-
Book Review: Limited Force and the Fight for the Just War Tradition
Wylie W. Johnson
Author: Christian Nikolaus Braun
Reviewed by Reverend Dr. Wylie W. Johnson, chaplain, US Army War College class of 2010
Retired US Army chaplain Dr. Wylie W. Johnson reviews Christian Nikolaus Braun’s dissertation-turned-book on a “casuistic” approach to just war informed by the writings of St. Thomas Aquinas. Johnson overviews the philosophies with which Braun engages—those of Michael Walzer and of revisionists (virtue ethicists)—and quotes Braun’s central purpose: to provide a “third way” to these philosophies and “remind contemporary thinkers of the tradition’s core—namely, its practical function as a guide to statecraft.”
-
Book Review: Thanks for Your Service: The Causes and Consequences of Public Confidence in the US Military
James "Andy" Nichols
Author: Christian Nikolaus Braun
Reviewed by Lieutenant Colonel James “Andy” Nichols, US Army War College class of 2023
Lieutenant Colonel James “Andy” Nichols provides a thoughtful review of Duke University professor Peter D. Feaver’s book on the reasons for—and proposed ways to maintain—the “high public confidence” that the US military has experienced since 2001. Nichols overviews Feaver’s research methodology and policy recommendations, providing potential readers useful praise of the book’s merits—particularly Feaver’s “discussions surrounding politicization (party) and public pressure”—and some critiques, namely that the policy recommendations are “underdeveloped.” Nichols concludes that “[t]he text advances policy discussions on public confidence in US government institutions, includes valuable quantitative analysis, and points to future research opportunities.”
-
Book Review: The Wandering Army: The Campaigns that Transformed the British Way of War
James D. Scudieri
Author: Huw J. Davies
Reviewed by Dr. James D. Scudieri, senior research historian, Strategic Studies Institute, US Army War College
Senior research historian Dr. James D. Scudieri lends his expertise to review King’s College London academic Huw J. Davies’s most recent book, a “powerful monograph” on the 1750–1850 British Army’s “accidental military enlightenment.” Scudieri provides a chapter-by-chapter overview of the book’s contents and praises Davies for “[setting] the standard for military theoreticians and senior British commanders to integrate theory and practice in the big picture and in the field.” He calls the book a “formidable achievement” and notes that the “emphasis on informal knowledge exchanges is a rare, albeit difficult, element to study.”
-
Book Review: Resourcing the National Security Enterprise: Connecting the Ways and Means of US National Security
Christopher Sandrolini
Edited by: Susan Bryant and Mark Troutman
Reviewed by Christopher Sandrolini, Foreign Service officer and professor, US Army War College
Foreign Service officer and US Army War College professor Christopher Sandrolini calls this anthology, which contextualizes the defense budget within federal spending, a “well-organized and lucid practical introduction to working within the confines of a bureaucracy.” He highlights and distills Bryant and Troutman’s main arguments, noting, “[m]astering these rules [of bureaucracy] is essential to turn strategies and policies into funded, viable programs.” He also discusses the book’s explanation of how the Department of Defense balances the “four pillars” framework (force structure, force posture, readiness, and modernization in developing strategy) and praises the book’s concluding recommendations, outlined in the review.
Printing is not supported at the primary Gallery Thumbnail page. Please first navigate to a specific Image before printing.
