-
Reconsidering the American Way of War
- US Military Practice from the Revolution to Afghanistan
- Narrated by: James Killavey
- Length: 8 hrs and 19 mins
Failed to add items
Add to Cart failed.
Add to Wish List failed.
Remove from wishlist failed.
Adding to library failed
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed
Get 2 free audiobooks during trial.
Buy for $19.95
No default payment method selected.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
Publisher's summary
This audiobook challenges several longstanding notions about the American way of war. It examines US military practice (strategic and operational) from the War of Independence to the campaigns in Iraq and Afghanistan to determine what patterns, if any, existed in the way Americans have used military force. Echevarria surveys all major US wars and most every small conflict in the country's military history. He argues that the popular notion that the American way of war is astrategic, apolitical, and obsessed with using overwhelming force is wrong. Rather, America's decisions to go to war and strategies in war have throughout history been shaped by political considerations, with both negative and positive results, and the amount of force employed was rarely overwhelming or decisive. Echevarria closes the gap between histories of strategic theory and the popular battle and campaign narratives that comprise the bulk of US military history. This book hopes to force a reexmination of the true characteristics of the American way of war with an eye toward implications for the future.
Listeners also enjoyed...
-
The Kill Chain
- Defending America in the Future of High-Tech Warfare
- By: Christian Brose
- Narrated by: Christian Brose
- Length: 9 hrs and 44 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
When we think about the future of war, the military and Washington and most everyone gets it backwards. We think in terms of buying single military systems, such as fighter jets or aircraft carriers. And when we think about modernizing those systems, we think about buying better versions of the same things. But what really matters is not the single system but "the battle network"—the collection of sensors and shooters that enables a military to find an enemy system, target it, and attack it.
-
-
important message but repetitive
- By Tomas Singliar on 06-06-20
By: Christian Brose
-
Infantry Attacks
- By: Erwin Rommel
- Narrated by: Todd Belcher
- Length: 11 hrs and 24 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Infantry Attacks is a classic text in the field of military strategy. Written by German Field Marshal Erwin Rommel, it was first published in 1937 as a journal-esque chronicle of the author's experiences in World War I, and the lessons he learned there. In it, he provides detailed accounts of a variety of military strategies that rely on speed, deception, and deep penetration into enemy territory to intimidate and surprise opposing forces.
-
-
The best book about World War 1
- By Robert D. Blunt on 03-31-23
By: Erwin Rommel
-
Unrestricted Warfare
- China's Master Plan to Destroy America
- By: Qiao Liang, Wang Xiangsui
- Narrated by: Scott Pollak
- Length: 7 hrs and 32 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
A sobering and fascinating study on war in the modern era, Unrestricted Warfare carefully explores strategies that militarily and politically disadvantaged nations might take in order to successfully attack a geopolitical super-power like the United States. American military doctrine is typically led by technology; a new class of weapon or vehicle is developed, which allows or encourages an adjustment in strategy. Military strategists Qiao Liang and Wang Xiangsui argue that this dynamic is a crucial weakness in the American military.
-
-
China needs battle experience...
- By Swimfinz17 on 01-21-23
By: Qiao Liang, and others
-
On Combat
- The Psychology and Physiology of Deadly Conflict in War and in Peace
- By: Dave Grossman, Loren W. Christensen
- Narrated by: Dave Grossman
- Length: 18 hrs and 41 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
On Combat looks at what happens to the human body under the stresses of deadly battle and the impact on the nervous system, heart, breathing, visual and auditory perception, memory - then discusses new research findings as to what measure warriors can take to prevent such debilitations so they can stay in the fight, survive, and win. A brief, but insightful look at history shows the evolution of combat, the development of the physical and psychological leverage that enables humans to kill other humans, followed by an objective examination of domestic violence in America.
-
-
Just what I needed.
- By Jonah on 03-21-17
By: Dave Grossman, and others
-
Defeat into Victory
- Battling Japan in Burma and India, 1942-1945
- By: Field-Marshal Viscount William Slim, David W. Hogan Jr. - introduction
- Narrated by: Nigel Patterson
- Length: 23 hrs and 32 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Field Marshal Viscount Slim (1891-1970) led shattered British forces from Burma to India in one of the lesser-known but more nightmarish retreats of World War II. He then restored his army's fighting capabilities and morale with virtually no support from home and counterattacked. His army's slaughter of Japanese troops ultimately liberated India and Burma.
-
-
Excellent account of a theatre of ww2 that many Americans know little about of
- By Thomas W White on 01-06-24
By: Field-Marshal Viscount William Slim, and others
-
Conflict
- The Evolution of Warfare from 1945 to Ukraine
- By: David Petraeus, Andrew Roberts
- Narrated by: David Petraeus, Robert Fass
- Length: 18 hrs and 27 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Two leading authorities—an acclaimed historian and the outstanding battlefield commander and strategist of our time—collaborate on a landmark examination of war since 1945. Conflict is both a sweeping history of the evolution of warfare up to Putin’s invasion of the Ukraine, and a penetrating analysis of what we must learn from the past—and anticipate in the future—in order to navigate an increasingly perilous world.
