Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff
CJCS Reading List



Affording Defense by Jacques Gansler

From the Publisher:  Jacques Gansler's previous book, The Defense Industry, was hailed by Senator William Proxmire as "a superb analysis of our defense problems."  Air Force magazine called it a "brilliant dissection of the U.S. armament industry."  Now, with Affording Defense, Gansler again points the way toward a national-security policy that will enable the United States to proceed, safely and prosperously, into the 21st century...  More Details

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The American Way of War: A History of the United States Military Strategy and Policy, by Russell F. Weigley

Unlike many military history books which tend to get hung up on tedious descriptions of individual battles (and, thus, lose the forest through the trees and never make a point), this book is an absolute treasure of insights about military strategy as it has evolved from the 1700s through present day. Weigley's writing is incredible, and it seems that every paragraph makes a startling insightful comment.  Amazon Review.


The Art of War, by Sun Tsu

Written in China over two thousand years ago, Sun Tzu's The Art of War provides the first known attempt to formulate a rational basis for the planning and conduct of military operations. These wise, aphoristic essays contain principles acted upon by such twentieth-century Chinese generals as Mao Tse Tung. Samuel Griffith offers a much-needed translation of this classic which makes it even more relevant to the modern world.  Amazon Review.


Command, Control, and the Common Defense, by C. Kenneth Allard


Command of the Air, by Guilio Douhet
 


Commander in Chief: Franklin Delano Roosevelt, His Lieutenants and Their War, by Eric Larrabee

 


Crusade in Europe, by Dwight D. Eisenhower

This is Eisenhower's own story from the early days when he was called by Marshall to Washington to analyze prospects for the war in the Pacific, to his being Supreme Commander of the Allied forces in Europe.  Amazon Review.

 


Defeat Into Victory, by William Slim

Presents the history of the World War II victory against Japan in India by Field-Marshal Viscount William Slim who led shattered British forces from Burma to India in one of the lesser-known but more nightmarish retreats of the war, and the ultimate liberation of India and Burma from the Japanese Army.  World War,  1939-1945  -- Campaigns--Burma.  Amazon Review.
 
     
Every War Must End, by Fred Charles Ikle

Many historians and policymakers have studied how wars begin. Ikle studies how wars end, and why military strategists have overlooked this question.  Amazon Review.
Every War Must End



The Face of Battle, by John KeeganThe Face of Battle, by John Keegan

What is it like to be in battle? John Keegan, a senior instructor at Sandhurst, the British Military Academy, speaks for soldiers who were present in the fray.  For examples, Keegan selects Agincourt in 1415, Waterloo in 1815, and the Somme in 1916. What is common about them, what is different? Agincourt was hand-to-hand combat, thrust and cut--a fearful and personal encounter. At Waterloo, 400 years later, the battle was still largely personal.  Amazon Review.
The Face of Battle



GallipoliGallipoli, by Alan Moorehead

An epic of gallantry and folly -- the whole story of the most controversial campaign of modern times.  The Allied campaign against Gallipoli began in 1915 when the Turks went into World War I on Germany's side. Winston Churchill, First Lord of the Admiralty in the British War Cabinet, conceived the plan of smashing through the Dardanelle's with a fleet of old battleships and reopening the straits to Russian shipping.  Amazon Review.
Gallipoli



Guardians of the Sea: History of the U.S. Coast Guard 1915 to the Present, by Robert Erwin JohnsonGuardians of the Sea: History of the U.S. Coast Guard 1915 to the Present, by Robert Erwin Johnson Guardians of the Sea



The Influence of Seapower Upon History, by Alfred T. MahanThe Influence of Seapower Upon History, by Alfred T. Mahan The Influence of Seapower Upon History

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The Korean War, by Max HastingsThe Korean War, by Max Hastings
The Korean War



Logistics in the National Defense, by Henry E. Eccles Logistics in the National Defense



Makers of Modern Strategy: From Machiavelli to the Nuclear Age, by Peter ParetMakers of Modern Strategy: From Machiavelli to the Nuclear Age, by Peter Paret

From Library Journal
Makers of Modern Strategy , first published in 1943, deserved and demanded updating. The 28 essays in the new volume7 more than in the original range from excellent to outstanding. They reflect the skills of a cross-section of leading military historians...

Makers of Modern Strategy



On Strategy: A Critical Analysis of the Vietnam War, by Harry G. SummersOn Strategy: A Critical Analysis of the Vietnam War, by Harry G. Summers

Summer's inspired analysis of America's war in Vietnam answers the most pressing questions remaining from that terrible conflict more than a decade before Robert McNamara's painful admissions.

On Strategy



On War, by Carl von ClausewitzOn War, by Carl von Clausewitz

On War is the most significant attempt in Western history to understand war, both in its internal dynamics and as an instrument of policy. Since the work's first appearance in 1832, it has been read throughout the world, and has stimulated generations of soldiers, statesmen, and intellectuals.

On War



The Political Economy of International Relations, by Robert GilpinThe Political Economy of International Relations, by Robert Gilpin

 

The Political Economy of International Relations



The Prince, by Niccolo MachiavelliThe Prince, by Niccolo Machiavelli

When Lorenzo de' Medici seized control of the Florentine Republic in 1512, he summarily fired the Secretary to the Second Chancery of the Signoria and set in motion a fundamental change in the way we think about politics.

The Prince



The Quiet Warrior: A Biography of Admiral Raymond A Spruance, by Thomas Buell

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The Quiet Warrior


The Search for Security in Space, by Kenneth N. Luongo and W. Thomas Wander

Buy Hardcover
The Search for Security in Space


Strategic and Operational Deception in the Second World War, by Michael I. Handel

Buy Hardcover
Strategic and Operational Deception in the Second World War


Street Without Joy, by Bernard B. Fall

Buy Hardcover
Street Without Joy


Supplying War:  Logistics from Wallenstein to Patton, by Martin van CrevaldSupplying War:  Logistics from Wallenstein to Patton, by Martin van Crevald


 


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Supplying War


Surprise Attack: The Victim's Perspective, by Ephraim Kam

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Surprise Attack


The Theory and Practice of War, by Michael Howard

Out of Print
The Theory and Practice of War


Thinking in Time: The Uses of History for Decision Makers, by Richard E. Neustadt and Ernest R. MayThinking in Time: The Uses of History for Decision Makers, by Richard E. Neustadt and Ernest R. May


  

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Thinking in Time


With Prejudice, by Lord Arthur Tedder

Not Available
With Prejudice


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Last modified: January 22, 2008