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YellowJack
10-17-2005, 11:20 AM
Moderator's Note

Today I merged four other threads into this thread, which is one of the first ever threads (OK 75th). There are a number of similar reading lists (my search term today) which are more specialist: amphibious operations, advisers and the elusive General Mattis reading list. I am sure other lists exist, e.g. Searching for first hand accounts of UW:http://council.smallwarsjournal.com/showthread.php?t=4613 (ends).


What are you reading in regards to Small Wars? It doesn't necessarily have to be a narrow list focusing on Small Wars either, feel free to list anything that might bring more applicable knowledge to warfare.

The Elaine Grossman book list (http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/library/report/2004/reading-list.htm) is good a place to start.

Some of the following authors are mentioned in the above list.

Ralph Peter's essays (http://www.google.com.au/search?hl=en&q=%22ralph+peters%22+site%3Acarlisle-www.army.mil%2Fusawc%2Fparameters&btnG=Search&meta=) and books (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/search-handle-url/index=books&field-author-exact=Ralph%20Peters&rank=-relevance%2C%2Bavailability%2C-daterank/103-9273714-2183850).

Chapter Ten in Colin Gray's 'Modern Strategy (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0198782519/104-6515500-8772719?v=glance)' covers Small War theory and practice.

Thomas X. Hammes 'The Sling and The Stone (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0760320594/102-6758851-6344106?v=glance)'.

H. John Poole's works (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/search-handle-url/index=books&field-author-exact=H.%20John%20Poole&rank=-relevance%2C%2Bavailability%2C-daterank/103-2598003-6679860).

Max Boot's 'The Savage Wars of Peace (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0465007201/102-3292181-5993767?v=glance)'.

'The Geography of Thought (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0743255356/103-2598003-6679860?v=glance&n=283155&s=books&v=glance)' by Richard Nisbett covers the Social psychological differences between Asian and Western thinking.

India's version of Machiavelli: Kautilya's (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/8121506557/103-2598003-6679860?v=glance&n=283155&s=books&v=glance) Arthasastra.

Steve Blair
10-17-2005, 02:34 PM
I find rereading the original Small Wars Manual and the new draft Marine Corps version to be instructive as well.

Shooter, by Jack Coughlin and others, while not strictly Small Wars does offer some new ways of looking at sniper employment that may prove useful or thought provoking. In a more historical vein, Taking Haiti is interesting but in some places overblown. Actually, I'm working my way through a great deal of stuff on the US involvement in Central America. Mars Learning is perhaps the best look at how the Marine Corps developed its small wars doctrine. Well worth a read (or two).

Strickland
10-18-2005, 02:05 AM
I would highly recommend the following:

1. Defeating Communist Insurgency by Robert Thompson

2. Low Intensity Operations by Frank Kitson

3. Lester Grau's articles on the Battles of Gronzy

DDilegge
10-18-2005, 07:20 AM
I have a lot of Les' articles filed here - Chechnya (http://www.smallwarsjournal.com/ref/chechnya.htm) in the SWJ reference library. Read Tim Thomas' articles also. Both are retired Army LTCs and curently work for the US Army Foreign Military Studies Office. Anything written by Grau and Thomas is worth a look.

Tom Odom
10-18-2005, 02:54 PM
See my post on Military History.

I am a fan of both Les Grau and Tim Thomas. Both offer truly valuable insights into the cultural manifestations in the small wars of the USSR and now Russia.

For Latino and Caribbean basin watchers, look at the work Larry Yates did for CSI on the DomRep and Panama.

Somalia see Larry Yates and Bon Baumann, again CSI.

On the Middle East, George Gawrych at CSI. George (now at Baylor) and I team taught Middle East military history in the mid-1980s.

Scott McMichael's study on light infantry covers Malaysia and is excellent, again CSI.

On Africa, I have 2 books on the Congo on the CSI site: LP14 on the Dragon Operations in the Congo in 1964; and a study on the Shaba II War in Zaire in 1978. Dave Dillegge will be loading a chapter from my memoirs, Journey into Darkness: Genocide in Rwanda, here next month.

You can also find some classics like TE Lawrence and Duffer's Drift on the CSI site.

A 2013 working link:http://regimentalrogue.tripod.com/duffersdrift/Duffers_Drift.htm


Ralph Peters should stick to fiction. His analysis is unbalanced to say the least.

Best

Tom Odom

zenpundit
10-19-2005, 03:13 AM
Just finished reading:

Blueprint For Action by Thomas P.M. Barnett

Homage to Catalonia by George Orwell

The Sling and he Stone by Thomas X. Hammes

Currently reading:

Unrestricted Warfare by Qiao Liang and Wang Xiangsui

Jihad: The Trail of Political Islam by Gilles Keppel

Reading next:

Shield of Achilles by Phillip Bobbitt

Jedburgh
10-19-2005, 05:01 AM
I highly recommend a book not yet mentioned: Inside War: The Guerrilla Conflict in Missouri During the American Civil War, by Michael Fellman.

Published in 1989 by Oxford University Press, it is much more than a simple history of guerrilla fighting in Missouri. It is an in-depth analysis of the psycho-social interrelationships between the two sides in conflict and the civilian population caught in-between. The book, when read in the context of current ops, makes for quite interesting reading - especially the sections on Loyalty, Neutrality and Survival Lies and Collapse of the Sense of Security in the chapter on Civilians in Guerrilla War.

The book studies official attitudes of both sides, and compares them with the combatants' perception of self and others in the context of the conflict. There is much of value to be gained from this study in viewing today's war in Iraq. Cross-cultural perceptions between our forces and the various Iraqi players in the conflict are far more complex than those in 1860's Missouri during the Civil War - but I felt this book puts a valuable perspective on the combat effects of such views of the other side.

GatorLHA2
10-19-2005, 08:48 PM
The American War for Independence provides some good examples of the fundamentals of COIN & Stability Ops (how not to do them), Small Wars, and Insurgency, with out all the clutter of high tech because the fundamentals of human nature in these situations has not changed.

Operations in the Southern Department i.e. Virginia, North and South Carolina and Georgia from 1779-1783 have many of the elements of small wars, stablility ops and insurgency. Much of the fighting in the South was actually a brutal sometimes uncontrolable civil war between Americans and presented quite a challenge to leaders on both sides.

The tactics and strategies of Gen Nathaniel Greene and BG Francis Marion influenced North Vietnamese leaders. Gen Cornwallis learned enough from his experience in the Carolinas and Virginia to be able to successfully resolve an Irish rebellion then go on to be high respected as the Gov of India. The use of "Information Warfare" by the US leaders played a big role in turning the tide against the British in the South after the overwhelming and seemingly decisive US losses at Charleston and Camden.