-
-
The Story of My Life
- By Nice guy on 03-06-24
By: David Petraeus, and others
-
The Kill Chain
- Defending America in the Future of High-Tech Warfare
- By: Christian Brose
- Narrated by: Christian Brose
- Length: 9 hrs and 44 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
When we think about the future of war, the military and Washington and most everyone gets it backwards. We think in terms of buying single military systems, such as fighter jets or aircraft carriers. And when we think about modernizing those systems, we think about buying better versions of the same things. But what really matters is not the single system but "the battle network"—the collection of sensors and shooters that enables a military to find an enemy system, target it, and attack it.
-
-
important message but repetitive
- By Tomas Singliar on 06-06-20
By: Christian Brose
-
Infantry Attacks
- By: Erwin Rommel
- Narrated by: Todd Belcher
- Length: 11 hrs and 24 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Infantry Attacks is a classic text in the field of military strategy. Written by German Field Marshal Erwin Rommel, it was first published in 1937 as a journal-esque chronicle of the author's experiences in World War I, and the lessons he learned there. In it, he provides detailed accounts of a variety of military strategies that rely on speed, deception, and deep penetration into enemy territory to intimidate and surprise opposing forces.
-
-
The best book about World War 1
- By Robert D. Blunt on 03-31-23
By: Erwin Rommel
-
Unrestricted Warfare
- China's Master Plan to Destroy America
- By: Qiao Liang, Wang Xiangsui
- Narrated by: Scott Pollak
- Length: 7 hrs and 32 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
A sobering and fascinating study on war in the modern era, Unrestricted Warfare carefully explores strategies that militarily and politically disadvantaged nations might take in order to successfully attack a geopolitical super-power like the United States. American military doctrine is typically led by technology; a new class of weapon or vehicle is developed, which allows or encourages an adjustment in strategy. Military strategists Qiao Liang and Wang Xiangsui argue that this dynamic is a crucial weakness in the American military.
-
-
China needs battle experience...
- By Swimfinz17 on 01-21-23
By: Qiao Liang, and others
-
On Combat
- The Psychology and Physiology of Deadly Conflict in War and in Peace
- By: Dave Grossman, Loren W. Christensen
- Narrated by: Dave Grossman
- Length: 18 hrs and 41 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
On Combat looks at what happens to the human body under the stresses of deadly battle and the impact on the nervous system, heart, breathing, visual and auditory perception, memory - then discusses new research findings as to what measure warriors can take to prevent such debilitations so they can stay in the fight, survive, and win. A brief, but insightful look at history shows the evolution of combat, the development of the physical and psychological leverage that enables humans to kill other humans, followed by an objective examination of domestic violence in America.
-
-
Just what I needed.
- By Jonah on 03-21-17
By: Dave Grossman, and others
-
Defeat into Victory
- Battling Japan in Burma and India, 1942-1945
- By: Field-Marshal Viscount William Slim, David W. Hogan Jr. - introduction
- Narrated by: Nigel Patterson
- Length: 23 hrs and 32 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Field Marshal Viscount Slim (1891-1970) led shattered British forces from Burma to India in one of the lesser-known but more nightmarish retreats of World War II. He then restored his army's fighting capabilities and morale with virtually no support from home and counterattacked. His army's slaughter of Japanese troops ultimately liberated India and Burma.
-
-
Excellent account of a theatre of ww2 that many Americans know little about of
- By Thomas W White on 01-06-24
By: Field-Marshal Viscount William Slim, and others
-
Conflict
- The Evolution of Warfare from 1945 to Ukraine
- By: David Petraeus, Andrew Roberts
- Narrated by: David Petraeus, Robert Fass
- Length: 18 hrs and 27 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Two leading authorities—an acclaimed historian and the outstanding battlefield commander and strategist of our time—collaborate on a landmark examination of war since 1945. Conflict is both a sweeping history of the evolution of warfare up to Putin’s invasion of the Ukraine, and a penetrating analysis of what we must learn from the past—and anticipate in the future—in order to navigate an increasingly perilous world.
-
-
The Story of My Life
- By Nice guy on 03-06-24
By: David Petraeus, and others
-
David and Goliath
- Underdogs, Misfits, and the Art of Battling Giants
- By: Malcolm Gladwell
- Narrated by: Malcolm Gladwell
- Length: 7 hrs and 1 min
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Explore the power of the underdog in Malcolm Gladwell's dazzling examination of success, motivation, and the role of adversity in shaping our lives, from the best-selling author of The Bomber Mafia. Three thousand years ago on a battlefield in ancient Palestine, a shepherd boy felled a mighty warrior with nothing more than a stone and a sling, and ever since then the names of David and Goliath have stood for battles between underdogs and giants. David's victory was improbable and miraculous. He shouldn't have won. Or should he have?
