Call for Professional Reading Lists

[jenniferro10]

I have an extensive list that is growing in the last few weeks that I would love to share, and actually host somewhere else.

[ANNEX]

hi,

i'm new to this forum, this subject and with only a little naval experience, i don't think i can add very much to the debate. also please forgive me if my terminology is off. i do read quite a bit. so here's my list if it helps.

pre-counterinsurgency-variations of it was practiced before it had a name

Seven Pillars of Wisdom- T.E. Lawrence
Cyrus the Great (Illustrated Edition)-Jacob Abbott(one of the most amazing leaders but it wasn't his conventional wars that got him 50 references in the old testament)
On War- Carl Von Clausewitz(still valid today)

colonial counterinsurgency- its good to know where we've been to know where we're going

The Pacification of Algeria- David Galula
A Savage War of Peace: Algeria 1954-1962- Alistair Horne
Modern Warfare: A French View of Counterinsurgency​- Roger Trinquier
Counterinsurgen​cy Warfare: Theory and Practice- David Galula
The Australian Centenary History of Defence: Volume 7: An Atlas of Australia's Wars (v. 7)-Lieutenant-General John Coates (has battle maps of the Malaysian emergency and the peace keeping mission in East Timor that Kilcullen was a part of.)

The Conduct of Anti-terrorist Operations in Malaya aka ATOM
A Handbook on Anti-Mau Mau Operations(these republished military manuals can be ordered from Hailer Publishing-http://www.hailerpublishing.com/biglist.html)

The Art of War - Mao Tse-Tung
Guerrilla Warfare- Ernesto Che Guevara

COIN AND THE NEW GENERATION
The Army and Vietnam-Andrew F. Krepinevich Jr.
the accidental guerrilla- David Kilcullen
FM 3-24 -counterinsurgency manual- U.S Army
FM 3-07- stability operations- U.S. Army
Dereliction of Duty: Johnson, McNamara, the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and the Lies That Led to Vietnam- H. R. Mcmaster
Learning to Eat Soup with a Knife: Counterinsurgency Lessons from Malaya and Vietnam-John A. Nagl and Peter J. Schoomaker
The Utility of Force: The Art of War in the Modern World-Rupert Smith
Descent into Chaos: The United States and the Failure of Nation Building in Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Central Asia-Ahmed Rashid
Baghdad at Sunrise: A Brigade Commander's War in Iraq-Peter R. Mansoor

EXTRA READING

The Practice of Adaptive Leadership: Tools and Tactics for Changing Your Organization and the World-Ronald A. Heifetz(Petraeus mentioned this in several interviews and the authors are the most respected in the field)
The Anthropology of the State: A Reader-Aradhana Sharma(Kilcullen mentioned the need to know this subject and it involves tribal cultures involved with globalization)
Rules For Radicals- Saul Alinsky( its a realistic primer for people who want to change the system)
Anything by Al Qaeda(we must know our enemy after all)
48 laws of power- Robert Greene
33 stratagies of war- Robert Greene

http://abumuqawama.blogspot.com- this website had the best reading lists, it even includes great articles from military review

[ANNEX]

also a great read is

Shake Hands with the Devil : The Failure of Humanity in Rwanda- Romeo Dallaire(this story reinforces the need for unity of command)

[John T. Fishel]

Here are a bunch of things I have used in several courses I teach. They range from classics to journalism, theory to practice, policy to tactics, etc. And, of course, I toot my own horn.

Cheers

JohnT

From my course on National Security Policy:
John T. Fishel & Max G. Manwaring, Uncomfortable Wars Revisited, OU Press, 2006 ISBN 0-8061-3711-8*

Bob Woodward, The Commanders, Simon & Schuster (Touchstone) ISBN 0-7732-3475-8
--------, Bush at War, Simon & Schuster, ISBN 0-7432-0473-5
--------, Plan of Attack, Simon & Schuster, ISBN 0-7432-5548-8
-------, State of Denial, Simon & Schuster, ISBN 0-7432-7223-4
--------, The War Within, Simon & Schuster, ISBN – 13: 978-1-4165-5897-2
Linda Robinson, Tell Me How This Ends, Public Affairs Books, ISBN 978-1-58648-528-
3

From my course, Small Wars:
William R. Meara, Contra Cross, Naval Institute Press 2006, ISBN 1-59114-518-X

C. E. Callwell, Small Wars Publisher: University of Nebraska Press; 3rd edition (May 1996)
ISBN-10: 080326366X
ISBN-13: 978-0803263666


USMC, Small Wars Manual Publisher: University Press of the Pacific (June 30, 2005)
ISBN-10: 1410224821
ISBN-13: 978-1410224828


