Military History for the Modern Strategist: America's Major Wars Since 1861

Author:   Michael O'Hanlon
Publisher:   Rowman & Littlefield
Edition:   Updated ed.
ISBN:  

9780815740674


Pages:   448
Publication Date:   15 January 2024
Format:   Paperback
Availability:   In Print   Availability explained
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Military History for the Modern Strategist: America's Major Wars Since 1861


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Overview

The recent conclusion to the war in Afghanistan — America’s longest and one of its most frustrating — serves as a vivid reminder of the unpredictability and tragedy of war. In this timely book, esteemed military expert Michael O’Hanlon examines America’s major conflicts since the mid-1800s: the Civil War, the two World Wars, Korea, Vietnam, Iraq, and Afghanistan. Now updated with a new preface that addresses the Revolutionary War and brief observations on three other conflicts in U. S. History, O’Hanlon’s unique book — combining brevity and clarity with a broad conceptual approach —serves as an important treatment of America’s military history at the strategic and theater of operations levels. It should appeal to students of security studies and military history at universities and war colleges as well as generalists. He addresses profound questions. How successful has the United States been when it waged these wars? Were the wars avoidable? Did America’s leaders know what they were getting into when they committed to war? And what lessons does history offer for future leaders contemplating war? O’Hanlon looks for overarching trends and themes, along with the lessons for the military strategists and political leaders of today and tomorrow, including the observation that war is usually far more difficult than expected, and that its outcomes are rarely predictable.

Full Product Details

Author:   Michael O'Hanlon
Publisher:   Rowman & Littlefield
Imprint:   Brookings Institution
Edition:   Updated ed.
Dimensions:   Width: 15.20cm , Height: 3.00cm , Length: 22.70cm
Weight:   0.603kg
ISBN:  

9780815740674


ISBN 10:   0815740670
Pages:   448
Publication Date:   15 January 2024
Audience:   General/trade ,  General
Format:   Paperback
Publisher's Status:   Active
Availability:   In Print   Availability explained
This item will be ordered in for you from one of our suppliers. Upon receipt, we will promptly dispatch it out to you. For in store availability, please contact us.

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Reviews

In this timely, intriguing and readable book, Michael O'Hanlon casts the eye of a contemporary strategist over America's past wars to consider their origins and conduct, and what they tell us about how to prepare for future wars, warning especially about the dangers of falling into the trap of overconfidence. --Lawrence Freedman, Emeritus Professor of War Studies, King's College London In Military History for the Modern Strategist, Michael O'Hanlon demonstrates once again why he is one of the outstanding defense analysts of our time. He has astutely recognized that at a time of profound strategic uncertainty and change, the smartest thing we can do is to go back to basics: start with the military history of our nation over the past century and a half and build upon its lessons to fashion a new grand strategy that can carry us through the coming era. It is a brilliant approach, and he has executed it marvelously well in these pages. Here he provides all of the key information and insights from America's major conflicts since the Civil War in a way that is both elegant and concise--precisely right as the basis for new strategic thinking. --Kenneth Pollack, Senior Fellow, American Enterprise Institute Michael O'Hanlon has created a unique American military history primer for policymakers that particularly emphasizes two great truths: wars never proceed along the path belligerents expect, and quick, cheap victories are extremely rare. --Conrad Crane, research historian, Army War College, author of Cassandra in Oz: Counterinsurgency and Future War and American Airpower Strategy in World War II A brilliant, yet sobering overview of modern war by a uniquely qualified and thoughtful expert. Michael O'Hanlon put conflicts from the Civil War to Afghanistan into strategic context with a concise clarity that is fascinating for veterans of past wars, and fundamental for strategists of the future. His final chapter's 'Three Lessons' should be required reading for policymakers. --Stanley McChrystal, former commander, International Security Assistance Force (Afghanistan), U.S. Joint Special Operations Command History humbles us--hence the reason we continue to ignore Clio's lessons. Dr. O'Hanlon's superb book, however, returns Clio to her indispensable role for the strategist and policymaker, whilst also reminding us that to prepare for future (and inevitable) conflict, we need to learn from our past. Dr. O'Hanlon's book serves as a welcome primer to guide undergraduate and graduate classrooms alike in understanding that without history's instruction we will fail. --Edward A. Gutiérrez, Director, Center for Military History and Grand Strategy, Hillsdale College