-
-
The Art of (Unconventional) War
- By Cynthia on 10-04-13
By: Malcolm Gladwell
-
Strategy
- A History
- By: Lawrence Freedman
- Narrated by: Michael Butler Murray
- Length: 32 hrs and 4 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In Strategy: A History, Sir Lawrence Freedman, one of the world's leading authorities on war and international politics, captures the vast history of strategic thinking, in a consistently engaging and insightful account of how strategy came to pervade every aspect of our lives.
-
-
Comprehensive 'Tour de Force' on Strategy
- By Logical Paradox on 07-20-14
-
Surprise, Kill, Vanish
- The Secret History of CIA Paramilitary Armies, Operators, and Assassins
- By: Annie Jacobsen
- Narrated by: Annie Jacobsen
- Length: 19 hrs and 5 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
From Pulitzer Prize finalist Annie Jacobsen, the untold story of the CIA's secret paramilitary units.
-
-
Lots of facts, offset by too much fiction
- By Steve M on 05-24-19
By: Annie Jacobsen
-
War Transformed
- The Future of Twenty-First-Century Great Power Competition and Conflict
- By: Mick Ryan
- Narrated by: Grant Cartwright
- Length: 9 hrs and 38 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
War Transformed provides insights for those involved in the design of military strategy, and the forces that must execute that strategy. Emphasizing the impacts of technology, strategic competition, demography, and climate change, Mick Ryan uses historical and contemporary anecdotes to highlight key challenges faced by nations in a new era of great power rivalry. Just as previous industrial revolutions have advanced societies, the nascent fourth industrial revolution will have a similar impact on how humans fight, compete, and build military power in the twenty-first century.
-
-
Good but is quickly becoming dated
- By howiepalms on 06-12-23
By: Mick Ryan
-
The Art of War
- By: Sun Tzu
- Narrated by: Aidan Gillen
- Length: 1 hr and 7 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The 13 chapters of The Art of War, each devoted to one aspect of warfare, were compiled by the high-ranking Chinese military general, strategist, and philosopher Sun-Tzu. In spite of its battlefield specificity, The Art of War has found new life in the modern age, with leaders in fields as wide and far-reaching as world politics, human psychology, and corporate strategy finding valuable insight in its timeworn words.
-
-
The actual book The Art of War, not a commentary
- By Fred271 on 12-31-19
By: Sun Tzu
-
Sandworm
- A New Era of Cyberwar and the Hunt for the Kremlin's Most Dangerous Hackers
- By: Andy Greenberg
- Narrated by: Mark Bramhall
- Length: 12 hrs and 2 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In 2014, the world witnessed the start of a mysterious series of cyberattacks. Targeting American utility companies, NATO, and electric grids in Eastern Europe, the strikes grew ever more brazen. They culminated in the summer of 2017, when the malware known as NotPetya was unleashed, penetrating, disrupting, and paralyzing some of the world's largest businesses—from drug manufacturers to software developers to shipping companies. At the attack's epicenter in Ukraine, ATMs froze. The railway and postal systems shut down. Hospitals went dark.
-
-
Thru the eyes of the Sandworm's hunters and prey
- By ndru1 on 11-12-19
By: Andy Greenberg
-
Danger Zone
- The Coming Conflict with China
- By: Hal Brands, Michael Beckley
- Narrated by: Nancy Wu
- Length: 8 hrs and 26 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The Sino-American contest is driven by clashing geopolitical interests and a stark ideological dispute over whether authoritarianism or democracy will dominate the twenty-first century. But both history and China's current trajectory suggest that this rivalry will reach its moment of maximum danger in the 2020s. The Chinese challenge will most likely prove more manageable than many pessimists currently believe—but during the 2020s, the pace of Sino-American conflict will accelerate, and the prospect of war will be frighteningly real.
-
-
Quality control issues
- By Rock Island on 09-17-22
By: Hal Brands, and others
-
The Western Canon
- The Books and School of the Ages
- By: Harold Bloom
- Narrated by: James Armstrong
- Length: 22 hrs and 4 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Harold Bloom explores our Western literary tradition by concentrating on the works of twenty-six authors central to the Canon. He argues against ideology in literary criticism; he laments the loss of intellectual and aesthetic standards; he deplores multiculturalism, Marxism, feminism, neoconservatism, Afrocentrism, and the New Historicism. Insisting instead upon "the autonomy of aesthetic," Bloom places Shakespeare at the center of the Western Canon.....
-
-
A personal and opinionated book on the Canon
- By Steffen on 07-23-12
By: Harold Bloom
-
Pacific Crucible: War at Sea in the Pacific, 1941-1942
- By: Ian W. Toll
- Narrated by: Grover Gardner
- Length: 22 hrs and 6 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
On the first Sunday in December 1941, an armada of Japanese warplanes appeared suddenly over Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, and devastated the U.S. Pacific Fleet. Six months later, in a sea fight north of the tiny atoll of Midway, four Japanese aircraft carriers were sent into the abyss. Pacific Crucible tells the epic tale of these first searing months of the Pacific war, when the U.S. Navy shook off the worst defeat in American military history and seized the strategic initiative.
