Below the fold are a few books on my reading pile that will slow the posting for the next several days. As always, I’m interested in your feedback.
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Chris Paul’s Information Operations–Doctrine and Practice: A Reference Handbook. A great read I’ll review here shortly. |
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Doublas A. Macgregor’s Breaking the Phalanx: A New Design for Landpower in the 21st Century came strongly recommended for a project I’m working on. Any comments before I start it? |
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Doublas A. Macgregor’s Transformation Under Fire: Revolutionizing How America Fights also came strongly recommended for the same project. |
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Walter L. Hixson’s Parting the Curtain: Propaganda, Culture, and the Cold War, 1945-1961. |
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Marc Sageman’s Leaderless Jihad: Terror Networks in the Twenty-First Century is one I started a while ago, just didn’t finish. |
Wow you’re just getting around to “Breaking the Phalanx?” Have to say, it was a great read and very revolutionary – in 1997. Ten years later, I think the opinion will be “yeah that was a good idea, shame that the Army didn’t move quicker” but it’s already been largely done with the current Brigade Combat Team structure. Good example of out-of-the-box thinking though. I haven’t read the second MacGregor book, I thought I had heard it was more of the same. Word is that McGregor was very upset that he wasn’t lauded as a visionary and all his ideas weren’t immediately implemented. No question he was on track, but the Army does change about as fast as a glacier.
“Breaking the Phalanx”This is an interesting books. It suggests a different organization of US Army forces by dropping divisions and brigades and using instead Combat Groups which are plugable into a different style Joint larger command. It resembles the BCT (slightly) that was adopted but with less upper layers.
“Douglas A. Macgregor’s Transformation Under Fire: Revolutionizing How America Fights”
Excellent book I like his stuff. He is all about radically changing the HR systems for the Army. It cost him career most likely.
“Leaderless Jihad”
I finished this recently and meant to bog it but haven’t. It covers the idea of radical decentralization of cells and the complete isolation of self-sufficient tactical cells from PR/Strategic cells.
Bruce Hoffman savages Sageman’s book in Foreign Affairs:http://www.foreignaffairs.org/20080501fareviewessay87310/bruce-hoffman/the-myth-of-grass-roots-terrorism.html
Adrian, Thanks for point out Hoffman’s review of Sagemen. I really need to get to my FA issues more quickly…Jason, yup, sometimes I’m a little slow on the uptake… but then, I read Handel’s Masters of War two years before you 😉
Purpleslog, looking forward to your post on Sageman.
Matt,Just now catching up on my GoogleReader…
I really enjoyed _Breaking the Phalanx_ — and think you will too. Though COL MacGregor’s basic premise (reorganization of the warfighting Army into today’s “Brigade Combat Team” structure) has been achieved, the context that MacGregor uses (coupled with very apt historical references) makes for a great sread.
See you in a couple weeks!
sdd