Naval War College Reading Room: Current List

Lecture Recomendation: August 6, 2025

Dr. Mark Jacobsen was a Panel speaker at the Future Warfighting Symposium, August 6-7, 2025.

"FAIL FAST, FAIL OFTEN, FAIL FORWARD"... We live in an age that acknowledges the importance of failure and resilience to success. Yet in our rush to bounce back from setbacks, we often miss that the journey through failure and renewal can be a difficult one that plays out over months or years.In this moving memoir, Air Force officer and entrepreneur Mark D. Jacobsen tells the story of his ambitious moonshot effort to use emerging drone technology to break sieges and deliver humanitarian aid in war-torn Syria. Even as his small volunteer team achieved breakthrough successes, cascading challenges brought down the effort and took Mark past the limits of his strength. In the two years that followed, amidst a grueling PhD program and a difficult faith transition, Mark learned to walk failure's path and find new life on the other side.Eating Glass is a compassionate and profound guide that will speak to any dreamer or achiever who is navigating the aftermath of a failure experience. It provides steady assurance that we are never alone in our journeys, and that our seasons of failure are fertile times in which we grow.

Lecture Recommendation: August 6, 2025

Recommended Reading by Dr. Max Brooks, Keynote speaker for the Future Warfighting Symposium, August 6-7, 2025.

Describes the struggle against entrenched ineffiency and corruption in the military, and recounts the author's own experiences trying to get equipment tested under conditions that resemble combat.

Lecture Recommendation: August 6, 2025

Dr. Max Brooks was the Keynote speaker for the August 6-7, 2025 Future Warfighting Symposium.

From bestselling author Max Brooks, the riveting story of the highly decorated, barrier-breaking, historic black regiment--the Harlem Hellfighters In 1919, the 369th infantry regiment marched home triumphantly from World War I. They had spent more time in combat than any other American unit, never losing a foot of ground to the enemy, or a man to capture, and winning countless decorations. Though they returned as heroes, this African American unit faced tremendous discrimination, even from their own government. The Harlem Hellfighters, as the Germans called them, fought courageously on--and off--the battlefield to make Europe, and America, safe for democracy.   In THE HARLEM HELLFIGHTERS, bestselling author Max Brooks and acclaimed illustrator Caanan White bring this history to life. From the enlistment lines in Harlem to the training camp at Spartanburg, South Carolina, to the trenches in France, they tell the heroic story of the 369th in an action-packed and powerful tale of honor and heart.

Lecture Recommendation: August 6, 2025

Dr. Max Brooks was the Keynote speaker for the August 6-7, 2025 Future Warfighting Symposium.

The most successful film franchise of all time, Star Wars thrillingly depicts an epic multigenerational conflict fought a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away. But the Star Wars saga has as much to say about successful strategies and real-life warfare waged in our own time and place. Strategy Strikes Back brings together over thirty of today's top military and strategic experts, including generals, policy advisors, seasoned diplomats, counterinsurgency strategists, science fiction writers, war journalists, and ground‑level military officers, to explain the strategy and the art of war by way of the Star Wars films. Each chapter of Strategy Strikes Back provides a relatable, outside‑the‑box way to simplify and clarify the complexities of modern military conflict. A chapter on the case for planet building on the forest moon of Endor by World War Z author Max Brooks offers a unique way to understand our own sustained engagement in war-ravaged societies such as Afghanistan. Another chapter on the counterinsurgency waged by Darth Vader against the Rebellion sheds light on the logic behind past military incursions in Iraq. Whether using the destruction of Alderaan as a means to explore the political implications of targeting civilians, examining the pivotal decisions made by Yoda and the Jedi Council to differentiate strategic leadership in theory and in practice, or considering the ruthlessness of Imperial leaders to explain the toxicity of top-down leadership in times of war and battle, Strategy Strikes Back gives fans of Star Wars and aspiring military minds alike an inspiring and entertaining means of understanding many facets of modern warfare. It is a book as captivating and enthralling as Star Wars itself.    

