cost, the United States has yet either to destroy al-Qaida or to defeat a group of ragtag insurgents concentrated in the areas around Baghdad. The U.S. Department of Defense (DoD), designed to defeat the Soviet Union, is not only unsuited for this new form of conflict, it cannot be transformed into an organization that is. It is time for DoD to be abolished to make way for new approaches. Among these would be a restructuring of the Armed Services to eliminate not only our large, heavy formations but the mindsets that accompany them. In their place, we should consider forces that blur the boundary between "civilian" and "military" as well as between government and private industry. We can be sure that our opponents have not ruled out any form of organization, and if we are to win, we must be at least as creative. Forces, even radically re-created ones, can be effective only as part of a coherent national strategy. There are two generic approaches for building such a strategy: rollback, where we intervene to eliminate regimes that harbor or might harbor terrorists, and containment, where we take measures to protect ourselves from attack, but otherwise limit involvement to intelligence, police, and diplomatic measures. This book sympathizes with the goal of rollback, but considering its costs and lack of success in places like Iraq, recommends containment as the strategy most likely to protect against terrorists acts, while not making life in the developing world more dangerous than it already is.
Sun Tzu - The Art Of War
Thomas Cleary
Sun Tzu's Art of War, compiled more than two thousand years ago, is a study of the anatomy of organizations in conflict. It is perhaps the most prestigious and influential book of strategy in the world today. Now, this unique volume brings together the essential versions of Sun Tzu's text, along with illuminating commentaries and auxiliary texts written by distinguished strategists. The translations, by the renowned translator Thomas Cleary, have all been published previously in book form, except for The Silver Sparrow Art of War, which is available here for the first time. This comprehensive collection contains: The Art of War: This edition of Sun Tzu's text includes the classic collection of commentaries by eleven interpreters. Mastering the Art of War: Consisting of essays by two prominent statesmen-generals of Han dynasty China, Zhuge Liang and Liu Ji, this book develops the strategies of Sun Tzu's classic into a complete handbook of organization and leadership. It draws on episodes from Chinese history to show in concrete terms the proper use of Sun Tzu's principles. The Lost Art of War: Written more than one hundred years after Sun Tzu's text, by Sun Bin, a linear descendant of Sun Tzu, this classic of political and military strategy is faithful to the principles of The Art of War, while developing their practical application much further. The Silver Sparrow Art of War: A version of Sun Tzu's Art of War based on a manuscript of the classic text discovered at a Chinese archeological site in China's Shandong Province in 1972, which contains previously unknown fragments.
Boyd:The Fighter Pilot Who Changed the Art of War
Robert Coram
John Boyd may be the most remarkable unsung hero in all of American military history. Some remember him as the greatest U.S. fighter pilot ever -- the man who, in simulated air-to-air combat, defeated every challenger in less than forty seconds. Some recall him as the father of our country's most legendary fighter aircraft -- the F-15 and F-16. Still others think of Boyd as the most influential military theorist since Sun Tzu. They know only half the story. Boyd, more than any other person, saved fighter aviation from the predations of the Strategic Air Command. His manual of fighter tactics changed the way every air force in the world flies and fights. He discovered a physical theory that forever altered the way fighter planes were designed. Later in life, he developed a theory of military strategy that has been adopted throughout the world and even applied to business models for maximizing efficiency. And in one of the most startling and unknown stories of modern military history, the Air Force fighter pilot taught the U.S. Marine Corps how to fight war on the ground. His ideas led to America's swift and decisive victory in the Gulf War and foretold the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. On a personal level, Boyd rarely met a general he couldn't offend. He was loud, abrasive, and profane. A man of daring, ferocious passion and intractable stubbornness, he was that most American of heroes -- a rebel who cared not for his reputation or fortune but for his country. He was a true patriot, a man who made a career of challenging the shortsighted and self-serving Pentagon bureaucracy. America owes Boyd and his disciples -- the six men known as the "Acolytes" -- a great debt. Robert Coram finally brings to light the remarkable story of a man who polarized all who knew him, but who left a legacy that will influence the military -- and all of America -- for decades to come.
The John Boyd Compendium Available in digital format only at http://dnipogo.org/john-r-boyd/
BILL LIND’S “THE CANON”
For the student of fourth generation warfare Bill Lind has selected "The Canon" a series of books that, if read in the proper order, take the reader from the First generation of modern war into the Fourth. The books are listed below.