-
-
Astonishingly good.
- By Mike From Mesa on 09-01-12
By: Ian W. Toll
-
On War
- By: Carl von Clausewitz
- Narrated by: David Timson, Lucy Scott
- Length: 31 hrs and 10 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
A classic work of military strategy, On War sets forth the theories and tactics of Carl von Clausewitz, a distinguished Prussian general who was notable for his roles in the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars. The book covers a broad range of topics, including weapons, terrain, troops, and leadership, as well as the importance of defense over offence, the balance of power, and the subordination of war to politics. Praised for its timeless insights, Clausewitz’s treatise is often compared to the work of Machiavelli and Sun Tzu, and remains relevant to military leaders.
-
-
This is not the Howard/Paret edition.
- By Bybarbo on 05-30-22
-
The Strategy of Denial
- American Defense in an Age of Great Power Conflict
- By: Elbridge A. Colby
- Narrated by: Mike Lenz
- Length: 13 hrs and 51 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Elbridge A. Colby was the lead architect of the 2018 National Defense Strategy, the most significant revision of US defense strategy in a generation. Here he lays out how America's defense must change to address China's growing power and ambition. Based firmly in the realist tradition but deeply engaged in current policy, this book offers a clear framework for what America's goals in confronting China must be, how its military strategy must change, and how it must prioritize these goals over its lesser interests.
-
-
A Rational Liberalist Approach in a Realists World
- By Joshua Carroll on 06-23-23
-
The Civil War: A Narrative, Volume I, Fort Sumter to Perryville
- By: Shelby Foote
- Narrated by: Grover Gardner
- Length: 42 hrs and 58 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The Civil War: A Narrative, Volume 1 begins one of the most remarkable works of history ever fashioned. All the great battles are here, of course, from Bull Run through Shiloh, the Seven Days Battles, and Antietam, but so are the smaller ones: Ball's Bluff, Fort Donelson, Pea Ridge, Island Ten, New Orleans, and Monitor versus Merrimac.
-
-
OUTSTANDING! I'M PROUD TO BE A BLACK AMERICAN!!
- By The Louligan on 08-22-13
By: Shelby Foote
Critic reviews
Related to this topic
-
The Future of War
- A History
- By: Lawrence Freedman
- Narrated by: Michael Page
- Length: 12 hrs and 59 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The Future of War - which covers civil wars to as yet unknown nuclear conflicts, proxy wars (real) to the Cold War (not), fashionably small wars to the War to End All Wars (it didn't) - is filled with insight and fascinating nuggets of military history and culture from one of the most brilliant military and strategic historians of his generation.
-
-
A good historical review of the progression of war
- By Ian R. Graham on 06-14-18
-
For the Common Defense, 3rd Edition
- A Military History of the United States from 1607 to 2012
- By: Allan R. Millett, Peter Maslowski, William B. Feis
- Narrated by: John Pruden
- Length: 33 hrs and 2 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Called "the preeminent survey of American military history" by Russell F. Weigley, America's foremost military historian, For the Common Defense is an essential contribution to the field of military history. This third edition provides the most complete and current history of United States defense policy and military institutions and the conduct of America's wars. Without diminishing the value of its earlier editions, authors Allan R. Millett, Peter Maslowski, and William B. Feis provide a fresh perspective on the continuing issues that characterize national security policy.
-
-
The chapters in the book are badly labled
- By Hermione on 01-31-23
By: Allan R. Millett, and others
-
Deathride
- Hitler vs. Stalin: The Eastern Front, 1941-1945
- By: John Mosier
- Narrated by: Michael Prichard
- Length: 12 hrs and 50 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
John Mosier presents a revisionist retelling of the war on the Eastern Front. The conventional wisdom is that Hitler was mad to think he could defeat the USSR, because of its vast size and population, and that the Battle of Stalingrad marked the turning point of the war. Neither statement is accurate, says Mosier; Hitler came very close to winning outright.
-
-
Speaking the un-speakable
- By Jonathan Gardner on 09-27-10
By: John Mosier
-
Imperial Germany and War, 1871-1918
- Modern War Studies
- By: Daniel J. Hughes, Richard L. DiNardo
- Narrated by: Nigel Patterson
- Length: 21 hrs and 6 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Written by two of the world's leading authorities on the subject, Imperial Germany and War, 1871-1918 examines the most essential components of the imperial German military system, with an emphasis on such foundational areas as theory, doctrine, institutional structures, training, and the officer corps. In the period between 1871 and 1918, rapid technological development demanded considerable adaptation and change in military doctrine and planning.