Lecture Recommendation: August 6, 2025

Dr. Max Brooks was the Keynote speaker for the August 6-7, 2025 Future Warfighting Symposium.

Set in the fictitious world of Westeros, the hit television series Game of Thrones chronicles the bitter and violent struggle between the realm's noble dynasties for control of the Seven Kingdoms. But this beloved fantasy drama has just as much to say about the successful strategies and real-life warfare waged in our own time and place. Winning Westeros brings together more than thirty of today's top military and strategic experts, including generals and admirals, policy advisors, counterinsurgency tacticians, science fiction and fantasy writers, and ground‑level military officers, to explain the strategy and art of war by way of the Game of Thrones saga. Each chapter of Winning Westeros provides a relatable, outside‑the‑box way to simplify and clarify the complexities of modern military conflict. A chapter on the doomed butcher's boy whom Arya Stark befriends by World War Z author Max Brooks poignantly reminds us of the cruel fate that civilians face during times of war. Another chapter on Jaqen H'ghar and the faceless men of Bravos explores the pivotal roles that stealth and intelligence play in battle. Whether considering the diplomatic prowess of Tyrion Lannister, the defiant leadership style of Daenerys Targaryen, the Battle of the Bastards and the importance of reserves, Brienne of Tarth and the increased role of women in combat, or dragons as weapons of mass destruction, Winning Westeros gives fans of Game of Thrones and aspiring military minds alike an inspiring and entertaining means of understanding the many facets of modern warfare. It is a book as captivating and enthralling as Game of Thrones itself.  

Lecture Recommendation: August 6, 2025

Dr. Max Brooks was the Keynote speaker for the August 6-7, 2025 Future Warfighting Symposium. Dr. Brooks authored Chapter 15: "Romulans and Remans."


"This fascinating collection of 30 short essays examines the challenges of future wartime leadership and strategy through the lens of science fiction. Klug, an Army War College professor, and Leonard, best known as the voice and pen behind Doctrine Man, have compiled a full plate of stories to educate, inform and provoke." -- War on the Rocks The literature of ideas. When author Pamela Sargent used those words to describe science fiction in 1975, the genre had exploded into the literary mainstream. As a literature of ideas, science fiction has proven to be a powerful metaphor for the world around us, offering a rich tapestry of imagination through which to explore how we lead, how we think, and how we interact. To Boldly Go assembles more than thirty writers from around the world--experts in leadership and strategy, senior policy advisors and analysts, professional educators and innovators, experienced storytellers, and ground-level military leaders--to help us better understand ourselves through the lens of science fictionEach chapter of To Boldly Go draws out the lessons that we can learn from science fiction, drawing on classic examples of the genre in ways that are equally relatable and entertaining. A chapter on the burdens of leadership by Ghost Fleet author August Cole launches readers into the cosmos with Captain Avatar aboard the space battleship Yamato. In another chapter, the climactic Battle of the Mutara Nebula from The Wrath of Khan weighs the advantages of experience over intelligence in the pursuit of strategy. What does inter-species conflict in science fiction tell us about our perspectives on social Darwinism? Whether using Star Trek: Deep Space Nine to explore the nuances of maritime strategy or The Expanse to better understand the threat posed by depleted natural resources, To Boldly Go provides thoughtful essays on relevant subjects that will appeal to business leaders, military professionals, and fans of science fiction alike.

Lecture Recommendation: August 6, 2025

Dr. Max Brooks was the Keynote speaker for the August 6-7, 2025 Future Warfighting Symposium. Dr. Brooks authored Chapter 30: "The Caped Crusader and the Road to Radicalism".