Thomas A. Marks
MAOIST PEOPLE'S WAR IN POST-VIETNAM ASIA Bangkok, White Lotus, 2007
ISBN: 978-974-480-106-7 (pb)

From a Capstone course on War from Ancient Times to the Present taught in 2008:
Required Titles

1. Iliad (Paperback)
by Homer (Author), Stanley Lombardo (Author), Hackett, ISBN 0-87220-352-2 pbk

2. The Landmark Herodotus: The Histories (Hardcover)
by Herodotus (Author), Robert B. Strassler (Editor), Rosalind Thomas (Introduction), Andrea L. Purvis (Translator), Touchstone

3. The Landmark Thucydides: A Comprehensive Guide to the Peloponnesian War (Paperback)
by Thucydides (Author), Robert B. Strassler (Editor), Victor Davis Hanson (Introduction), Richard Crawley (Translator), Touchstone, ISBN 0-684-82790-5 pbk

4. The Art of War (Paperback)
by Sun Tzu (Author), B. H. Liddell Hart (Foreword), Samuel B. Griffith (Translator), DaCapo, ISBN 0-306-81076-y

5. On War (Paperback)
by Carl von Clausewitz (Author), Michael Eliot Howard (Translator), Peter Paret (Translator, Princeton, ISBN 0-691-01854-5 pbk

6. Carnage and Culture: Landmark Battles in the Rise to Western Power (Paperback)
by Victor Hanson (Author), Anchor ISBN 0-385-50052-1

7. The Art of War (Paperback)
by Niccolò Machiavelli (Author), Ellis Farneworth (Author), Da Capo, 0-306-81076-x

8. The Great Game: The Struggle for Empire in Central Asia (Kodansha Globe) (Paperback)
by Peter Hopkirk (Author), ISBN 1-56836-022-3


9. Ike: An American Hero (Hardcover)
by Michael Korda (Author), Harper-Collins, ISBN 0-06-075665-9

10. Stalking the Vietcong: Inside Operation Phoenix: A Personal Account (Mass Market Paperback)
by Stuart Herrington (Author), (original title: Silence Was a Weapon), Presidio, ISBN 0-345-47251-9

11. First In: An Insider's Account of How the CIA Spearheaded the War on Terror in Afghanistan (Mass Market Paperback)
by Gary Schroen (Author), Presidio, ISBN 0-89141-872-5


12. Fiasco: The American Military Adventure in Iraq (Paperback)
by Thomas E. Ricks (Author), Penguin, ISBN 1-59420-103-x

Recommended Titles

1. The Trojan War: A New History (Paperback)
by Barry Strauss (Author), Simon & Schuster, ISBN 0-7432-0441-x

2. The Battle of Salamis: The Naval Encounter that Saved Greece -- and Western Civilization [BARGAIN PRICE] (Paperback)
by Barry Strauss (Author), Simon & Schuster. ISBN 0-7432-4450-8

3. A War Like No Other: How the Athenians and Spartans Fought the Peloponnesian War (Paperback)
by Victor Hanson (Author), Random House, ISBN 1-4000-6095-8

4. The Peloponnesian War (Paperback)
by Donald Kagan (Author), Penguin, ISBN 0-670-03211-5

5. Crusade in Europe (Paperback)
by Dwight David Eisenhower (Author), Johns Hopkins, ISBN 0-8018-5668-x

6. On Strategy: A Critical Analysis of the Vietnam War (Paperback)
by Harry G. Summers (Author), Presidio, ISBN 0-89141-561-7

7. Vietnam: A History (Paperback)
by Stanley Karnow (Author), Penguin, ISBN 0 02.6547 3

8. American Soldier [BARGAIN PRICE] (Paperback)
by Tommy R. Franks (Author), Harper-Collins, ISBN 0-06-075714-0

9. Jawbreaker: The Attack on Bin Laden and Al Qaeda: A Personal Account by the CIA's Key Field Commander [BARGAIN PRICE] (Hardcover)
by Gary Berntsen (Author), Ralph Pezzullo (Author), Three Rivers Press, ISBN 0-307-35106-8


Additional books:
Max G. Manwaring, Insurgency, Terrorism, & Crime, U of Oklahoma Press, 2008

And, of course, Kilcullen.