-
-
Very well researched
- By Jeff Wise on 04-27-20
By: Daniel J. Hughes, and others
-
America's War for the Greater Middle East
- A Military History
- By: Andrew J. Bacevich
- Narrated by: Rob Shapiro, Andrew J. Bacevich
- Length: 15 hrs and 7 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
From the end of World War II until 1980, virtually no American soldiers were killed in action while serving in the Greater Middle East. Since 1990, virtually no American soldiers have been killed in action anywhere else. What caused this shift? Andrew J. Bacevich, one of the country's most respected voices on foreign affairs, offers an incisive critical history of this ongoing military enterprise - now more than 30 years old and with no end in sight.
-
-
A Key to Understanding the US Need for Perp. War
- By Darwin8u on 05-01-16
-
Supreme Command
- Soldiers, Statesmen, and Leadership in Wartime
- By: Eliot A. Cohen
- Narrated by: Simon Vance
- Length: 10 hrs and 46 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The relationship between military leaders and political leaders has always been a complicated one, especially in times of war. When the chips are down, who should run the show, the politicians or the generals? In Supreme Command, Eliot Cohen examines four great democratic war statesmen - Abraham Lincoln, Georges Clemenceau, Winston Churchill, and David Ben-Gurion - to reveal the surprising answer - the politicians. The generals may think they know how to win, but the statesmen are the ones who see the big picture.
-
-
Dated material
- By Charlotte R. Shover on 11-21-20
By: Eliot A. Cohen
-
The Future of War
- A History
- By: Lawrence Freedman
- Narrated by: Michael Page
- Length: 12 hrs and 59 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The Future of War - which covers civil wars to as yet unknown nuclear conflicts, proxy wars (real) to the Cold War (not), fashionably small wars to the War to End All Wars (it didn't) - is filled with insight and fascinating nuggets of military history and culture from one of the most brilliant military and strategic historians of his generation.
-
-
A good historical review of the progression of war
- By Ian R. Graham on 06-14-18
-
For the Common Defense, 3rd Edition
- A Military History of the United States from 1607 to 2012
- By: Allan R. Millett, Peter Maslowski, William B. Feis
- Narrated by: John Pruden
- Length: 33 hrs and 2 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Called "the preeminent survey of American military history" by Russell F. Weigley, America's foremost military historian, For the Common Defense is an essential contribution to the field of military history. This third edition provides the most complete and current history of United States defense policy and military institutions and the conduct of America's wars. Without diminishing the value of its earlier editions, authors Allan R. Millett, Peter Maslowski, and William B. Feis provide a fresh perspective on the continuing issues that characterize national security policy.
-
-
The chapters in the book are badly labled
- By Hermione on 01-31-23
By: Allan R. Millett, and others
-
Deathride
- Hitler vs. Stalin: The Eastern Front, 1941-1945
- By: John Mosier
- Narrated by: Michael Prichard
- Length: 12 hrs and 50 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
John Mosier presents a revisionist retelling of the war on the Eastern Front. The conventional wisdom is that Hitler was mad to think he could defeat the USSR, because of its vast size and population, and that the Battle of Stalingrad marked the turning point of the war. Neither statement is accurate, says Mosier; Hitler came very close to winning outright.
-
-
Speaking the un-speakable
- By Jonathan Gardner on 09-27-10
By: John Mosier
-
Imperial Germany and War, 1871-1918
- Modern War Studies
- By: Daniel J. Hughes, Richard L. DiNardo
- Narrated by: Nigel Patterson
- Length: 21 hrs and 6 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Written by two of the world's leading authorities on the subject, Imperial Germany and War, 1871-1918 examines the most essential components of the imperial German military system, with an emphasis on such foundational areas as theory, doctrine, institutional structures, training, and the officer corps. In the period between 1871 and 1918, rapid technological development demanded considerable adaptation and change in military doctrine and planning.
-
-
Very well researched
- By Jeff Wise on 04-27-20
By: Daniel J. Hughes, and others
-
America's War for the Greater Middle East
- A Military History
- By: Andrew J. Bacevich
- Narrated by: Rob Shapiro, Andrew J. Bacevich
- Length: 15 hrs and 7 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
From the end of World War II until 1980, virtually no American soldiers were killed in action while serving in the Greater Middle East. Since 1990, virtually no American soldiers have been killed in action anywhere else. What caused this shift? Andrew J. Bacevich, one of the country's most respected voices on foreign affairs, offers an incisive critical history of this ongoing military enterprise - now more than 30 years old and with no end in sight.
-
-
A Key to Understanding the US Need for Perp. War
- By Darwin8u on 05-01-16
-
Supreme Command
- Soldiers, Statesmen, and Leadership in Wartime
- By: Eliot A. Cohen
- Narrated by: Simon Vance
- Length: 10 hrs and 46 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The relationship between military leaders and political leaders has always been a complicated one, especially in times of war. When the chips are down, who should run the show, the politicians or the generals? In Supreme Command, Eliot Cohen examines four great democratic war statesmen - Abraham Lincoln, Georges Clemenceau, Winston Churchill, and David Ben-Gurion - to reveal the surprising answer - the politicians. The generals may think they know how to win, but the statesmen are the ones who see the big picture.
