Admiral Chester W. Nimitz and Victory in the Pacific   by Trent Hone Naval Institute Press , 2022, 430 pp Hardcover ISBN: 9781682475959 Reviewed by: Jordan Beavis   In Mastering the Art of Command,  noted US naval historian Trent Hone investigates the leadership of Admiral Chester W Nimitz as Commander in Chief of the Pacific Fleet (CINCPAC) and Commander in Chief of the Pacific Ocean Areas (CINCPOA) during the Second World War. Both as a personality and as a fleet commander, Nimitz has already been the …

Business Decision-Making and Crisis Planning   by Garth Callender Wiley , 2023, xxiv+186 pp Paperback ISBN: 97813942033201 Reviewed by: Darren Cronshaw   Uncertainties and crises are a feature of contemporary global politics and business. In the face of conflict, extreme weather and natural disasters, cybercrime, pandemics, migration, and economic and supply chain instability, in what ways can leaders best lead through risk and chaos with agility and good decisions, while maintaining resilience for …

The Complete Story of the French Participation in the Dardanelles Expedition of 1915   by George H Cassar Helion , Warwick, 2019, 238 pp Hardback ISBN: 9781911628927 Reviewed by: Chris Roberts   Over a century after the last British troops were withdrawn from Gallipoli, volumes are still being written about a campaign that has been likened to a Greek tragedy. Within the historiography of the English-speaking peoples, the focus inevitably has been almost entirely on the British and Anzac contribution. Yet …

  by John D Hosler Hackett Publishing Company , 2022, 185 pp Paperback ISBN: 97813942033201 Reviewed by: John Nash   Military historians and theorists are often confronted by frustrating historical myths. Sometimes these are quite specific (e.g. a battle, historical figure, or piece of equipment), whereas sometimes they are historical constructs or historical arguments that have gained a life of their own and that come to bedevil the wider scholarship of war and military studies. The collection of chapters …

  Edited by Catherine Grant, Alessio Patalano and James Russell Georgetown University Press , 2023, 360 pp Hardcover ISBN: 9781647123383 Paperback ISBN: 9781647123390 Ebook ISBN: 9781647123406 Reviewed by: Dongkeun Lee We are currently witnessing the age of naval power, where the competition between the United States (US) and the People’s Republic of China (PRC) primarily unfolds at sea. Notable areas of potential conflict, such as the Taiwan Strait and the South China Sea, underscore the critical role of …

Chaos, Cohesion, and Consequences   Edited by Timothy Heck and Walker Mills Army University Press, 2023, 436 pp Paperback ISBN: 9781940804873 Reviewed by: Liam Kane When should military leaders break off an engagement with their enemies? What is the difference between a retreat and a rout? What is the significance of retreat? These are the some of the questions that the contributors to Armies in Retreat  seek to answer. The book’s editors, Timothy Heck and Walker Mills, were motivated to undertake this …

British Grand Strategy, 1919–1940   by David French Oxford University Press , 2022, 623 pp Hardcover ISBN: 9780192863355 Reviewed by: Jordan Beavis David French is an illustrious name in British military history. For decades he has made significant contributions to our understanding of British strategy and Britain’s Army in both peace and war, in the latter case frequently rebalancing an often stereotyped view of the military force that was once responsible for the land defence of the world’s largest …

From the Ancient World to the Digital Age   Edited by Hal Brands Princeton University Press , 2023, 1158 pp Hardcover ISBN: 9780691204383 Reviewed by: Nick Bosio Since the early 1950s, one book, The Makers of Modern Strategy , has consistently been compulsory reading at staff and war colleges around most of the Western world. Each edition has provided practitioners and scholars with insights into strategy, strategic thinking, and the issues of strategic culture. Furthermore, each version of this …

The Politics of Military Operations from Korea to Ukraine   by Lawrence Freedman Allen Lane, 2022, 608 pp ISBN 9780241456996 Reviewed By: John Nash In his latest book, Command: The Politics of Military Operations from Korea to Ukraine , Lawrence Freedman continues his long body of work looking at issues of strategy and command. As the book’s title indicates, Freedman examines conflicts ranging from the Korean War to the ongoing Russo-Ukraine war, in the latter case focusing heavily on events in 2014 and …