Increasing Knowledge on Military Strategy

army2021

Member
Joined
Jan 4, 2015
Messages
299
If anyone has any resources they'd recommended, primarily looking at books, but also videos, sites, etc., that I could do my own research into American military strategy? I'm looking to have either my major or a minor be involved in the field and am overall just very interested in the subject. Currently I'm reading Counterinsurgency by David Kilcullen, and others on my list include Rise to Globalism, Every War Must End, and potentially The Tragedy of Great Power Politics. Looking more so at overall strategy rather than histories of specific wars (yet suggestions which overlap are welcomed) and unit tactics and such. For instance, looking at things that would be on the Senior Officer (COL-GEN) level of the Commandants reading list, but those aimed once again at strategy rather than leadership at that level. Thank you for your time and help. Have a nice day.
 
I'll OTE="kinnem, post: 550164, member: 8505"]Anything by B.H. Liddle Hart[/QUOTE]
I'll check out his work. Thank you!
 
Pork Chop Hill: The American Fighting Man in Action by S.L.A. Marshall.

The fighting took place in the last weeks of the Korean War, when everyone knew the peace talks could end the conflict at any day, any hour, any minute.

Nonetheless, junior officer still had to order Americans into combat to hold a basically meaningless hill, and have their orders actually followed. The troops, mostly reluctant draftees, were in no way motivated to initiate offensive actions to probe Chinese positions. The urge to retreat when the Chinese launched their night time attacks was ever present. 2nd lieutenants who were in college six months earlier led GIs who were in high school six months earlier in a battle nobody back home in America really cared about.

It was, to say the least, a challenge for American military leadership. A shi**y situation. In a largely close-quarters infantry fight (where Soviet-supplied Chinese were about as well-armed as their American counterparts) the Americans inflicted casualties on an 8-t0-1 ratio in their favor.

Not a grand battle on great scale (a la Battle of the Bulge or Iwo Jima) but tremendous bravery, on both sides. Great book, detailing the grueling day-to-day (sometimes hour-to-hour) grinding brutality of a hard slogging fight.
 
Anything by ADM James Stavridis, USN (Ret).
 
Sun Tzu is required reading for the topic.

"This Kind of War" is also a classic that covers a wide latitude.
 
Naval Strategy, and certainly outdated, but a good read because of it's historical influence (IMHO) in the 19th and early 20th century.
"The Influence of Sea Power Upon History, 1660-1783" Alfred Thayer Mahan
 
Back
Top