Some suggested readings include:

"A People Numberous & Armed" by John Shy
"Swamp Fox: The Life and Campaigns of General Francis Marion" by Bass, Robert D.
"From Savannah to Yorktown" by Lumpkin, Henry
"A Devil of a Whipping: The Battle of Cowpens" by Babits, Lawernce E.
"Calendar and Record of the Revolutionary War in the South: 1780-1781" by Sherman, William Thomas (can be downloaded from the internet as a PDF or RTF file)


There are other books on my "to read" list that are also of interest

"The Partisan War" the South Carolina Campaign of 1780-82" by Weigley, Russell Frank

"The Life and Correspondence of Nathanael Greene" Johnston, William reprint 1973

"A History of the Campaigns of 1780 and 1781 in the Southern Provinces" by Tarleton, Banastre reprint 1968

SWJED
10-21-2005, 07:21 AM
The Small Wars Journal has compiled a reading list of Small Wars and related books. The list can be found here (http://www.smallwarsjournal.com/reading_list.htm). Any recommended additions would be greatly appreciated.

sumo664
10-21-2005, 09:57 PM
Just a couple of thoughts:

1. The Last Valley: Dien Bien Phu and the French Defeat in Vietnam, Martin Windrow.
"This is an outstanding work of military history. It tells the story of the ghastly French experience in Indo-China in a way that has never been done in English. The account of Dien Bien Phu is a masterpiece of meticulous historical narrative" Max Hastings.

2. Bunch of Five, Frank Kitson. "General Kitson's lively and vivid war autobiography runs from 1952-1967, years generally regarded as years of peace. He spent them fighting, in Kenya, Malaya, Oman or trying to keep other people from fighting in Cyprus ..... He discusses work against armed dissidents frankly and freely, not shirking the revolting details that raise or lower moral and make of break success." The Economist

GorTex6
10-25-2005, 04:49 AM
My reading list (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/listmania/list-browse/-/32ZGN91D2FCWI/ref=cm_lm_detail_ctr_full_3/002-2266122-1828005)

GorTex6
10-25-2005, 06:25 AM
Counterinsurgency Warfare: Theory and Practice (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0275989410/qid=1130221527/sr=2-1/ref=pd_bbs_b_2_1/102-4203022-1914512?v=glance&s=books), David Galula

GorTex6
10-25-2005, 06:46 AM
Currently reading:

Unrestricted Warfare by Qiao Liang and Wang Xiangsui


Unrestricted Warfare (http://www.terrorism.com/documents/TRC-Analysis/unrestricted.pdf), Qiao Liang and Wang Xiangsui

Martin
10-25-2005, 06:42 PM
Hailer Publishing (http://www.hailerpublishing.com/) specializes in reprinting out of print Military books, specifically those recommended by knowledgeable people.

Martin

Strickland
10-27-2005, 12:04 AM
War for Muslim Minds by Giles Kepel

Strickland
10-27-2005, 12:05 AM
War for Muslim Minds by Giles Kepel

Stu-6
12-30-2005, 07:43 PM
I can’t believe that About Face by David Hackworth isn’t on the list.

Stratiotes
01-24-2006, 06:47 PM
More from a polical level approach than to military but still a good look at how to improve the military ability with the proper resources:

_A Swift, Elusive Sword: What if Sun Tzu and John Boyd Did a National Defense Review?_ by Chester W. Richards
ISBN: 1932019014 (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1932019014/ref=cm_lm_fullview_prod_4/102-0220766-3243334?%5Fencoding=UTF8&v=glance&n=283155)

For the OODA section alone:
_The Mind of War: John Boyd and American Security_ by Grant Hammond
ISBN 158834178X (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/158834178X/ref=cm_lm_fullview_prod_1/102-0220766-3243334?%5Fencoding=UTF8&v=glance&n=283155)

zenpundit
02-01-2006, 03:54 AM
Jihad by Kepel

Stratiotes
03-22-2006, 02:17 AM
I highly recommend a book not yet mentioned: Inside War: The Guerrilla Conflict in Missouri During the American Civil War, by Michael Fellman.

Published in 1989 by Oxford University Press, it is much more than a simple history of guerrilla fighting in Missouri.

I would second that one - as well as The Devil Knows How to Ride by Edward Leslie on the same subject.

If you are a movie watcher, there is a fantastic movie with a similar title but based on an historical fiction book rather than Leslie's book:
"Ride With the Devil"

Seeing guerrilla warfare thru the eyes of other Americans with whom we can relate can be an education in itself.

For another great online resource, COIN (http://www.iss.co.za/pubs/Books/rhodesia/Contents.htm) - Rhodesian classic.

GorTex6
03-22-2006, 05:26 PM
Maybe we should have read this one:

Resource Wars (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0805055762/sr=8-1/qid=1143048250/ref=pd_bbs_1/002-9971439-0364843?%5Fencoding=UTF8)

And what exactly is a small war?

War is a Racket (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0922915865/sr=8-1/qid=1143048788/ref=pd_bbs_1/002-9971439-0364843?%5Fencoding=UTF8)(MOH recipient)

(Did I make it on some"watch list")

Mike in Hilo
03-25-2006, 03:37 AM
Government and Revolution in Viet Nam, by Dennis Duncanson, Oxford University Press, 1968. The best there is among the histories of VN. A must read. Unparalleled in depth of scholarship and far more critical in its analysis than popular works such as those of Fitzgerald and Karnow. The author argues that two deeply rooted traditions have clashed throughout VN's history of two millenia--(1)an autocratic center (legacy of Confucian China); and (2)the centrifugal forces of village autonomy, local warlordism and a penchant for cultism/violent secret societies. Hence, the nascent Viet Minh and VC were sustained not by a surfeit of French or Diemist autocracy (as often misdiagnosed by Americans), but rather, were nurtured under conditions that constrained a weak center from extending its power into the villages and hamlets.
Duncanson served with Thompson, both in Malaya and for several years on the UK Advisory Mission to RVN, and acknowledges weaving Thompson's and their colleagues' thinking into the fabric of this book. Provides insights that only an insider can.

Mike in Hilo
03-26-2006, 04:10 AM
Two more:

1) Modern Warfare, by Roger Trinquier. It's available in the swj Reference Library under Counterinsurgency-insurgency, but also deserves inclusion in the Reading List. Essential manual focusing heavily on "classical" urban population control/surveillance through targeting the infrastructure and organization/regimentation of the populace. Lessons of Indochina as refined in Algeria.

2) A Better War, by Lewis Sorley. 1968-75 VN coverage...And it ain't all "clear and hold;"-- important disruption of the border sanctuaries took place on Abrams's watch. ...... Surprised this one isn't on the list.

GorTex6
04-03-2006, 07:14 PM
The New Great Game : Blood and Oil in Central Asia (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1843541211/qid=1144091577/sr=1-2/ref=sr_1_2/002-2383058-7443205?s=books&v=glance&n=283155), Lutz Kleveman

Conventional thinking on a possible confrontation between the U.S. and China assumes that the geography of conflict will be off of China's coast over the Taiwan issue or as competition for the Spratly Islands heats up. In his first book, veteran war correspondent Kleveman makes the intriguing argument that the challenge to U.S. primacy will in fact take place to the west of China's hinterland province Xingjiang over the resources of the energy-rich Caspian Sea and the surrounding Central Asian republics. The central thesis, that the U.S., China, Russia and Iran are now engaged in a New Great Game, a power struggle for control of the region's vast oil and gas reserves, is thinly woven through the narrative in what is largely a war zone travel diary. Kleveman, who readily admits his conviction that the recent war in Iraq was motivated by the interests of Houston oilmen, similarly treats the war on terrorism as little more than a pretext for the presence of U.S. troops in the region to secure oil interests and pipeline routes. Thus, the book gives the impression that Kleveman has selectively presented interviews with oil ministers and locals that lend his argument the most weight, while giving short shrift to those with opposing views. The work draws attention to a little understood and increasingly important part of the world where oil, Islam and terrorism converge to create havoc, but in the end, Kleveman fails to show that competition and not cooperation will mark the development of the region's resources. Agent, Emma Parry, Carlisle & Co.(Sept.)