-
-
Dated material
- By Charlotte R. Shover on 11-21-20
By: Eliot A. Cohen
-
The Tragedy of Great Power Politics
- By: John J. Mearsheimer
- Narrated by: Mark Ashby
- Length: 16 hrs and 14 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
A decade after the cold war ended, policy makers and academics foresaw a new era of peace and prosperity, an era in which democracy and open trade would herald the "end of history." The terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, sadly shattered these idyllic illusions, and John Mearsheimer's masterful new book explains why these harmonious visions remain utopian.
-
-
Exceptional
- By Logical Paradox on 08-19-14
-
War of Attrition
- Fighting the First World War
- By: William Philpott
- Narrated by: Derek Perkins
- Length: 17 hrs and 50 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The Great War of 1914-1918 was the first mass conflict to fully mobilize the resources of industrial powers against one another, resulting in a brutal, bloody, protracted war of attrition between the world's great economies. Now, 100 years after the first guns of August rang out on the Western front, historian William Philpott reexamines the causes and lingering effects of the first truly modern war.
-
-
Confusing and disorganized
- By BMC on 08-05-14
By: William Philpott
-
Pandora’s Box
- A History of the First World War
- By: Jorn Leonhard, Patrick Camiller - translator
- Narrated by: David de Vries
- Length: 39 hrs and 33 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In this monumental history of the First World War, Germany's leading historian of the 20th century's first great catastrophe explains the war's origins, course, and consequences. With an unrivaled combination of depth and global reach, Pandora's Box reveals how profoundly the war shaped the world to come. Jörn Leonhard treats the clash of arms with a sure feel for grand strategy, the everyday tactics of dynamic movement and slow attrition, the race for ever more destructive technologies, and the grim experiences of frontline soldiers.
-
-
Excellent reading of a complex book
- By chris on 02-26-19
By: Jorn Leonhard, and others
-
Counterinsurgency
- By: David J. Kilcullen
- Narrated by: Peter Ganim
- Length: 10 hrs and 13 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Kilcullen brings together his most salient writings on this vitally important topic. Here is a picture of modern warfare by someone who has had his boots on the ground in some of today's worst trouble spots - including Iraq and Afghanistan - and who has been studying counterinsurgency since 1985. Filled with down-to-earth, common-sense insights, this book is the definitive account of counterinsurgency, indispensable for all those interested in making sense of our world in an age of terror.
-
-
CounterInsurgency Insights
- By JenFox on 12-21-21
-
The Accidental Guerrilla
- Fighting Small Wars in the Midst of a Big One
- By: David Kilcullen
- Narrated by: Peter Ganim
- Length: 15 hrs and 35 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
David Kilcullen is one of the world's most influential experts on counterinsurgency and modern warfare. A senior counterinsurgency advisor to General David Petraeus in Iraq, his vision of war dramatically influenced America's decision to rethink its military strategy in Iraq and implement "the surge."Now, in The Accidental Guerrilla, Kilcullen provides a remarkably fresh perspective on the War on Terror.
-
-
Not What I Expected
- By John on 12-12-10
By: David Kilcullen
-
Instrument of War
- The German Army 1914-18
- By: Dennis E. Showalter
- Narrated by: Julian Elfer
- Length: 10 hrs and 44 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Drawing on more than a half-century of research and teaching, Dennis Showalter presents a fresh perspective on the German Army during World War I. Showalter surveys an army at the heart of a national identity, driven by - yet also defeated by - warfare in the modern age, that struggled to capitalize on its victories, and ultimately forgot the lessons of its defeat.
-
-
German Side Of WW1
- By David A on 06-21-18
-
Losing Military Supremacy
- The Myopia of American Strategic Planning
- By: Andrei Martyanov
- Narrated by: Stefan Rudnicki
- Length: 8 hrs and 28 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
This book explores the dramatic difference between the Russian and US approach to warfare, which manifests itself across the whole spectrum of activities from art and the economy to the respective national cultures; illustrates the fact that Russian economic, military, and cultural realities and power are no longer what American "elites" think they are by addressing Russia's new and elevated capacities in the areas of traditional warfare, as well as cyberwarfare and space; and studies several ways in-depth in which the US can simply stumble into conflict with Russia and what must be done to avoid it.
-
-
Mixes Truth with Propoganda
- By Gavin on 02-08-21
By: Andrei Martyanov
-
Armies of Sand
- The Past, Present, and Future of Arab Military Effectiveness
- By: Kenneth M. Pollack
- Narrated by: David de Vries
- Length: 24 hrs and 15 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Since the Second World War, Arab armed forces have consistently punched below their weight. They have lost many wars that by all rights they should have won, and in their best performances only ever achieved quite modest accomplishments. Over time, soldiers, scholars, and military experts have offered various explanations for this pattern.