"...offers an eclectic menu of treats that serve up a new and fresh look at a genre we rarely connect directly to the demands of the real world, much less plumb for key lessons about leadership." -- ARMY Magazine In the past decade, heroes and villains spawned from the pages of comic books have upended popular culture and revolutionized the entertainment industry. The narratives weave together a multitude of complementary and sometimes competing storylines, spun across decades, generations, and mediums, forming a complex tapestry that simultaneously captures the imagination and captivates the mind. These stories reveal our own vulnerabilities while casting an ideal to which we aspire. They pull at our deepest emotions and push us to the cusp of reality, and bring us back to Earth with a renewed hope of a better tomorrow. They are an endless source of powerful metaphors to help us learn and develop, then be the best versions of ourselves possible.Through the lens of the superhero genre, each chapter explores contemporary challenges in leadership, team building, and conflict, while emphasizing the role of humanity and human nature in our own world.Contributors: Ian Boley, Jo Brick, Mitch Brian, Max Brooks, Mike Burke, Kelsey Cipolla, Amelia Cohen-Levy, Mick Cook, Jeff Drake, Clara Engle, Candice Frost, Ronald Granieri PhD, Heather S, Gregg PhD, James Groves, Geoff Harkness PhD, Theresa Hitchens, Kayla Hodges, Cory Hollon PhD, Joshua Huminski, Erica Iverson, Alyssa Jones, Mathew Klickstein, Jonathan Klug, Matt Lancaster, Steve Leonard, Karolyn McEwen, Eric Muirhead, Jon Niccum, Kera Rolsen, Mick Ryan, Julie Still, Patrick Sullivan, Aaron Rahsaan Thomas, Dan Ward, and Janeen Webb PhD.

Review of the book: "Waging War with Gold: National Security and the Finance Domain across the Ages" by Charles A. Dainoff, Robert M. Farley, adn Geoffrey F. Williams. Book review is written by Anand Toprani of the Strategy and Policy Department of the USNWC.

Book Abstract:
"The sinews of war," posited Cicero, "are infinite money." Can the same be said of security? Tackling this thought-provoking question, the authors of Waging War with Gold show how states across the centuries have weaponized the global finance domain—a constellation of economic, legal, and monetary relations—in order to exert influence and pursue national interests.

Review of the book: "Contemporary Security Issues in Africa" by William A. Taylor, written by Richard A. Norton of the National Security Affairs department of the USNWC.

Book Abstract:
Presenting both general overviews and specific case studies, this book introduces contemporary security issues in Africa, home to more than thirty of the fifty most fragile nations in the world. It covers the past three decades of conflict on the continent, focusing on such topics as weak and failing states, ethnic conflict and civil wars, natural resources and environmental security, political violence and terrorism, piracy and maritime security, food security and poverty, international responses, and future prospects.

The core of the book comprises detailed analysis of the nexus between culture, politics, and security in Africa, while the volume as a whole examines key regional and transnational security issues affecting Africa and their implications at the state, regional, and international levels. The book explores the dynamic role that African nations play in influencing international security and investigates and articulates factors heightening the importance of Africa's role in international affairs.

Review of the book: "Command: the Twenty-First-Century General" by Anthony King, written by Richard A. Norton of the National Security Affairs department of the USNWC.

Book Abstract:
In the wake of the troubled campaigns in Afghanistan and Iraq, military decision-making appears to be in crisis and generals have been subjected to intense and sustained public criticism. Taking these interventions as a starting point, Anthony King examines the transformation of military command in the twenty-first century. Focusing on the army division, King argues that a phenomenon of collective command is developing. In the twentieth century, generals typically directed and led operations personally, monopolising decision-making. They commanded individualistically, even heroically. As operations have expanded in range and scope, decision-making has multiplied and diversified. As a result command is becoming increasingly professionalised and collaborative. Through interviews with many leading generals and vivid ethnographic analysis of divisional headquarters, this book provides a unique insight into the transformation of command in western armies.