GorTex6
05-03-2006, 05:42 PM
The Grand Chessboard: American Primacy and Its Geostrategic Imperatives (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0465027261/qid=1146677820/sr=1-1/ref=sr_1_1/002-5158685-1910466?s=books&v=glance&n=283155), Zbigniew Brzezinski

As the twentieth century draws to a close, the United States has emerged as the world's only superpower: no other nation possesses comparable military and economic power or has interests that bestride the globe. Yet the critical question facing America remains unanswered: What should be the nation's global strategy for maintaining its exceptional position in the world? Zbigniew Brzesinski tackles this question head-on in this incisive and pathbreaking book.

Must read, written in 1997, the GWOT will finally "make sense" ;)

Read page 911....er 211...you will see why 2/11 errr...9/11 happened

GorTex6
05-03-2006, 05:53 PM
Blood and Oil : The Dangers and Consequences of America's Growing Dependency on Imported Petroleum (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0805079386/sr=8-1/qid=1146678268/ref=pd_bbs_1/002-5158685-1910466?%5Fencoding=UTF8), Michael T. Klare

Since the tragic events of September 11 and the commencement of the "war on terror", the ralationship between US policy in the Middle East and the oceans of crude oil that lie beneath the region's soil has come under close scrutiny. In Blood and Oil, international security expert Michael T. Klare traces oil's impact on foreign affairs from World War II to the present, arguing that America's oil-influenced military actions will only increase in the coming years. By 2020, the United States will need to import twice as much fuel per year as id did in 1990, and since most of this oil will come from chronically unstable, strongly anti-American regions-the Gulf, the Caspian Sea, and Africa-recurrent involvement in violent conflict is sure to follow.
With clarity and urgency, Blood and Oil delineates the United States' predicament: America's wells are drying up even as its demand increases while anti-American fervor is building in the world's oil-rich nations. It is time, Klare cautions, to change our energy policies, before we spen the next decades paying for oil with blood.
Good intel....Post 9/11 follow up for Resource Wars

GorTex6
06-11-2006, 02:58 AM
Confessions of an Economic Hit Man (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0452287081/sr=8-1/qid=1150073816/ref=pd_bbs_1/103-1736751-0379052?%5Fencoding=UTF8), John Perkins


Perkins writes that his economic projections cooked the books Enron-style to convince foreign governments to accept billions of dollars of loans from the World Bank and other institutions to build dams, airports, electric grids, and other infrastructure he knew they couldn't afford. The loans were given on condition that construction and engineering contracts went to U.S. companies. Often, the money would simply be transferred from one bank account in Washington, D.C., to another one in New York or San Francisco. The deals were smoothed over with bribes for foreign officials, but it was the taxpayers in the foreign countries who had to pay back the loans. When their governments couldn't do so, as was often the case, the U.S. or its henchmen at the World Bank or International Monetary Fund would step in and essentially place the country in trusteeship, dictating everything from its spending budget to security agreements and even its United Nations votes. It was, Perkins writes, a clever way for the U.S. to expand its "empire" at the expense of Third World citizens. While at times he seems a little overly focused on conspiracies, perhaps that's not surprising considering the life he's led.
I don't buy into his 'bleeding heart' crap though.

Steve Blair
06-11-2006, 04:22 PM
Not a Good Day to Die by Sean Naylor.
The Secret War Against Hanoi by Richard Schultz.

The first covers Operation Anaconda and provides some interesting insights into how that operation was planned and indeed micromanaged by Franks and others.

The second deals with SOG during the Vietnam War. Very illuminating when dealing with the strengths and weaknesses of special operations.

Tc2642
09-02-2006, 09:19 PM
Got 'Learning to eat soup with a knife' by Nagl, cheap price aswell (I love you amazon!) today, planning to read in the near future.

Nearly finished 'On War' but I am reading through the largely redundant chapters on marches, billets etc, I have decided not to foregoe these chapters because I feel that I should read the whole thing to get an overall perspective, plus I may miss something that relates to the more important parts of the book

Have also been going through John Keegan's 'Intelligence in War', may disagree with him about Clausewitz but it is still a very informative and well put together book.

CR6
09-07-2006, 05:45 PM
Just finished Nagl. Great read regarding armies as learning organizations.

Currently reading Hashim's Insurgency and Counter-Insurgency in Iraq.

Seven Pillars of Wisdom is in the queue.

Tom Odom
09-07-2006, 07:01 PM
I am reading 2.

a. Dr. Joe Nye's monograph on Soft Power; great foundation for better understanding strategic IO. excellent foundation for looking at GWOT as global COIN and use of non-lethal power.

b. Assassin's Gate by Packer (also reviewed this month in Parameters by a friend, Andy Terrill); excellent insights on evolution of neocon thought and influence of Iraqi long term dissidents/expatriates.

Best
Tom

zenpundit
09-08-2006, 01:18 AM
This may or may not be of great interest to the list, but hey, it's what I'm reading...

Consilience: The Unity of Knowledge (http://www.amazon.com/Consilience-Knowledge-Edward-O-Wilson/dp/067976867X/sr=1-1/qid=1157678150/ref=pd_bbs_1/103-5888140-3588645?ie=UTF8&s=books)by Edward O. Wilson -

Superb premise and better survey of the principles of the sciences and humanities. Indirectly useful if you are heavy into mil theory.

The Third Reich in Power (http://www.amazon.com/-Third-Reich-in-Power/dp/1594200742/sr=1-1/qid=1156909551/ref=sr_1_1/104-8915707-5091945?ie=UTF8&s=books)by Richard J. Evans

A masterpiece study of Nazi Germany, second volume in a trilogy. Emphasis on the Nazi " coordination" of German life and Hitler's policies up until WWII

Up next:

Global Brain (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0471419192?v=glance) by Howard Bloom

jekyllisland
09-12-2006, 02:13 PM
Just picked up Bernard Fall's, "Last Reflections on War". Hope this is inightful on understanding the insurgency going on now and others.

Rob

Menning
11-20-2006, 07:28 PM
I highly recommend two titles that do not appear on the SWJ reading list currently. The first, The Jungle is Neutral was written by Spencer Chapman, DSO, about his experiences waging guerilla warfare against the Japanese in Malaya during WWII. The Second is My Reminiscences of East Africa by Col. Paul von Lettow-Vorbek. Vorbek waged a four-year campaign against British and S. Africa forces during WWI, without resupply.

Bowman
11-21-2006, 03:06 AM
Both excellent books Menning .

VMI_Marine
05-31-2009, 04:39 AM
I've been looking for a comprehensive list of suggested reading for future advisors, and haven't found much. I know that there are a number of works out there just in the Marine Corps Gazette, I'm sure that the Army's journals have an article or two as well. So, what I'd like to do is start sort of an informal listing of works that you think would be good reading for future TT members. I've started with a short list that is by no means exhaustive, just to get the ball rolling:

FM 3-07.1 Security Force Assistance

Maj Brian E. Russell, “Flipping the Switch: Advising Advanced Host-Nation Forces.” Marine Corps Gazette, January 2009.