-
-
A Very Worthwhile Listen
- By Michael on 08-28-19
-
Washington Rules
- America's Path to Permanent War
- By: Andrew Bacevich
- Narrated by: Sean Runnette
- Length: 8 hrs and 8 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
For the last half century, as administrations have come and gone, the fundamental assumptions about America's military policy have remained unchanged: American security requires the United States (and us alone) to maintain a permanent armed presence around the globe, to prepare our forces for military operations in far-flung regions, and to be ready to intervene anywhere at any time. In the Obama era, just as in the Bush years, these beliefs remain unquestioned gospel.
-
-
Permanent war and insolvency...thanks Washington
- By Jonnie on 10-13-10
By: Andrew Bacevich
-
The Vietnam War: History in an Hour
- By: Neil Smith
- Narrated by: Jonathan Keeble
- Length: 1 hr and 9 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
History for busy people. Listen to a concise history of the Vietnam War in just one hour. War, what is it good for? The Vietnam War: History In an Hour gives a gripping account of the most important Cold War-era conflict, fought between the United States and the Viet Cong, the Vietnam People’s Army and their Communist allies. It was one of the most traumatic military conflicts America has ever been involved in – and provoked a backlash of anti-war protests at home.
-
-
Garbage
- By Michael on 08-06-12
By: Neil Smith
-
Nomonhan, 1939
- The Red Army's Victory that Shaped World War II
- By: Stuart D. Goldman
- Narrated by: John FitzGibbon
- Length: 10 hrs and 23 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Stuart Goldman convincingly argues that a little-known, but intense, Soviet-Japanese conflict along the Manchurian- Mongolian frontier at Nomonhan influenced the outbreak of World War II and shaped the course of the war. The author draws on Japanese, Soviet, and western sources to put the seemingly obscure conflict - actually a small undeclared war - into its proper global geo-strategic perspective.The book describes how the Soviets, in response to a border conflict provoked by Japan, launched an offensive in August 1939 that wiped out the Japanese forces at Nomonhan.
-
-
Nomonhan: Why Japan Demurred
- By William R. Todd-Mancillas (Name includes hyphen and capitalized M). on 08-03-14
-
Another Bloody Century
- By: Colin Gray
- Narrated by: David Shaw-Parker
- Length: 19 hrs and 3 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Many nations, peoples and special interest groups believe that violence will advance their cause. Warfare has changed greatly since the Second World War; it continued to change during the late 20th century, and this process is still accelerating. Political, technological, social and religious forces are shaping the future of warfare, but most Western armed forces have yet to evolve significantly from the Cold War era when they trained to resist a conventional invasion by the Warsaw Pact.
-
-
a must read for those who study warfare
- By Austin on 01-21-24
By: Colin Gray
What listeners say about Reconsidering the American Way of War
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- M. Hofer
- 06-07-15
Purely Academic
Would you be willing to try another one of James Killavey’s performances?
The performace was the worst I have come across save for the ones read by the author (Leon Panetta comes to mind). The sentences seem to end abruptly or with way too much emphasis. The way his voice drops at the end of every other sentence makes you feel that there was a point you just missed (there usually wasn't).
Any additional comments?
This is meant as an academic work. Do not get it if you have a mere passing interest in the subject. The book reads like a graduate thesis. The author reviews a whole lot of literature on the subject and critiques it. Without having read this other work you will be lost most of the time. This book is in conversation with all the work on this topic that came before. If you start with this one you are joining the coversation three-quarters of the way though.
For this military officer, I will have to try this book again once I get a text copy. This is really a companion to the book and not a replacement for it. The book is dense. There is so much material in here, even if his original contribution is thin relative to the length. If you want to eat this elephant, take very small bites and make sure you get a good nap inbetween meals.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
4 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Leslie
- 05-23-15
Very insightful
Would you listen to Reconsidering the American Way of War again? Why?
Yes. This is a rather "dense" book. I intend to listen to it at least once more.
Have you listened to any of James Killavey’s other performances before? How does this one compare?
I have. He does his usual excellent job.
If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?
This is not the kind of book that could be made into a film.
Any additional comments?
As other reviewers have said...this should be required reading for anyone involved at high levels of the military and for all politicians. We should not keep making the same mistakes over and over.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
40 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- cindilla
- 05-19-15
Should be required reading for all U.S. military.
Would you consider the audio edition of Reconsidering the American Way of War to be better than the print version?
Yes....easier to understand. I have the print version but had to keep backing up in order to have some parts make sense. I did not have to do that when listening.
What was one of the most memorable moments of Reconsidering the American Way of War?
Whole section about Vietnam.
Which character – as performed by James Killavey – was your favorite?
No characters but I must say the reader did a great job. There were many difficult names and places to pronounce and the syntax was often complex. Must have taken a lot of preparation.