Book Review published in Journal Small Wars & Insurgencies

In Training for Victory, Sobchak examines how US Army Special Forces, or the Green Berets, advise partner forces in foreign internal defense (or FID) missions.Footnote1 As a scholar and retired Special Forces (SF) Colonel, he brings a very unique perspective through which to examine the missions and operations of the Green Berets and his work accordingly helps bridge the divide between academics and military practitioners.Footnote2 This is valuable given how scholars’ research sometimes seem disconnected from the Green Berets’ actual work at the tactical and operational levels. Meanwhile, personal, first-hand accounts either penned by journalists (embedded within SF units) or former SF members themselves generally lionize the regiment’s work without systematically analyzing its successes and failures.Footnote3 Sobchak’s authoritative study thus fills a gap in the existing literature and warrants a read by anyone interested in learning more about this storied regiment.

This book introduces a much-needed theory of tactical air power to explain air power effectiveness in modern warfare with a particular focus on the Vietnam War as the first and largest modern air war. Phil Haun shows how in the Rolling Thunder, Commando Hunt, and Linebacker air campaigns, independently air power repeatedly failed to achieve US military and political objectives. In contrast, air forces in combined arms operations succeeded more often than not. In addition to predicting how armies will react to a lethal air threat, he identifies operational factors of air superiority, air-to-ground capabilities, and friendly ground force capabilities, along with environmental factors of weather, lighting, geography and terrain, and cover and concealment in order to explain air power effectiveness. The book concludes with analysis of modern air warfare since Vietnam along with an assessment of tactical air power relevance now and for the future.

In this book, Michael Glynn explores a journey through the history of more than one hundred years of aerial sub hunting. From the Great War, through the Battle of the Atlantic in World War II and on to the secret confrontations of the Cold War, the reader will witness the parallel evolution of both aircraft and submarine as each side tries to gain supremacy over the other. In so doing, Glynn distills complicated oceanography, operations analysis, and technical theory into easily digested concepts, helping the reader understand how complex weapons and sensors function. By reviewing the steps of a submarine hunting flight, the reader can quickly understand how theory and practice fit together and how aviators set to achieve their goal of detecting their submarine targets. Airborne Anti-Submarine Warfare is a thrilling read for those seeking a glimpse into an arcane and high-stakes world.

U.S. flag officers are intended to be exemplary defenders of duty, honor, and country--but what can we learn by exposing the bad leaders lurking within these venerable ranks? There is an ugly strain of criminal and unethical leadership in the upper ranks of the American military. Despite the exemplary service of most American military members, a persistent minority of U.S. flag officers (Navy admirals and Army, Air Force, and Marine generals) have embroiled the profession in scandal since the Revolutionary War. In Generals and Admirals, Criminals and Crooks, award-winning author Jeffrey J. Matthews examines bad leadership in American military history over the past one hundred years, beginning with war crimes in the Philippine-American War and ending with the recent Fat Leonard corruption scandal. Scrutinizing a range of leadership failures, including moral cowardice, sex crimes, insubordination, toxic leadership, and obstruction of justice, Matthews offers a fascinating analysis of the bases and motives leading to these missteps and explores what could be done to curtail future misconduct of generals and admirals. The book also includes an up-to-date examination of President Trump's term in office that highlights the vital role honorable military leadership plays in our democracy. Confronting the dark side of criminal and unethical conduct among U.S. flag officers, this frank and historically grounded book offers valuable lessons in leadership that will stimulate further debate and critical self-assessment within the U.S. military..