CWO5 Terry L. Walker, “Lessons Learned: Valuable Information for Training or Advising Iraqis.” Marine Corps Gazette, June 2008.

1stLt Brett A. Friedman, “Training In Transition: A Call for Restructuring of Transition Team Training.” Marine Corps Gazette, June 2008.

Richard M. Cavagnol, LTC Richard L. Hayes and MAJ Daniel C. Turner, “From Vietnam to Iraq: Applying Lessons and Maturing the Advisor-Counterpart Relationship.” Marine Corps Gazette, January 2008.

Maj Christopher E. Phelps, Michelle Ramsden Zbylutt, and Jason Brunner, “Selecting and Training U.S. Advisors: Interpersonal Skills and the Advisor-Counterpart Relationship.” Marine Corps Gazette, March 2009.

Col Juan Ayala, “Reflections.” Marine Corps Gazette, March 2008.

Maj Jack A. Sile and LtCol James B. Higgings, “Intelligence Advising on the Military Transition Team.” Marine Corps Gazette, September 2008.

Combat Studies Institute, Occasional Paper #19—Advice for Advisors: Suggestions and Observations from Lawrence to the Present. Robert Ramsey, August 2006.

Combat Studies Institute, Occasional Paper #18—Advising Indigenous Forces: American Advisors in Korea, Vietnam, and El Salvador. Robert Ramsey, June 2006.

Daniel P. Bolger, “So You Want to Be an Advisor.” Military Review, January-February 2006.

David Donovan, Once a Warrior King.

Bing West, The Village.

Col G. H. Turley, The Easter Offensive: The Last American Advisors, Vietnam, 1972.

The Marine Advisor: Preparation for Duty Overseas : Motivational Comparison of U.S. Marine Advisors versus Arab Muslims, June 2006. (http://www.irism.com/pubs/insight.pdf)

Communion in Conflict: The Marine Advisor, Volume II, 1975. (http://www.irism.com/pubs/coc.pdf)

Communion in Conflict: The Marine Advisor, Volume III, Vietnam 1954-1973, March 2006 (ongoing). (http://www.irism.com/pubs/covanstudy.htm)

Communion in Conflict: The Marine Advisor in the Middle East, March 2006 (ongoing). (http://www.irism.com/pubs/advstudy.htm)

Backwards Observer
05-31-2009, 08:39 AM
A used, first edition of this (http://www.amazon.com/Betrayal-William-R-Corson/dp/B000WUS51Y/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1243758188&sr=1-1) has been sitting on the shelf for years. Now might be the time to crack it open. Shouldn't be too hard, the last guy to own it has furiously underlined numerous sections in ballpoint.


"that" guy (http://www.arlingtoncemetery.net/wrcorson.htm)

John T. Fishel
05-31-2009, 11:11 AM
1. Security Force Assistance: The Mosul Case - book published here on SWJ by Rob Thornton (lead author), Marc Tyrrell and me, Download is free.
2. Stalking the Viet Cong (original title: Silence Was a Weapon) by COL (ret.) Stuart Herrington.

Cheers

JohnT

davidbfpo
05-31-2009, 01:19 PM
There is another RFI thread on UW which has suggestions, which may have an application: .

I suggested some titles then and have thinned it out: http://council.smallwarsjournal.com/showthread.php?t=4613

'They Live by the Sword', on the only black SADF infantry unit, 32 Buffalo Battalion by Col. Jan Breytenbach (fighting in Angola & SW Africa; included as unusual)

'SAS Operation Oman' by Col Tony Jeapes (Dhofar campaign early '70s). See new edition review, under new title: http://smallwarsjournal.com/mag/docs-temp/249-weinger.pdf. There is another book on the campaign, which I've not read: 'We Won the War' by John Akehurst (Pub. 1982).

'The Frontier Scouts' by Charles Chevenix Trench (para-military forces on British Empire NW Frontier, predecessors of the Frontier Corps)

'Soldier Sahibs: The men who made the NW Frontier' by Charles Allen (superb book for India 1839-1858, focus on small units and the leaders)

Some of these titles have appeared on another thread.

Have any of the books on the Soviet era in Afghanistan touched upon the advisory role? I am sure books on Malaysia refer to this theme, but not read much on that - perhaps our Australian / Kiwi members can help?

davidbfpo

Backwards Observer
06-01-2009, 06:48 AM
Unfortunately, most of the books I've amassed are on the Vietnam period, so may be of limited utility in the current scenario. They do suggest that mental reconfiguring in a cross-cultural context can be both fascinating and exhausting.

The most readable Advisor book I've read is probably:

Combat Recon: My Year With The ARVN (http://www.amazon.com/Combat-Recon-My-Year-Avrn/dp/0312054033)

also good are:

One Very Hot Day (http://www.amazon.com/One-Very-Hot-Day-Novel/dp/9997410599)

A Dragon Lives Forever (http://www.amazon.com/Dragon-Lives-Forever-Thomas-Hargrove/dp/080410672X)

Our War Was Different (http://www.amazon.com/Our-War-Was-Different-Combined/dp/1557503559)

related:

Talking With Victor Charlie (http://www.amazon.com/Talking-Victor-Charlie-Interrogators-Story/dp/0804107262)

anthropology:

The Village War (http://www.amazon.com/Village-War-Vietnamese-Revolutionary-Activities/dp/0826201504/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1243837674&sr=1-1)

War Comes To Long An (http://www.amazon.com/War-Comes-Long-Revolutionary-Vietnamese/dp/0520023617/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1243837748&sr=1-1)

Village At War (http://www.amazon.com/Village-War-Account-Conflict-Vietnam/dp/0804721351/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1243837813&sr=1-1)

Village In Vietnam (http://www.amazon.com/Village-Vietnam-Gerald-Cannon-Hickey/dp/0300001134/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1243837890&sr=1-1)

Shattered World (http://www.amazon.com/Shattered-World-Adaptation-Survival-Vietnams/dp/081221417X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1243837957&sr=1-1)

Dynamics Of Defeat (http://www.amazon.com/Dynamics-Defeat-Vietnam-Nghia-Province/dp/0813318742/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1243838043&sr=1-1)

somewhat related (Malaya):

alias Chin Peng (http://www.amazon.co.uk/Alias-Chin-Peng-Side-History/dp/9810486936)

SAS: Secret War In South-East Asia (http://www.amazon.com/SAS-Secret-War-South-East-Asia/dp/0804108331)

somewhat related (Soviets/Afghanistan):

Soviet-Afghan War: How A Superpower Fought And Lost (http://www.amazon.com/Soviet-Afghan-War-Superpower-Fought-Lost/dp/070061186X)

Afghan Tales (http://www.amazon.com/Afghan-Tales-Stories-Russias-Vietnam/dp/0688123945)

Afghan Guerrilla Warfare (http://www.amazon.com/Afghan-Guerrilla-Warfare-Mujahideen-Fighters/dp/0760313229)

Soldiers Of God (http://www.amazon.com/Soldiers-God-Warriors-Afghanistan-Pakistan/dp/1400030250)

The Hidden War (http://www.amazon.com/Hidden-War-Russian-Journalists-Afghanistan/dp/080213775X)

Afghanistan: Soviet Vietnam (http://www.amazon.com/Afghanistan-Soviet-Vietnam-Vladislav-Tamarov/dp/1562790218/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1243838573&sr=1-1)

of interest:

Analogies At War (http://www.amazon.com/Analogies-War-Yuen-Foong-Khong/dp/0691025355/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1243838681&sr=1-1)

Some of these have been mentioned elsewhere on the Council or may be otherwise familiar to members. Sorry for any repeats.

