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Book Review: The Air War in Vietnam
September 21, 2023 — 76th Birthday of Air Force | 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... MORE

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.”

Book Review: Spies and Shuttles: NASA’s Secret Relationship with the DoD and CIA
September 21, 2023 — 76th Birthday of Air Force | 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... MORE

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.

Book Review: Original Sin: Power, Technology and War in Outer Space
September 21, 2023 — 76th Birthday of Air Force | 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... MORE

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.”

Book Review: Without Flyers, No Tannenberg: Aviation on the Eastern Front of 1914—Evolution of a Critical Role for Modern Warfare
September 21, 2023 — 76th Birthday of Air Force | 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... MORE

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.

The Future Role of Strategic Landpower
August 29, 2023 — Dr. Gregory L. Cantwell, Major Justin M. Magula — IRP by the US Army War College, US Army War College Press, Strategic Studies Institute — "Recent Russian aggression in Ukraine has reenergized military strategists and senior leaders to evaluate the role of strategic Landpower. American leadership in the European theater has mobilized allies and partners to reconsider force postures for responding to possible aggression against NATO members. Although Russian revisionist activity remains a threat in Europe, the challenges in the Pacific for strategic Landpower must also be considered. At the same time, the homeland, the Arctic, climate change, and the results of new and emerging technology also challenge the application of strategic Landpower..."... MORE

Cover for the monograph "The Future Role of Strategic Landpower"

Book Review: Strategia: A Primer on Theory and Strategy for Students of War
August 29, 2023 — Strategy | 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... MORE

Book Review by Phillip Dolitsky: Strategia: A Primer on Theory and Strategy for Students of War

Book Review: Cyber Intelligence: Actors, Policies, and Practices
August 29, 2023 — From intelligence cycles and processes to intelligence agencies, security challenges, and more, Cyber Intelligence: Actors, Policies, and Practices is a solid work that “covers a lot of ground at a reasonable price.” The reviewer sees it as “a practical tool in our understanding of the cyber intelligence and conflict discipline.” ... MORE

Book Review by Robert J. Bunker: How Civil Wars Start and How to Stop Them

Book Review: How Civil Wars Start and How to Stop Them
August 29, 2023 — 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... MORE

Book Review: Team America: Patton, MacArthur, Marshall, Eisenhower, and the World They Forged
August 29, 2023 — 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.”... MORE

Book Review by Wylie W. Johnson: Team America: Patton, MacArthur, Marshall, Eisenhower, and the World They Forged

Parameters | Autumn 2023
August 25, 2023 — A Historical Perspective on Today’s Recruiting Crisis | A Call to Action: Lessons from Ukraine for the Future Force | The Strategic Importance of Taiwan to the United States and Its Allies: Part Two – A Focus on Policy since the Start of the Russia-Ukraine War | The Impact of Antarctic Treaty Challenges on the US Military | US-Russia Foreign Policy: Confronting Russia’s Geographic Anxieties |... MORE