The Enlightened Soldier: Scharnhorst and the Militaerische Gesellschaft in Berlin, 1801-1805
Charles E. White, (Praeger, Westpower, CT, 1989) This volume explores the essence of German military professionalism as exemplified by the nineteenth century Prussian German Staff. The study focuses on the most important Prussian military reformer--Gerhard Johann David von Scharnhorst, who in 1801 founded the Militarische Gesellschaft (Military Society) in Berlin. The Gesellschaft became the focal point for the transformation of the Prussian army from a robotic war machine into a modern fighting force that was instrumental in defeating Napolean in 1813 and in 1815. The author examines the following elements of this military society: its membership; the specifics of its agenda; the intellect, imagination, and habits of thought, reflection, and objective analysis of its members; Scharnhorst's particular contributions.
The Seeds of Disaster: The Development of French Army Doctrine, 1919-1939
Robert A Doughty
An examination of the military doctrine that animated the French defense against the German invasion in 1940. - Argues that the French learned the wrong lessons from World War I and were ill prepared for World War II - Lessons for modern armies about how to learn from past wars and prepare for future wars - Winner of the Paul Birdsall Prize of the American Historical Association
Stormtroop Tactics: Innovation in the German Army, 1914-1918
Bruce Gudmundsson
Describing the radical transformation in German Infantry tactics that took place during World War I, this book presents the first detailed account of the evolution of stormtroop tactics available in English. It covers areas previously left unexplored: the German Infantry's tactical heritage, the squad's evolution as a tactical unit, the use of new weapons for close combat, the role of the elite assault units in the development of new tactics, and detailed descriptions of offensive battles that provided the inspiration and testing ground for this new way of fighting. Both a historical investigation and a standard of excellence in infantry tactics, Stormtroop Tactics is required reading for professional military officers and historians as well as enthusiasts. Contrary to previous studies, Stormtroop Tactics proposes that the German Infantry adaption to modern warfare was not a straightforward process resulting from the top down intervention of reformers but instead a bottom up phenomenon. It was an accumulation of improvisations and ways of dealing with pressing situations that were later sewn together to form what we now call Blitzkrieg. Focusing on action at the company, platoon, and squad level, Stormtroop Tactics provides a detailed description of the evolution of German defensive tactics during World War I—tactics that were the direct forbears of those used in World War II.
Command or Control? Command, Training and Tactics in the British and German Armies, 1888 -1918
Dr. Martin Samuels
This is a comparative study of the fighting systems of the British and German armies in The Great War. Taking issue with revisionist historians, Samuels argues that German success in battle can be explained by their superior tactical philosophy. The book provides a fascinating insight into the development of infantry tactics at a seminal point in the history of warfare.
The Breaking Point: Sedan and the Fall of France, 1940
Robert Doughty
An engaging narrative of the small-unit actions near Sedan during the 1940 campaign for France. - Reconstructs the fighting in and around Sedan by German panzer forces under the famous Heinz Guderian and their French opponents - Examines both sides of the battle, from privates up to generals - Recommended reading by the U.S. Army and U.S. Marine Corps
Fighting Power: German and US Army Performance, 1939-1945
Martin van Creveld
Martin van Creveld has produced yet another provocative book that … is bound to stimulate discussion. … With the aid of almost sixty tables and figures van Crevald conducts a sophisticated analysis of measurements and calculations, juxtaposing the Wehrmacht to the U.S. Army in order to establish where the secret of the former's superior efficiency lay in scoring more kills than the enemy. …van Creveld proceeds in a more sober and systematic way to look into a wide range of categories: social status, structure and mobility, army organization and administration, rewards and punishments, and the role of noncommissioned officers and of the officer corps.