Backwards Observer
06-01-2009, 06:59 AM
Honourable Mention: Mark Twain's,

A Connecticut Yankee In King Arthur's Court (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Connecticut_Yankee_in_King_Arthur's_Court)

RedRaven
04-18-2011, 04:11 PM
Ladies and Gentlemen,
As I approach the end of undergrad I am settling on going onto higher levels of education and focusing on National Security and especially terrorism/revolution/small wars and intelligence (as at this moment my long term, hoped for, goal is to join the intelligence community).

As I have about a year before I begin grad school, always keeping my fingers crossed that I get into one :o ! I have time to do some reading. So I have compiled a reading list of books that I find interesting (you might notice it's based mostly on posts here at SWJ, go search function!)
I would like to solicit opinions of my list. I am missing anything? Should I take anything out? Maybe there is theme or certain time period that I am missing? etc, etc...

Also I know I am missing some history books. For example I recently read "Street Without Joy" and ” The Great Game: The Struggle for Empire in Central Asia." So any suggestions of that type of book would be great.


---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Social Movements and Organization Theory (Cambridge Studies in Contentious Politics) by Gerald F. Davis

The Unthinkable Revolution in Iran by Charles Kurzman
States and Social Revolutions: A Comparative Analysis of France, Russia and China by Theda Skocpol

The Anatomy of Revolution by Clarence Crane Brinton, Crane Brinton

THINKING LIKE A TERRORIST: Insights of a Former FBI Undercover Agent by Mike German

The Al Qaeda Reader by Raymond Ibrahim (Editor)

U.S. Army Counterinsurgency and Contingency Operations Doctrine, 1942-1976 (Paperbound) by A. J. Birtle

US Army Counterinsurgency and Contingency Operations Doctrine, 1860-1941 by Andrew J. Birtle (Author)

The Village by Francis J. West

The Savage Wars Of Peace: Small Wars And The Rise Of American Power by Max Boot

Soldier Sahibs: The Daring Adventurers Who Tamed India's Northwest Frontier by Charles Allen

From Pablo to Osama: Trafficking and Terrorist Networks, Government Bureaucracies, and Competitive Adaptation by Michael Kenney

Counterinsurgency in Modern Warfare (Companion) by Daniel Marston (Editor), Carter Malkasian (Editor)

The Insurgent Archipelago (Columbia/Hurst) by John Mackinlay

Inside Rebellion: The Politics of Insurgent Violence (Cambridge Studies in Comparative Politics) by Jeremy M. Weinstein

What Makes a Terrorist: Economics and the Roots of Terrorism (Lionel Robbins Lectures) by Alan B. Krueger

On Violence (Harvest Book) by Hannah Arendt

On Revolution (Penguin Classics) by Hannah Arendt

War of the Flea: The Classic Study of Guerrilla Warfare by Robert Taber

The Logic of Violence in Civil War (Cambridge Studies in Comparative Politics) by Stathis N. Kalyvas

Modern Insurgencies and Counter-Insurgencies: Guerrillas and their Opponents since 1750 (Warfare and History) by I. F. W. Beckett

Insurgency, Terrorism, and Crime: Shadows from the Past and Portents for the Future (International and Security Affairs) by Max G. Manwaring

Contra Cross: Insurgency And Tyranny in Central America, 1979-1989 by William R. Meara

Structured Analytic Techniques for Intelligence Analysis by Richards J. Heuer

Intelligence Analysis: A Target-Centric Approach, 3rd Edition by Robert M. Clark

Intelligence Essentials for Everyone by Lisa Krizan (Author)

The Craft of Intelligence by Allen Welsh Dulles, Allen Dulles

Insurgency and Counter-Insurgency in Iraq by Ahmed Hashim

The Afghanistan-Pakistan Theater: Militant Islam, Security & Stability by Hassan Abbas

Decoding the New Taliban: Insights from the Afghan Field (Columbia/Hurst) by Antonio Giustozzi (Editor)

Terror in the Name of God: Why Religious Militants Kill by Jessica Stern

Suicide Bombers in Iraq: The Strategy and Ideology of Martyrdom by Mohammed M. Hafez

Modern Warfare: A French View of Counterinsurgency (PSI Classics of the Counterinsurgency Era) by Roger Trinquier

Dying to Win: The Strategic Logic of Suicide Terrorism by Robert Anthony Pape
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Thanks

felixdz
04-18-2011, 04:44 PM
Ladies and Gentlemen,
As I approach the end of undergrad I am settling on going onto higher levels of education and focusing on National Security and especially terrorism/revolution/small wars and intelligence (as at this moment my long term, hoped for, goal is to join the intelligence community).

As I have about a year before I begin grad school, always keeping my fingers crossed that I get into one :o ! I have time to do some reading. So I have compiled a reading list of books that I find interesting (you might notice it's based mostly on posts here at SWJ, go search function!)
I would like to solicit opinions of my list. I am missing anything? Should I take anything out? Maybe there is theme or certain time period that I am missing? etc, etc...

Also I know I am missing some history books. For example I recently read "Street Without Joy" and ” The Great Game: The Struggle for Empire in Central Asia." So any suggestions of that type of book would be great.


---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Social Movements and Organization Theory (Cambridge Studies in Contentious Politics) by Gerald F. Davis

The Unthinkable Revolution in Iran by Charles Kurzman
States and Social Revolutions: A Comparative Analysis of France, Russia and China by Theda Skocpol

The Anatomy of Revolution by Clarence Crane Brinton, Crane Brinton

THINKING LIKE A TERRORIST: Insights of a Former FBI Undercover Agent by Mike German

The Al Qaeda Reader by Raymond Ibrahim (Editor)

U.S. Army Counterinsurgency and Contingency Operations Doctrine, 1942-1976 (Paperbound) by A. J. Birtle

US Army Counterinsurgency and Contingency Operations Doctrine, 1860-1941 by Andrew J. Birtle (Author)

The Village by Francis J. West

The Savage Wars Of Peace: Small Wars And The Rise Of American Power by Max Boot

Soldier Sahibs: The Daring Adventurers Who Tamed India's Northwest Frontier by Charles Allen

From Pablo to Osama: Trafficking and Terrorist Networks, Government Bureaucracies, and Competitive Adaptation by Michael Kenney

Counterinsurgency in Modern Warfare (Companion) by Daniel Marston (Editor), Carter Malkasian (Editor)

The Insurgent Archipelago (Columbia/Hurst) by John Mackinlay

Inside Rebellion: The Politics of Insurgent Violence (Cambridge Studies in Comparative Politics) by Jeremy M. Weinstein

What Makes a Terrorist: Economics and the Roots of Terrorism (Lionel Robbins Lectures) by Alan B. Krueger

