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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.
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Book Review: Military Culture Shift: The Impact of War, Money, and Generational Perspective on Morale, Retention, and Leadership
Rodger M. Kissane
Author: Corie Weathers
Reviewed by Rodger M. Kissane, graduate student, College of International Security Affairs, National Defense University
Rodger M. Kissane provides a thoughtful review of this important book on “bridging and even transcending generational differences” in the US military. Kissane highlights author Corie Weathers’s “insightful . . . recognition that each generation imprints itself upon the institution in ways that reflect their life experiences.” He also outlines the book’s relevance to leaders in that Weathers addresses “ ‘messy dynamics’ leaders confront in synthesizing . . . various perspectives, ideals, and values.”
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Review: Hybrid Warriors: Proxies, Freelancers and Moscow’s Struggle for Ukraine
Sarah Lohmann
Author: Anna Arutunyan
Reviewed by Dr. Sarah Lohmann, teaching faculty, University of Washington
Dr. Sarah Lohmann, editor of What Ukraine Taught NATO about Hybrid Warfare (US Army War College Press, 2022), calls Anna Arutunyan's latest book, Hybrid Warriors, a "must-read for senior members of the US defense community" that "encourages strategists to think beyond segmented operations to ensure Russia's broad defeat." Lohmann highlights the book's value in that it provides "perspectives that have not yet been heard in the West," as Arutunyan "relies on Russian sources from media and academia, as well as hundreds of interviews." Lohmann also notes how Arutunyan "challenges what she believes to be the Western narrative around the 2022 Russia-Ukraine War."
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Book Review: Conflict: The Evolution of Warfare from 1945 to Ukraine
John A. Nagl
Authors: David Petraeus and Andrew Roberts
Reviewed by Dr. John A. Nagl, professor of warfighting studies, US Army War College
Teaser: Dr. John A. Nagl provides readers a roadmap to navigate—and a lens with which to interpret—General David Petraeus and Andrew Roberts's best-selling book, Conflict, which Nagl considers "'[t]he closest thing to a memoir" of Petraeus and "likely . . . the best first-person account in history of [Petraeus's] efforts and results in Iraq and Afghanistan that made him the most important Army officer of his generation." Nagl focuses on what he believes are Petraeus's main contributions to the book (the chapters on Vietnam, Iraq, and Afghanistan) and calls the chapter on Iraq the "heart of the book." He also highlights the book's value to "[f]uture commanders and staff officers" and to "[a]ll Army officers and national security officials," who will benefit from learning how Petraeus engaged with the "four major tasks" regarding "big ideas" that all leaders "must master."
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