[July 28, 2015] As of late, I’ve been reading a number of books that will not make my recommended reading list. The heat of this summer is neither the cause of my reading selections nor is my new dog … which does take time that is certainly enjoyable. Today’s reading is a book on strategy. Perhaps it could even be about “grand strategy”; something that I have great interest in reading about. I don’t want to spoil the surprise of the book, I do think it is well researched and detailed in pointing out those things that any good leader should consider. Historian Mark Moyar, author of Triumph Forsaken: The Vietnam War, 1954-1965, an excellent book on the war, has shown himself to be a true student of failures by political and military leaders.
Strategic Failure: How President Obama’s Drone Warfare, Defense Cuts, and Military Amateurism Have Imperiled America, Mark Moyar, 2015.
Mark Moyar is one of the better writers on national security and has a fine grasp of the historical context in which wars are often fought. This helps him tremendously as he explores the foreign policy and strategy of U.S. President Obama; an area he considers as utter failure. The book is one of the few recent books that thoroughly documents the lack of success in Obama’s foreign policy, military strategy, and diplomatic efforts. What is lacking however is an explanation for the more sophisticated reader of the integration of Obama’s vision (what is it?) and his grand strategy (what is it?). I can only conclude that the book was written for a more general audience to make it popular. While the book is a very interesting and informative read, it does not provide sufficient strategic develop background or Obama national security apparatus inter-workings to be of much help to senior leaders interested in high level leadership. While there are a number of positive things about the book, I’m not placing the book on my recommended reading list.
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