On Violence (Harvest Book) by Hannah Arendt

On Revolution (Penguin Classics) by Hannah Arendt

War of the Flea: The Classic Study of Guerrilla Warfare by Robert Taber

The Logic of Violence in Civil War (Cambridge Studies in Comparative Politics) by Stathis N. Kalyvas

Modern Insurgencies and Counter-Insurgencies: Guerrillas and their Opponents since 1750 (Warfare and History) by I. F. W. Beckett

Insurgency, Terrorism, and Crime: Shadows from the Past and Portents for the Future (International and Security Affairs) by Max G. Manwaring

Contra Cross: Insurgency And Tyranny in Central America, 1979-1989 by William R. Meara

Structured Analytic Techniques for Intelligence Analysis by Richards J. Heuer

Intelligence Analysis: A Target-Centric Approach, 3rd Edition by Robert M. Clark

Intelligence Essentials for Everyone by Lisa Krizan (Author)

The Craft of Intelligence by Allen Welsh Dulles, Allen Dulles

Insurgency and Counter-Insurgency in Iraq by Ahmed Hashim

The Afghanistan-Pakistan Theater: Militant Islam, Security & Stability by Hassan Abbas

Decoding the New Taliban: Insights from the Afghan Field (Columbia/Hurst) by Antonio Giustozzi (Editor)

Terror in the Name of God: Why Religious Militants Kill by Jessica Stern

Suicide Bombers in Iraq: The Strategy and Ideology of Martyrdom by Mohammed M. Hafez

Modern Warfare: A French View of Counterinsurgency (PSI Classics of the Counterinsurgency Era) by Roger Trinquier

Dying to Win: The Strategic Logic of Suicide Terrorism by Robert Anthony Pape
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Thanks

Are we a bunch of guys who read the same books?

tequila
04-18-2011, 05:26 PM
Inside Rebellion: The Politics of Insurgent Violence (Cambridge Studies in Comparative Politics) by Jeremy M. Weinstein

Scratch this one - a limited study that seeks to prove a somewhat monocausal thesis - that insurgent brutality is dependent on the sources of insurgent funding. It has all the weaknesses of any monocausal explanation and is written in academese to boot.

I would suggest adding Resistance and Control in Pakistan by Akhbar S. Ahmed and Uncomfortable Wars Revisited by Council member John T. Fishel & Max Manwaring. Also Stathis Kalyvas has a bunch of his research papers up on the internet, which make excellent free reading here (http://stathis.research.yale.edu/).

SAMS2007
04-18-2011, 05:26 PM
Understanding Terror Networks by Marc Sageman
Learning to Eat Soup with a Knife by John Nagl

RedRaven
04-18-2011, 05:55 PM
@SAMS2007

Read those two.

@tequila

Thanks, also good idea with the online stuff, I just got a kindle for my birthday and now I know what to fill it with...

outletclock
04-18-2011, 07:20 PM
In the spirit of Tequila noting that Kalyvas has research papers online, I'd suggest that, if you have access to them, you download papers that were published prior to books. Two examples:

Paper, "Strategic Logic," was published in the American Political Science Review.

Kenney, "Osama to Bin Laden" was published in Survival.

You might well be able to get the gist of the books by reading the articles, and save yourself some time.

In terms of history, what about "The Generals' War" (Gordon and Trainor on the Gulf War) and Atkinson's Liberation Trilogy (currently at two books)?

Bard O'Neill's "Insurgency and Terrorism" is an extraordinarily well-written book, particularly given it's a handbook that, in some ways, lacks a thesis.

I think Rosen's "Winning the Next War," about military innovation, is a great book.

If you aim to go into intelligence, both Intelligence and National Security, and, despite its pulp-sounding title, International Journal of Intelligence and Counterintelligence are both very solid journals, as are the Journal of Strategic Studies and Security Studies, in addition to International Security; World Politics and International Organization also publish security-oriented articles on occasion, as well as international and comparative politics more generally. If comparative politics is your thing - and if you're trying for a regional focus in the intelligence community - you might want to check out Comparative Politics and Comparative Political Studies.

"A Behavioral Theory of the Firm" and "Essence of Decision" are both nice works on organizational behavior - you can skip the case study chapters on the Cuban Missile Crisis if you're so inclined with respect to the latter.

Finally, as both history, literature (somewhat), and a primer on PC-COIN circa 1960, "The Ugly American" is hard to beat.

Again, though, you've got a very long reading list - above all else, I'd see if you can find article versions of the books to spare yourself reading that you really don't need.

Regards
OC

PS - Apologies in advance if I listed works you've already listed.

slapout9
04-18-2011, 07:28 PM
Read the Cliff notes version of some of Karl Marx's writings. It's all his fault:wry:

davidbfpo
04-18-2011, 09:01 PM
I'd give THINKING LIKE A TERRORIST: Insights of a Former FBI Undercover Agent by Mike German - a miss - disappointed was I.

Replace with: 'Inside the Jihad' by Omar Nasiri (2006) and 'Rebel Hearts' by Kevin Toolis (1996).

Surely 'The Looming Tower' by Lawrence Wright, without doubt the best AQ background read?

Try 'Terrorism: How to respond' by Richard English and 'The Psychology of Counter-Terrorism' Edited by Andrew Silke.

Finally Alistair Horne's book 'A Savage War of Peace' and Professor R.V. Jones books on scientific intelligence.

Try to avoid an Anglo-US centric viewpoint, read on conflicts where neither party was involved and avoid too many contemporary conflicts. There is much to learn from history. I am sure a similar RFI on a French / Spanish / Russian speaking blog would be quite different.

RedRaven
04-18-2011, 09:57 PM
Gentlemen: this is awesome...

@outletclock
I have Bard O'Niell (picked it up at the Bragg PX, in fact it was one the first books of this nature that I ever read). Also the journals are a very good idea, but dang the things are expensive :eek: I will ask the research librarian at college if any of the ones you suggested are available through our system.

@davidbfpo
I will definitely poke around and see if I can find a Russian blog of this nature. It may take me a while to figure out how to phrase this request in Russian, but what the heck its good practice

again thanks all.

RTK
04-19-2011, 02:34 AM
Add Military Geography by John M. Collins.

The Bear Went Over the Mountain - Lester Grau

The Other Side of the Mountain - Lester Grau

On Guerrilla Warfare - Mao Tse Tung


I didn't see "Three Cups of Tea" on there.....:D

jmm99
04-19-2011, 03:24 AM
A short one (just 24 pages) and mostly to think about - Eqbal Ahmad, “Revolutionary Warfare: How to Tell When the Rebels Have Won”
(pdf (http://www.emilyroysdon.com/images/rebels.pdf)).

And, its counterpoint, The Art of Counter-Revolutionary War by John J. McCuen (from Hailer (http://www.hailerpublishing.com/artofcwar.html)).

Regards

Mike

RedRaven
04-19-2011, 11:25 AM
@jmm99

I will download that paper. I have McCuen, actually HTS had him as a guest speaker during our training so we all got the book as well as the lecture.

@RTK

Read those three.

No you won't be seeing "Three Cups of Tea" or anything else developmenty on the list. I have nothing against development work, and it has it time and place. Its just not really my cup of tea... (:o sorry feeling puny this morning)

Marc
04-19-2011, 12:44 PM
Should I take anything out? Maybe there is theme or certain time period that I am missing? etc, etc...