History humbles us--hence the reason we continue to ignore Clio's lessons. Dr. O'Hanlon's superb book, however, returns Clio to her indispensable role for the strategist and policymaker, whilst also reminding us that to prepare for future (and inevitable) conflict, we need to learn from our past. Dr. O'Hanlon's book serves as a welcome primer to guide undergraduate and graduate classrooms alike in understanding that without history's instruction we will fail. In this timely, intriguing and readable book, Michael O'Hanlon casts the eye of a contemporary strategist over America's past wars to consider their origins and conduct, and what they tell us about how to prepare for future wars, warning especially about the dangers of falling into the trap of overconfidence. In Military History for the Modern Strategist, Michael O'Hanlon demonstrates once again why he is one of the outstanding defense analysts of our time. He has astutely recognized that at a time of profound strategic uncertainty and change, the smartest thing we can do is to go back to basics: start with the military history of our nation over the past century and a half and build upon its lessons to fashion a new grand strategy that can carry us through the coming era. It is a brilliant approach, and he has executed it marvelously well in these pages. Here he provides all of the key information and insights from America's major conflicts since the Civil War in a way that is both elegant and concise--precisely right as the basis for new strategic thinking. Michael O'Hanlon has created a unique American military history primer for policymakers that particularly emphasizes two great truths: wars never proceed along the path belligerents expect, and quick, cheap victories are extremely rare. A brilliant, yet sobering overview of modern war by a uniquely qualified and thoughtful expert. Michael O'Hanlon put conflicts from the Civil War to Afghanistan into strategic context with a concise clarity that is fascinating for veterans of past wars, and fundamental for strategists of the future. His final chapter's 'Three Lessons' should be required reading for policymakers.


History humbles us--hence the reason we continue to ignore Clio's lessons. Dr. O'Hanlon's superb book, however, returns Clio to her indispensable role for the strategist and policymaker, whilst also reminding us that to prepare for future (and inevitable) conflict, we need to learn from our past. Dr. O'Hanlon's book serves as a welcome primer to guide undergraduate and graduate classrooms alike in understanding that without history's instruction we will fail. --Edward A. Gutiérrez, Director, Center for Military History and Grand Strategy, Hillsdale College In this timely, intriguing and readable book, Michael O'Hanlon casts the eye of a contemporary strategist over America's past wars to consider their origins and conduct, and what they tell us about how to prepare for future wars, warning especially about the dangers of falling into the trap of overconfidence. --Lawrence Freedman, Emeritus Professor of War Studies, King's College London In Military History for the Modern Strategist, Michael O'Hanlon demonstrates once again why he is one of the outstanding defense analysts of our time. He has astutely recognized that at a time of profound strategic uncertainty and change, the smartest thing we can do is to go back to basics: start with the military history of our nation over the past century and a half and build upon its lessons to fashion a new grand strategy that can carry us through the coming era. It is a brilliant approach, and he has executed it marvelously well in these pages. Here he provides all of the key information and insights from America's major conflicts since the Civil War in a way that is both elegant and concise--precisely right as the basis for new strategic thinking. --Kenneth Pollack, Senior Fellow, American Enterprise Institute Michael O'Hanlon has created a unique American military history primer for policymakers that particularly emphasizes two great truths: wars never proceed along the path belligerents expect, and quick, cheap victories are extremely rare. --Conrad Crane, research historian, Army War College, author of Cassandra in Oz: Counterinsurgency and Future War and American Airpower Strategy in World War II A brilliant, yet sobering overview of modern war by a uniquely qualified and thoughtful expert. Michael O'Hanlon put conflicts from the Civil War to Afghanistan into strategic context with a concise clarity that is fascinating for veterans of past wars, and fundamental for strategists of the future. His final chapter's 'Three Lessons' should be required reading for policymakers. --Stanley McChrystal, former commander, International Security Assistance Force (Afghanistan), U.S. Joint Special Operations Command


Author Information

Michael O’Hanlon holds the Phil Knight Chair in Defense and Strategy at Brookings, where he also is director of research and director of the Talbott Center in the Foreign Policy program. He teaches at Columbia and Georgetown universities and elsewhere. Earlier in his career, O’Hanlon worked for the Congressional Budget Office, the Peace Corps, the “gravity group” at Princeton University, and dairy farms in upstate New York. He is the author of some 20 books, most recently The Art of War in an Age of Peace: U.S. Grand Strategy and Resolute Restraint (Yale, 2021).

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