The Best Military Books of the Decade
Journalist: J. Ford Huffman
CNAS Authors: Nathaniel C. Fick, Thomas E. Ricks
Original Post: The Best Military Books of the Decade
Type: News Article
January 12, 2010 — Several books written by CNAS experts and former Writers in Residence, including CEO Nate Fick’s One Bullet Away, Fellow Tom Ricks’ Fiasco, and former Writers in Residence Greg Jaffe and David Cloud’s The Fourth Star, make the Army Times’ list of best military books of the decade. See the list here.
The Best Military Books of the Decade
by J. Ford Huffman
The mission: Select the best military nonfiction of the decade. First, assess the situation. Stand at the bookcase and pull the books that stand out. Then enlist help.
So what books qualify as “best”? Ones that excel in writing and reporting, that invite re-reading, that evoke emotion and offer enlightenment.
• “One Bullet Away: The Making of a Marine Officer” by Nathaniel Fick, 2005. A Dartmouth graduate learns how to lead troops in Afghanistan and Iraq and how to understand his strengths and limitations. (“Generation Kill” is about Fick’s unit.) Because of “Fick’s descriptive and exacting writing,” USA Today put the book on a list of the “most promising memoirs.”
• “Fiasco: The American Military Adventure in Iraq” by Thomas E. Ricks, 2006. “Cobra II” tells you what went wrong in the invasion of Iraq, and “Fiasco” picks up from there with descriptions of blunders and blowhards. One officer who was privy to discussions with Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld told Ricks: “We didn’t get it right, and 1,500 troopers” — the number of U.S. dead in Iraq at the time — “have paid a price for that.”
• “The Fourth Star: Four Generals and the Epic Struggle for the Future of the United States Army” by David Cloud and Greg Jaffe, 2009. Two reporters present four personalities who have been off and on front pages since 2003: Army Gens. John Abizaid, George Casey, Peter Chiarelli and David Petraeus. The four have crossed paths — and one another — in the 40 years between Khe Sanh and Kabul. The four-character study has enough political and inside intrigue to humanize the brass.
Related:Topic(s): Iraq, Regional Security Challenges, Terrorism, Irregular Warfare and Crime, U.S. Military Forces & Operations
Project(s): Afghanistan and Pakistan
People: Nathaniel C. Fick, Thomas E. Ricks