Modern Warfare: A French View of Counterinsurgency (PSI Classics of the Counterinsurgency Era) by Roger Trinquier



RedRaven,

I don't ask you to take Trinquier's book off the list. However, please note that the French lost most counterinsurgencies they got involved in. My suggestion is you read something on a counterinsurgency that was American, more recent, and succesfull. Better still, it is available for free on this site.

Major Paul P. Cale, "The United States Military Advisory Group in El Salvador, 1979-1992," Small Wars Journal, 1996

http://smallwarsjournal.com/documents/cale.pdf

max161
04-19-2011, 12:52 PM
Ted Gurr – Why Men Rebel, 1970
Eric Hoffer – The True Believer, 1951 (23d ed., 2002)
Gene Sharp – From Dictatorship to Democracy, 2002
Saul Alinksy – Rules for Radicals, 1971

RedRaven
04-19-2011, 01:05 PM
@marc

I will keep the book on my list as it is part of the "vocabulary" (I think another council member was refering to this concept in another thread about reading lists) of COIN, but I will also keep in mind what you said. I think the same thing when I read Galula.

@max161

Read Hoffer, will add the other ones...

jmm99
04-19-2011, 03:59 PM
I was reminded of this subject matter area in looking at COL Maxwell's list (endorse all those oldies but still goodies - hey, all Old Timers :)); and by the discussion re: Trinquier and Galula. As to Galula, his most useful work for thinking and discussion is Galula's monograph at Rand (free in the pdf download), Pacification in Algeria, 1956-1958 (http://www.rand.org/pubs/monographs/MG478-1/).

That piece is here reviewed by our own Polarbear1605 (http://council.smallwarsjournal.com/showpost.php?p=85067&postcount=26):


I like the oven idea!

-------------------------


Quote [orig. from jmm99]:
Putting the insurgent in the baker's oven (it worked) would not be within UCMJ bounds today.

Actually, I like the oven idea because it was a ruse. I also understand what the Field Manual says about detainees. So the question then becomes; How does the Company Commander get the infomation he needs when fighting a counter insurgence? I really think we need a separate SOP for handling "detainees" in an insurgency. ruse = a wily subterfuge; sounds much better than "stick him in the oven" and should be authorized.

Pacification in Algeria should be mandatory reading for Lts, Capts and especially, Generals

BTW: The French won the military struggle; they lost the political struggle.

The Great White Bear's comment allows me to segué into my other choices - and not a lawbook among them :wry:

Next, a topic dear to the hearts of PB1605 and jmm99 - defense of folks tried before courts-martial for alleged homicides of "civilians" during the course of irregular warfare. For that, we take an entertainment break (pun was actually unintentional - I'm still on my first coffee):


Breaker Morant (film) (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Breaker_Morant_(film))

Court martial of Breaker Morant (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Court_martial_of_Breaker_Morant)

Breaker Morant (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Breaker_Morant#Primary_Sources_-_fact_or_fiction.3F) (link drops down to discussion of the Scapegoats book by George Witton (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Witton), the only accused not executed)

Lieut. George Witton, Scapegoats of the Empire: The True Story of Breaker Morant'S Bushveldt Carbineers (1907 -A Project Gutenberg of Australia eBook (http://gutenberg.net.au/ebooks04/0400611.txt))


I have not attempted to defend the doings of the ill-starred Bushveldt Carbineers, or the policy of those who employed them.

The methods of dealing with prisoners, which have been solely attributed to that corps, were in active operation before the so-called "Australian" officers went to the Spelonken district--a fact which the English press, and a large section of the Australian press, systematically ignored.

When I arrived in Australia, I found that the grossest misrepresentations had been made by those primarily responsible for the manner of the warfare which "staggered humanity," and that they had succeeded in linking the name of Australia with the most tragic and odious incidents connected with a mercenary and inglorious war.

BTW: the trial transcript went missing.

The collision of the Laws of War and the Rule of Law is never a simple one in cases involving irregular warfare.

Finally and another free one: Peter A. Newall, Preparing the Strategic Sergeant for War in a Flat World: Challenges in the Application of Ethics and and the Rules of Engagement (ROE) in Joint/Multinational/Multicultural Operations (2008 Master's thesis) (at DTIC (http://oai.dtic.mil/oai/oai?verb=getRecord&metadataPrefix=html&identifier=ADA487139)).

In the usual run of things, I end up reading materials by active and retired JAG officers, and by I Law professors (some of them are actually OK). It was refreshing to see this subject approached by a non-legal beagle, combat officer.

The thesis has five parts:


Chapter I – Introduction

Chapter II – Doctrinal Review (a non-technical focus on: The Theory of Armed Conflict; US Policy and Law; Rules of Engagement; Commander’s Intent)

Chapter III – Situational Analysis (focus on his Analytical Model & Case Study – The Fall of a Warrior King) - discussed here at SWC in "Sassaman Interview (http://council.smallwarsjournal.com/showthread.php?t=5496)"

Chapter IV – Training (focus on Institutional Training; Combat Training Center Program)

Chapter V – Summary and Conclusions (focus on Understanding the Law of War; Collective Training)

This is simply a good, practical article (again, for thought and discussion), which should be more relevant to combat officers than to armchair lawyers (though it certainly held my interest).

So, everyone else reading this should read COL Newell's thesis - these for optional viewing (http://wn.com/4BCT1AD) :)

Coffee nearly finished (regular cup size, but Bedouin-style w/ lots of sugar - wire-up time) - so, time to go.

Regards

Mike

RedRaven
04-19-2011, 10:31 PM
@jmm99

you said it "Ethics and Law -- Yuck." This is definitely not an area of interest for me. But, because I am not as interested in it I probably don't read about it enough so I will definitely add "Preparing the Strategic Sergeant for War in a Flat World: Challenges in the Application of Ethics and and the Rules of Engagement (ROE)"

Somewhat tangentially, have you (or anyone) read "One For All: The Logic of Group Conflict" by Russell Hardin?

jmm99
04-20-2011, 12:42 AM
not really - I just do a little bit of Law and Ethics.

Cheers

:D:):D

Mike

TDB
06-02-2011, 12:48 PM
On anything to do with Afghanistan, especially the Taliban insurgency Antonio Giustozzi is your man.
I read Koran, Kalashnikov and Laptop: The Neo-Taliban Insurgency in Afghanistan 2002-2007 for an MA course work piece on the re-emergence of the Taliban. Can't rate it highly enough.

Hacksaw
06-02-2011, 02:03 PM
The recommendations that preceeded this entry are all good and topical...

I would offer a good investment of time would be The Goal by Eliyahu M. Goldratt...

If is an MBA for dummies in a single thin paperback book...

Cavguy
06-02-2011, 05:45 PM
The recommendations that preceeded this entry are all good and topical...

I would offer a good investment of time would be The Goal by Eliyahu M. Goldratt...

If is an MBA for dummies in a single thin paperback book...

Still pimpin' that book! Sure you didn't get a cut? Hacksaw made me read it when we worked together ... actually learned something from it. :D

Now if they made an Afghan version ...

