An article about the evolving recommended reading lists for people in the military. There are different levels of reading lists – books for cadets, books for “senior leaders”, and a couple of sub-sets in between.
I am proud to say I have read a couple of the books included. Samuel Huntington’s Clash of Civilizations, I’ve read all of John Keegan’s books, and I’ve read Stephen Ambrose.
This year, chief of staff General Peter Schoomaker put out a list for senior members of the military (but go check out the article to see the recommendations for all levels) – This is an abbreviated version of that list (full version included in the article I linked to):
2004 List
Issued by Gen. Peter Schoomaker
“Thinking in Time: The Uses of History for Decision Makers,” by Richard E. Neustadt and Ernest R. May
“The Clash of Civilizations and the Remaking of World Order,” by Samuel P. Huntington
“The Lexus and the Olive Tree: Understanding Globalization,” by Thomas Friedman
“War in European History,” by Michael Howard
“The Making of Strategy: Rulers, States, and War,” edited by Williamson Murray, MacGregor Knox, and Alvin Bernstein
“Makers of Modern Strategy: From Machiavelli to the Nuclear Age,” edited by Peter Paret
“The Peloponnesian War,” by Donald Kagan
“Dereliction of Duty: Lyndon Johnson, Robert McNamara, the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and the Lies That Led to Vietnam,”by H. R. McMaster
“Victory on the Potomac,” by James R. Locher III
“The Dynamics of Military Revolution, 1300-2050,” edited by MacGregor Knox and Williamson Murray
“The Challenge of Change: Military Institutions and New Realities, 1918-1941,” edited by Harold R. Winton and David R. Mets
“Transformation Under Fire: Revolutionizing How America Fights,” by Douglas A. Macgregor
I highly recommend Kagan’s “The Peloponnesian War.” A great way to understand both the war and the impact it had on Greece.
Ah, just finished the article. I’m disappointed they replaced Thucydides with Kagan, but the disappointment is purely from a literary standpoint. From an officer’s standpoint, Kagan should be a more appropriate read. (And not for the “more accessible” reason given but for a more complete overview)