* Required in both National Security Policy and Small Wars

[ANNEX]

that was a great list, i also like summers. although he got some stuff wrong, his observations are still of great intrest to me. his historical atlas of the vietnam war is amazing as well. heres the isbn 0-395-72223-3

also heres a link to the recommended reading for FSO-
http://search.state.gov/search?q=rea...&site=careers&
x=0&y=0

also some great reading can be found here
http://usacac.army.mil/cac2/coin/index.asp

[EmmetM]

Very interesting...As I posted in Hails and Farewells today my PhD research is on the use, utility etc of self-directed reading programmes in PME (title is "Autonomous, self-directed professional reading and the education of leaders"). I was intending to open a thread on this topic soon so will signal this here. I have now collected details of some reading programmes and lists from militaries accross the globe and will, over time, share some insights, thoughts etc on them. To weigh into the topic though, my favourite list in many ways comes from LtGen John Kiszkely, Director of the Defence Academy of the United Kingdom. In his words, "reading is an essential contributor to the development of sound judgement, intuition, and wisdom in military decision-making". He goes on to list "the ten books which I consider contribute more than any others to that understanding and development". His title are

Carl von Clausewitz, On War (Howard & Paret edition)
Martin van Creveld, Command in War
Alex Danchev & Daniel Todman (eds), War Diaries 1939-1945. Field Marshal Lord Alanbrooke
David Fraser, Knight's Cross: A Life of Field Marshal Erwin Rommel
Andrew Gordon, The Rules of the Game: Jutland and British Naval Command
Alastair Horne, A Savage War of Peace: Algeria 1954-1962
Michael Howard, The Franco-Prussian War
HR McMaster, Dereliction of Duty
William Slim, Defeat into Victory
Robert S Strassler (ed), The Landmark Thucydides

The list and commentary is available from http://www.defac.ac.uk/publications/reading-list

From a Kiwi perspective, our best contribution to the canon is probably Howard Kippenberger, Infantry Brigadier, Oxford University Press, Oxford, 1949. "Kip" as he was/is affectionately known was once of our greatest commanders. A vet of WWI & II he rose to the rank of Major General until his command was tragically cut short when he lost both feet at Casino in '44. He went on to be a veterins advocate and official government historian. If you can get hold of a copy (unfortunately out of print) of Infantry Brigadier you'll get a no-BS account of the Kiwi way of war and leadership.

Link broken, id'd June 2015. A copy of my research into Kip is available from http://www.victoria.ac.nz/css/pages/...iscussion.aspx

[Schmedlap]

My only concern with reading lists is that many books aren't just works that you sit down and read on your own. For example, from the list above: On War by CvC. I really don't think most - or even many - people are going to fully grasp everything unless they are already well versed in most of the concepts or they spend considerable time discussing the issues with other knowledgeable folks and/or others who are reading it concurrently.

Also, some books require some significant background knowledge. For example, I recently read The Iliad for the second time (the first was about 10 years ago). This time, it helped significantly to read the translator's introduction (and to do some research into which translation to get), to do some research about the characters and mythology, to follow along with an audio course about the book, and so on. Without the background, it's just expedition, Achilleus gets mad, things turn sour, he gets madder, whoops some ass, end of story. You need to know the history, a bit about Greek culture at the time, and some other trivia to understand what is occurring and its significance. And if you don't know any of that, then you need to know what you need to learn before reading (the known unknowns). Guided study helps.

When I was a young LT starving for knowledge, I read most of the books on the CoS's reading list, from the NCO recommendations up to the top dog recommendations (before 9/11 - afterward, very little time). Some I got a lot out of. Others, in hindsight, would have been better to read if part of some guided study. To cite one example, I plowed through The Soldier and The State and got a lot out of it - particularly the first few chapters. (This was recommended for more senior officers, but it's the example that comes to mind). I suspect that I would have gotten a lot more out of it had it been read as part of some professional development program. Ditto all of the other books, including those recommended for junior officers.

I think that there should also be emphasis on the lists being divided into areas for which any one or two are sufficient. For example, a list of 50 books, divided into 5 areas of 8 to 12 each, with 1 or 2 from each area being adequate. Read all 50 books on the list - or even a list of 10 or 20? Yeah, good luck with that when you're on a cycle of 12 months deployed and then 12 months stateside, of which 8 months is eaten up with training.

[Kiwigrunt]

From a Kiwi perspective, our best contribution to the canon is probably Howard Kippenberger, Infantry Brigadier, Oxford University Press, Oxford, 1949. "Kip" as he was/is affectionately known was once of our greatest commanders. A vet of WWI & II he rose to the rank of Major General until his command was tragically cut short when he lost both feet at Casino in '44. He went on to be a veterins advocate and official government historian. If you can get hold of a copy (unfortunately out of print) of Infantry Brigadier you'll get a no-BS account of the Kiwi way of war and leadership. A copy of my research into Kip is available from http://www.victoria.ac.nz/css/pages/...iscussion.aspx

I’ll definitely have to read your work on Kip. Read ‘Kippenberger, an inspired New Zealand commander’ by Glyn Harper a few years ago. He sure appears to have been a good leader with great potential, until he stomped on that mine. Anyone’s guess how Cassino might have worked out….