Bob's World
06-02-2011, 06:37 PM
All of the military references are good, but for when you are ready to move from the suppression of insurgents to understaning the roots of causation in the relationship between government and the governed:

"1776" by David McCullough

"Unruly Americans and the Origins of the Constitution" by Woody Holton

"The Summer of 1787: The Men Who Invented the Constitution" By David O. Stewart


A great walk through why men rebel (both before and after the American Revolution) and how a group of former rebels debated through a long summer how to best codify counterinsurgency as a way to govern a nation.

Read these first as the American experience is easier for Americans to empathize with than that of others. Then read the works written by insurgents. Mao, Gueverra, etc.

THEN read the work written by Colonial and Containment "COIN" authors, men who in the military service of their respective countries were sent out to help suppress or resolve some popular uprising that was perceived as threat to a national government that had been carefully nurtured and shaped to represent the interests of said foreign power. (Galula, Kitson, Tranquier, Fall, etc)

Last, read the works of guys like Nagl and others who assess the works of these Colonial, Containment and GWOT-driven "COIN" efforts and compare and contrast what techniques and approaches for sustaining such subordinate foreign governments in power were the most effective.

(most, to include myself, do this backwards, so are slow to get at the true essence of insurgency and the realization that much of what is packaged as "COIN" by the West really is not COIN at all, but rather is how to apply the military in foregin countries to preserve governments in power that are more willing to support the interests of themselves and the foreign power, than they are those of the people they rule (often with impunity) under that umbrella of foreign protection.

Sergeant T
06-05-2011, 03:51 PM
Two more that are worth the time are Nassim Nicholas Taleb's The Black Swan (http://www.amazon.com/Black-Swan-Impact-Highly-Improbable/dp/1400063515/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1307287612&sr=1-1) and Fooled by Randomness (http://www.amazon.com/Fooled-Randomness-Hidden-Chance-Markets/dp/1400067936/ref=pd_bxgy_b_text_b). I'd also recommend getting a subscription to The Economist.

outletclock
06-05-2011, 05:33 PM
You might have answered this question already, in which case mea culpa, but let me ask a basic question: what discipline do you intend to do your graduate work in? It seems you wish to focus on insurgency and the like, but from the perspective of history, political science, other...?

Regards
OC

RedRaven
06-06-2011, 10:53 PM
@outletclock

I am looking into schools that actually offer a security studies program. Usually this means Political Science with a security concentration. Although some schools actually have a major in Security Studies (Kansas State University comes to mind). Failing that I will simply go for Political Science.

@Bob's World

Good suggestion, and yes it seems like I have been "going backwards" looking and Galula and the likes first...

selil
06-07-2011, 11:48 AM
Ladies and Gentlemen,
As I approach the end of undergrad I am settling on going onto higher levels of education and focusing on National Security and especially terrorism/revolution/small wars and intelligence (as at this moment my long term, hoped for, goal is to join the intelligence community).


That is a great topical list. It should give you a minor background in the discipline but won't actually help you through a good graduate program. But, then again what would "I" know about graduate studies....

I'd suggest you forwith, post haste, absurdly speedo read a few other things.

Thomas Kuhn, "The structure of scientific revolutions"

versus..

Karl Popper, "Conjectures and Refutation: The growth of scientific knowledge"


You will need these.....

Michael Alley, "The craft of scientific writing"

Michael Alley, "The craft of scientific presentations"

Then in this corner...

Garr Reynolds, "Presentation Zen simple ideas on presentation design and delivery"

For the dreaded group projects a suggestion....

David Straker, "Rapid Problem Solving with Post-It notes"

Someday I'll post a youtube video on how to read. I know you think you know how, but you don't really. You likely read in serial and front to back. That is wrong. But, that is a topic for another day.

RedRaven
06-09-2011, 12:30 PM
@selil

Due to my school work at the moment I am really focused on the substantive side of my reading. However, I will add the other books and see if I can get through them at some point (probably not till next winter break, but I like having a long range plan).

Also can you elaborate on your comments about reading?

Fuchs
06-09-2011, 12:56 PM
"Strategy: The Logic of War and Peace"
by Edward N. Luttwak

outletclock
06-09-2011, 01:36 PM
I'd take a look at van Evera, "Guide to Methods for Students of Political Science."

The book has its flaws, but has its merits, too.

I think exposure to methods could potentially be very useful.

Regards
OC

selil
06-09-2011, 04:50 PM
@selil

Due to my school work at the moment I am really focused on the substantive side of my reading. However, I will add the other books and see if I can get through them at some point (probably not till next winter break, but I like having a long range plan).

Also can you elaborate on your comments about reading?

Let me put it to you this way. In my Masters and Doctoral program I had to read everything from computer science theory books, to fictional historical accounts of alien species (computer science is nothing if not esoteric). A semester trip to the book store has you walking out with 14 or 15 books. For each class. On average you had to read 4 to 5 books a week. With high cognitive understanding and ability to discuss in detail page by page what was going on. Instantly.

How do you do that? In general if you read a book serially pretty poorly.

So you don't read a "book" front to back. You read the first and last paragraph of the chapter. With text books you read the first and maybe second sentence of every paragraph. You read the sentence before, during, and after bolded words. You read the chapter summary (if there is one) and you finally read all the sidebars (as they usually draw context). You have at that point gutted the book and should be able to pass most any exam or inquisition.

Journal articles are structured abstract-introduction-methods-results-conclusions-bibliography in general.

You read them abstract-conclusions-results-methods and rarely read the introduction unless you are a neophyte to the field. This is easier to do in the sciences than in the "soft" side of the university. Your read the abstract to se if you are going to continue reading, and conclusions to see if you care. You read the results to compare against their methods. You should never cite papers from the introduction and only from the conclusions or results unless you are borrowing methods. Everything else is chaff.

Always read the bibliography of any paper. It can lend weight to the credibility of a paper. After awhile you will know where the disciplines figures or leaders are and know what silos exist. The bibliography will define that sooner rather than later.

Yes there are lots more "tricks" than these, but I consider them scholarly craftsmanship and part of the process of skill building.

davidbfpo
10-30-2013, 12:16 PM
Just a reminder this list, now with four other threads merged in exists and perhaps readers can add new items?:)

davidbfpo
11-21-2013, 10:58 PM
From WaronTheRocks.com:
.. the Commander of U.S. Special Operations Command (USSOCOM) – .. says, “is to motivate members of the SOF [Special Operations Forces] community to grow professionally and personally. The USSOCOM Reading List represents important works for all SOFofficers, enlisted and civilians as well as those supporting the USSOCOM mission.

Link:http://warontherocks.com/2013/11/admiral-mcravens-reading-list/

I've only read one, the last listed.:eek:

murphysl
11-23-2013, 01:30 PM
I'm a graduate student at Columbia University taking a year long seminar called "US Role in World Affairs". Taught by a former US Ambassador, with guest lectures from generals, prime ministers, and lots of policy makers, it is a great course. The professor has asked for recommendations for readings for next semester and I think that something focusing on America's shadow wars, in particular those fought since 9/11, would be a good addition. How is US power being exerted through SOF and other "black ops" around the world, and how does it affect US policy? I've found The Way of the Knife by Mark Mazetti, The Short American Century, a collection of essays edited by Andrew Bacevich, and Washington Rules by Bacevich. I've scanned the reading list on SWJ, and didn't find anything I thought would be topical. Any suggestions?

I've been through this thread as well as the recommended reading elsewhere on the site, but haven't found anything.