The Transformation of War
Martin van Creveld
At a time when unprecedented change in international affairs is forcing governments, citizens, and armed forces everywhere to re-assess the question of whether military solutions to political problems are possible any longer, Martin van Creveld has written an audacious searching examination of the nature of war and of its radical transformation in our own time. For 200 years, military theory and strategy have been guided by the Clausewitzian assumption that war is rational - a reflection of national interest and an extension of politics by other means. However, van Creveld argues, the overwhelming pattern of conflict in the post-1945 world no longer yields fully to rational analysis. In fact, strategic planning based on such calculations is, and will continue to be, unrelated to current realities. Small-scale military eruptions around the globe have demonstrated new forms of warfare with a different cast of characters - guerilla armies, terrorists, and bandits - pursuing diverse goals by violent means with the most primitive to the most sophisticated weapons. Although these warriors and their tactics testify to the end of conventional war as we've known it, the public and the military in the developed world continue to contemplate organized violence as conflict between the super powers. At this moment, armed conflicts of the type van Creveld describes are occurring throughout the world. From Lebanon to Cambodia, from Sri Lanka and the Philippines to El Salvador, the Persian Gulf, and the strife-torn nations of Eastern Europe, violent confrontations confirm a new model of warfare in which tribal, ethnic, and religious factions do battle without high-tech weapons or state-supported armies and resources. This low-intensity conflict challenges existing distinctions between civilian and solder, individual c rime and organized violence, terrorism and war. In the present global atmosphere, practices that for three centuries have been considered uncivilized, such as capturing civilians or even entire communities for ransom, have begun to reappear. Pursuing bold and provocative paths of inquiry, van Creveld posits the inadequacies of our most basic ideas as to who fights wars and why and broaches the inevitability of man's need to "play" at war. In turn brilliant and infuriating, this challenge to our thinking and planning current and future military encounters is one of the most important books on war we are likely to read in our lifetime.
TRAINING RESOURCES
Telling Ain’t Training
Harold D. Stolovitch Erica J. Keeps
This book is an entertaining and practical guide for every trainer and performance improvement professional as it tackles the three universal and persistent questions of the profession—how do learners learn, why do learners learn, and how do you ensure that learning sticks. This interactive book with it fun and breezy style illustrate the authors' point of view that learning should be active and enjoyable. Playful illustrations demonstrate the solid research that back up the authors' contentions and help readers separate learning myth from fact to dispel beliefs and practices that often harm the instructional process.
On Killing
Lt. Col David Grossman
The good news is that most soldiers are loath to kill. But armies have developed sophisticated ways of overcoming this instinctive aversion. And contemporary civilian society, particularly the media, replicates the army's conditioning techniques, and, according to Lt. Col. Dave Grossman's thesis, is responsible for our rising rate of murder among the young. Upon its initial publication, ON KILLING was hailed as a landmark study of the techniques the military uses to overcome the powerful reluctance to kill, of how killing affects soldiers, and of the societal implications of escalating violence. Now, Grossman has updated this classic work to include information on 21st-century military conflicts, recent trends in crime, suicide bombings, school shootings, and more. The result is a work certain to be relevant and important for decades to come.
Training At The Speed Of Life
Kenneth Murray
Training at the Speed of Life Volume One is the first in a series of books dedicated to the development of safe and realistic training for police officers and military personnel, as well as any individual interested in the improvement in tactical abilities to handle dangerous encounters. This book begins with an in-depth analysis of the psychology of encounter. It continues with a discussion of the current deficiencies that exist within most people - civilians, police, and military alike - that inhibit optimal performance. The book then goes on to describe various types of training methods and models, including personal practice procedures through advanced scenario training. A great deal of material is presented on a step-by-step procedure for developing force-on-force scenario training. The latter part of the book describes the various technologies available as well as their application to Reality Based Training including weapons and ammunition suitable for training. It concludes with a haunting section on officers who have been killed in training over the past number of years and the reasons their training failed them. This book is a must for anyone who might place themselves in harm's way either through defense of themselves or the citizens of their community or nation. It it an extremely thorough treatment of a the fascinating subject of armed conflict and provides concrete training methods for preparing for high intensity conflicts. PLEASE NOTE: This book no longer comes with a CD with interactive forms. Instead, there is a link and password inside the book in order to provide readers with the most up to date forms online.
With Winning In Mind
Lanny Bassham
Be wary of the people no one wants on their team, the ones who are too small, too slow and not very capable. The unwanted have a built-in motivation to do whatever it takes to succeed that those who are picked first do not have. This is a story of such a person and what he did to find his place at the top of the world in his sport. I'm that person and this book is an introduction to what I've learned. I believe there is a mental system that when used will speed up the process of getting to the winner's circle. I am well aware that there are many fine self-improvement books available. Psychologists, motivational speakers, religious leaders and business professionals write them. A competitor writes this one. The Mental Management(R) System is not based on psychology, instead it is 100% based on competition. I did my apprenticeship in the arena of Olympic pressure. My credibility is not based on the courses I took in college; it's in my gold medals and the medals of my students. It's not theory; it's simply what works. My goal in this book is to share with you the mental techniques that I have discovered and used to win.