Any additional comments?
Audio version made a book full of complex ideas much easier to understand.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
46 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Stephen
- 11-23-16
Reconsidering the American Way of War
The book is well-thought out and research. I do not argue with the premise that politics shape the decision to go to war and war-waging. I argue with the premise that there is an assumption that we have these decisions and tactics are apolitical. I do not think any country or group takes arms without a political input; it is a matter of degree that politics shape war at the strategic, operational, and tactical level. I guess there is a school of scholars who have been saying war making is apolitical.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
2 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Martin
- 05-19-15
Must read for military.
Would you consider the audio edition of Reconsidering the American Way of War to be better than the print version?
Much easier to understand. I had to read this for a class on military history and found it rough going. It's very dense and the sentence structure seems awkward at times...at least for me. I found listening to it a little at a time - 30 minutes or so, to be much easier since the reader did much of the work of "pharsing" the text and it actually became pretty clear what the author was talking about.
What other book might you compare Reconsidering the American Way of War to and why?
The Art of War but, of course, much more modern.
What does James Killavey bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?
Already said it...did a great job of making a complex book easier to understand.
Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?
Not really.
Any additional comments?
Thank you, Audible. One of the side benefits of listening is that, during class discussions, I was one of the few who pronounced the many difficult names correctly. The professor was very impressed and my classmates a bit envious. I wish all my required readings were in Audiobook form.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
47 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- George
- 05-19-15
Strategic implications for future.
Would you listen to Reconsidering the American Way of War again? Why?
Yes...very "dense" book with complex ideas. I've already listened twice and plan to do it at least one more time.
What did you like best about this story?
Many people, including many in the military, think there is and always has been an American "Way of War," that emphasizes overwhelming and crushing victories no matter what the strategic goals are. The author's thorough survey of American military history points out enormous variety in military practice, and that far more attention to political control was given than is usually recognized. The ideas in this book have huge implications for any future conflicts and should be read ( or heard ) but anyone in the military involved in strategic planning.
Have you listened to any of James Killavey’s other performances before? How does this one compare?
Yes, I have. He is one of my favorite narrators and did his usual good job.
Any additional comments?
This is an important book and, in my opinion, should be required reading by all U.S. military officers or officers-to-be and by all politicians involved with military decision making.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
46 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- David Bogosian
- 01-11-20
Dreadful reading!
One might expect that a professional reader would:
a) Not have difficulty pronouncing r's
b) Be able to distinguish cavalry (soldiers on horseback) from Calvary (the hill where Jesus was crucified)
c) Refrain from introducing new syllables into words (i-tit-erative instead of iterative)
d) Know how to pronounce Latin phrases such as sui generis (read as "soo - eye" instead of "soo - ee")
Such expectations would be bitterly disappointed by the appalling performance of Mr Killavey. Aside from such minutiae, his overall approach to the book is reminiscent of 1950s propaganda movies, with exaggerated mannerisms which rapidly begin to grate on the reader's nerves.
With regard to content, the book is reasonably interesting and argues its cases effectively. It provides an interesting summary of all significant military engagements in which the US military has been involved over the course of our nation's history. It's primarily a rebuttal to someone else's book from the 1970s, so if you are not invested in that argument (whether or not there is such a thing as the "American way of war"), you will likely not find the book terribly compelling.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Edward
- 05-22-15
Great way to get required reading done.
Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?
Actually I got this book for my son who is attending the War College. This was a required reading and he was having trouble getting though it.
What was the most compelling aspect of this narrative?
I listened to it as well and found it fascinating.
Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?
Nope..too long and too dense.
Any additional comments?
My son told me listening to it was much easier since the writing style was convoluted at times. Also told me he got "points" in class for correctly pronouncing some of the names that were mentioned in the book. We both thought the reader did an excellent job.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
44 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Joshua
- 10-25-14
Quality in research, less in delivery
Would you try another book from Antulio Joseph Echevarria and/or James Killavey?
Yes, but not as an audiobook. Echevarria is clearly an insightful scholar of military history, and his analysis of Clausewitz is effective and relevant in this work. I do, however, feel that in depth scholarly work should be read in text, to give the reader time to cross-reference and digest the material more clearly.
Has Reconsidering the American Way of War turned you off from other books in this genre?
No. There are many other available titles in this genre, that may lack in detail, but make up in listener captivity.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
4 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Joe
- 11-25-14
Excellent overview of complex subject
If you could sum up Reconsidering the American Way of War in three words, what would they be?
That is really impossible..complex stuff cannot be summed up in three words.
What did you like best about this story?
Great a great overall view of the topic with many specific examples.
Which scene was your favorite?
No "scenes" in this non-fiction work.
Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?
Noo....Has to be taken in small doses. There is a lot to digest.
Any additional comments?
Reader did a good job on what must have been a very difficult task. For military officers, this is a must read...or listen.. so that past mistakes are not made all over again.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
73 people found this helpful