2023 Summer Recommended Reading with Brigadier General Chad T. Manske, USAF (Ret.) Continues with a focus on Military History. Brigadier General Manske was the former Commandant of National War College, is a prolific reader, author and publisher of dozens of book reviews and articles, and is the Special Advisor to the NDU Foundation CEO (https://ndufoundation.org/bio/staff/manske_chad).
20 years of war and conflict between Afghanistan and Iraq, notwithstanding the USAF’s continued presence in the region since 1991, and the US military’s inheritance is essentially bankrupt. This, according to my acquaintance and National War College-favored lecturer and national security expert Mara Karlin. Blood and treasure seemingly would yield a peace dividend of some sort yet there is nothing to show except the recency of battle experience and a questioning of what was gained. Karlin expertly details what happened, enhanced by first-hand interviews of the senior officers who were there making decisions and leading. A frustrated and uncaring public, coupled with politicians who want to forget and move on to Russia and China leave a U.S. military in limbo as to how to move on. A reset button doesn’t work here, nor does sulking about the failures of the past and Karlin helps remedy that with her expert analysis and recommendations for getting beyond this malaise and aptly applying sound ways ahead for the future. An outstanding book in my view.
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Brigadier General, USAF (Retired) Chad Manske was the former Commandant of National War College, is a prolific reader, author and publisher of dozens of book reviews and articles, and is the Special Advisor to the NDU Foundation CEO (https://ndufoundation.org/bio/staff/manske_chad).