"Letters of marque" might suggest privateers of the Elizabethan era or the American Revolution. But such conventions are duly covered in the US Constitution, and the private military instruments they sanction are very much at work today in the form of mercenaries and military contractors. A history of such practices up to the present day, Marque and Reprisal by Kenneth B. Moss offers unique insight into the role of private actors in military conflicts and the reason they are increasingly deployed in our day. Along with an overview of mercenaries and privateers, Marque and Reprisal provides a comprehensive history of the "marque and reprisal" clause in the US Constitution, reminding us that it is not as arcane as it seems and arguing that it is not a license for all forms of undeclared war. Within this historical context Moss explains why governments and states have sought control over warfare and actors--and why private actors have reappeared in force in recent conflicts. He also looks ahead to the likelihood that cyberwar will become an important venue for "private warfare." Moss wonders if international law will be up to the challenges of private military actors in the digital realm. Is international law, in fact, equipped to meet the challenges increasingly presented in our day by such extramilitary activity? A government makes no more serious decision than whether to resort to military force and war; and when doing so, Moss suggests, it should ensure that such actions are accountable, not on the sly, and not decided in the marketplace. Marque and Reprisal should inform future deliberations and decisions on that count.

A New Force at Sea tells the story of one of the most important officers in the U.S. Navy between the Civil War and World War II. Born in Montpelier, Vermont, George Dewey attended the still relatively new U.S. Naval Academy, graduating in 1858. He served with distinction in the Civil War in the Union Navy, saw a significant amount of action in the Mississippi River and along the Atlantic coast, and was singled out for his leadership and bravery by his superior officers. In the wake of the war, Dewey remained in the Navy as an officer, but the American people were generally uninterested in any role their nation could play in the broader world and the Navy languished. Dewey however, refined his perception of what American global naval strategy could be.    By the time the Spanish-American War broke out in 1898, Dewey commanded a squadron of ships on the far side of the Pacific. His victory in the Battle of Manila Bay instantly made him the most famous American military figure after Ulysses S. Grant.   The degree to which Dewey bore responsibility for embroiling the United States in what came to be known as the Philippine Insurrection was overlooked by an American public that eagerly named children for him, composed songs in his honor, and competed to stage the most extravagant civic celebrations of the quiet naval officer from Vermont. It was a public role for which he was ill-suited.  Such was Dewey's celebrity that he when he returned to the United States he was instantly spoken of as a serious candidate for the Presidency in 1900. After an abortive and half-hearted candidacy that damaged his public reputation, Congress raised his rank to the newly created "Admiral of the Navy," the rank he would hold for the rest of his life. He became the embodiment of Theodore Roosevelt's "big stick" attitude and the national symbol for American naval power. He served as the chairman of the new General Board of the United States Navy, created in 1900 as the first body to address questions of strategy and operational readiness.    Dewey had a profound understanding that his career bridged two seminal periods in American naval history, and clearly understood the repercussions of his victory at Manila. He died in Washington in January 1917, shortly before the United States entered World War I fighting against Germany as he had foretold years earlier. He was buried at Arlington National Cemetery but shortly after reinterred at the Washington National Cathedral, the only U.S. military officer to have such an honor.

This book is the latest contribution to a unique series in a common format documenting in great detail the warships of the major naval powers during the age of sail. To date, four volumes have covered the British Navy, two have been devoted to the French Navy and one each to the Dutch and Russian Navies. This volume on the Spanish Navy, for much of its history the third largest in the world, fills the final gap in the ranks of the major maritime powers. This book is the first comprehensive listing of these ships in English and covers the development of all the naval vessels owned or deployed by Spain during the period of the Bourbon monarchy from 1700 to 1860 (including the period of French control during the Napoleonic Wars), but it also sets the scene for that period by summarizing the origins of Spanish naval development under the preceding Habsburg regime. As with previous volumes in the series, the main chapters list all the naval vessels from 1700 onwards (including those 16th century ships which survived into the new regime in 1700) by type, with the first chapters listing the ships of the line (navíos in Spanish terminology) and frigates in descending order of firepower, and subsequent chapters covering minor and ancillary vessels. Where available, a brief service history of each individual ship is given. A comprehensive introductory section includes a group of background essays designed to provide the reader with a deep understanding of how Spanish naval forces operated, and the context within which they were organized. Certain to become the standard English-language reference work, its publication is of the utmost importance to every naval historian and general reader interested in the navies of the sailing era.