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Leadership: The Warrior’s Art  

Reviewed by Rhonda Smith-Daugherty, Ph.D.  In his famous work, On War, Carl von Clausewitz discussed the qualities that make up what he termed the “Military Genius.” While he acknowledged that good leaders require intellect, the real heart of leadership is intuition and courage.  Since the battlefield is fluid, a leader must have the ability to

Wind, Fire and Ice: The Perils of a Coast Guard Icebreaker in Antarctica

Reviewed by Ingo Heidbrink, Ph.D. On the surface Robert M. Bunes new book Wind, Fire and Ice: The Perils of a Coast Guard Icebreaker in Antarctica is an autobiographical take on a young physician’s deployment on USCGC Glacier to Antarctica in the early 1970s. As such it is a welcome addition to the body of

Pacific Thunder

World War II was an air war. That is not to say that other arms were not important, they certainly were, but as the war progressed, victory at sea or on the ground grew to be difficult, if not impossible, without at least local air superiority. Underscoring the importance of air power at sea, Thomas

Naval Advising and Assistance: History, Challenges, and Analysis

Naval Advising and Assistance: History, Challenges, and Analysis Edited by Donald Stoker and Michael T. McMaster Helion & Company Limited (2017) Reviewed by Kenneth J. Hagan, Ph.D. Ever since 1890, when Captain A.T. Mahan published his game-changing book, The Influence of Sea Power upon History, 1660-1783, the strategic focus of the U.S. Navy has been

The Taking of K-129: How the CIA Used Howard Hughes to Steal a Russian Sub in the Most Daring Covert Operation in History

The Taking of K-129: How the CIA Used Howard Hughes to Steal a Russian Sub in the Most Daring Covert Operation in History By Josh Dean,  Dutton, New York, (2017). Review by Capt. William H. Johnson USN (Ret.)   As of 2018, many of the details of Project AZORIAN — the recovery of part of

American Sea Power in the Old World: The United States Navy in European and Near Easter Waters, 1865 – 1917

American Sea Power in the Old World: The United States Navy in European and Near Eastern Waters, 1865-1917 By William N. Still Jr. Annapolis, MD, Naval Institute Press, (2018). Reviewed by Charles H. Bogart   This book is a paperback reissue of the original edition published in 1980, which has not only withstood the test

Ingram’s Fourth Fleet: U.S. and Royal Navy Operations Against German Runners, Raiders, and Submarines in the South Atlantic in World War II By Cdr. David D. Bruhn, USN (Ret.). Heritage Books, Berwyn Heights, MD, (2017) Reviewed by Charles Bogart   Commander Bruhn has crafted an excellent introductory book about an important but forgotten theater of

Destined for War: Can America and China Escape Thucydides’s Trap?

  Destined for War: Can America and China Escape Thucydides’s Trap? By Graham Allison Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, New York, NY, (2017)   Reviewed by Randall Fortson   Looking Back to Find a Way Forward Thucydides concluded that the underlying reason for war between Athens and Sparta, a war that neither side wanted, was the rise

Morning Star, Midnight Sun

Morning Star, Midnight Sun: The Early Guadalcanal Solomons Naval Campaign of World War II By Jeffrey R. Cox, Osprey Publishing, Oxford, UK, (2018).   Reviewed by David F. Winkler, Ph.D.   Morning Star, Midnight Sun represents the author’s second foray into the war in the Pacific. His Rising Sun, Falling Skies, The Disastrous Java Sea

Striking Power: How Cyber, Robots, and Space Weapons Change the Rules of Law

Striking Power: How Cyber, Robots, and Space Weapons Change the Rules of Law By Jeremy Rabkin, John Yoo,: Encounter Books, New York, NY. (2017).   Reviewed by John Grady   Striking Power: How Cyber, Robots, and Space Weapons Change the Rules of Law is a thought-provoking and disturbing book. It fits well into the manner

Blue versus Purple: The U.S. Naval War College, the Soviet Union, and the New Enemy in the Pacific, 1946

Blue versus Purple: The U.S. Naval War College, the Soviet Union, and the New Enemy in the Pacific, 1946. By Hal Friedman, Naval War College Press, Newport, RI. 2017.   Reviewed by Corbin Williamson, Ph.D.   Hal Friedman likes trilogies.[1] His first three books (the American Lake series) examined the strategic, political, and administrative history

British Destroyers 1939-45: Wartime-built Classes

British Destroyers 1939-45: Wartime-built classes (New Vanguard #253) By Angus Konstam, Osprey, New York (2017).   Reviewed by Jeffrey Schultz   Angus Konstam, a naval historian and a prolific Osprey titles author, pens his second in the British destroyer series which follows up the earlier British Destroyers 1939-45: Pre-war Classes (New Vanguard #246). This work