Military engineering Books

Book SynopsisThe most successful film franchise of all time, Star Wars thrillingly depicts an epic multigenerational conflict fought a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away. But the Star Wars saga has as much to say about successful strategies and real-life warfare waged in our own time and place. Strategy Strikes Back brings together more than thirty of today’s top military and strategic experts, including generals, policy advisors, seasoned diplomats, counterinsurgency strategists, science fiction writers, war journalists, and ground-level military officers, to explain the strategy and the art of war by way of the Star Wars films. Each chapter of Strategy Strikes Back provides a relatable, outside-the-box way to simplify and clarify the complexities of modern military conflict. Strategy Strikes Back gives Star Wars fans and aspiring military minds alike an inspiring and entertaining means of understanding many facets of modern warfare in a book as captivating as Star Wars itself. Trade Review"Illuminating."—Lawrence D. Freedman, Foreign Affairs“Over the course of history, our single greatest vulnerability has been a failure of imagination. Strategy Strikes Back confronts that vulnerability. The future may not evolve precisely as these authors suggest, but evolve it will. As it does, we will discover that some of tomorrow’s challenges will prove to be timeless, and others surprisingly new. Learning to imagine now will be time well spent.”—Gen. Martin Dempsey, former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff"This assortment of imaginative and fun analyses is an absolute essential for any military theorist, strategist, critic, and lover of the Star Wars saga that to this day, continues to inspire, expand, and hold a profound sway in our imaginations."—Christopher S. Poppleton, Aviation Digest“Star Wars is just as much a foundational mythology of our time as The Iliad was a long time ago. Strategy Strikes Back ingeniously uses that world far, far away to help readers take a look at our wars here today.”—P. W. Singer, best-selling author of Wired for War and coauthor of Ghost Fleet: A Novel of the Next World War"You might be forgiven for thinking the never-ending Star Wars franchise was simply a cash cow built of sequels, spin-offs and toys. But the space saga is actually helping further the discussion about military strategy right here on Earth."—Chad Jones, San Francisco Chronicle"Anyone with a basic knowledge of the Star Wars universe is sure to enjoy the creative parallels used by these esteemed authors to simplify complex topics. Avid fans with deep knowledge of this universe cannot help but embrace these parallels, think through them more deeply, and dig even deeper into them as they try to support or argue against the authors while also showing off their superior knowledge of their favorite series of movies."—Steve Luczynski, Strategy Bridge"Strategy Strikes Back succeeds . . . in illuminating the parallels between war-fighting in speculative fiction and the real world. It opens strategic thinking to non-expert audiences, and prompts experts to reason creatively about the role of force—and indeed the Force—in establishing and maintaining political order."—Stephen Dyson, H-Diplo"Strategy Strikes Back highlights what good science fiction and serious reflection on pop culture can do: bring the (strategic) dilemmas of the current age into stark relief."—Erin Simpson, War on the Rocks"This may be the most innovative and interesting book on military strategy ever published. . . . This volume takes a completely different approach to explaining both the eternal nature and modern intricacies of strategy, politics, and conflict by using the popular Star Wars movies as a common frame of reference for discussing the many issues and challenges modern practitioners of the strategic arts face."—Jerry Lenaburg, New York Journal of BooksTable of ContentsForeword Stanley McChrystal Preface ML Cavanaugh Introduction Max Brooks Part 1. Society and War 1. The Case for Planet Building on Endor Max Brooks 2. The Jedi and the Senate Jim Golby 3. Distant Warriors: Are Clones and Troops Too Separate from the Societies They Serve? Crispin J. Burke 4. On Destroying Alderaan Mick Cook 5. Civil-Military Relationships in Star Wars Daniel D. Maurer 6. How General Grievous and Vulture Droids Foreshadow Conflict’s Fast Future Raq Winchester and Fran Wilde 7. From Princess to General: The On- and Offscreen Rise of the Woman Warrior Erica Iverson Part 2. Preparation for War 8. Tarkin Doctrine: The Empire’s Theory of Victory Kelsey D. Atherton 9. How Not to Build an Army: The Empire’s Flawed Military Force Mick Ryan 10. The Jedi and the Profession of Arms Steve Leonard 11. The Right Fleet: Starships for Strategic Purpose BJ Armstrong 12. Why We Need Space Marines B. A. Friedman 13. Jedi Mind Tricks: From the Reel to the Real Jean Marie Ward 14. Lightsabers and Death Stars: Military-Technology Lessons from Star Wars Dan Ward Part 3. Waging a War 15. Hybrid Star Wars: The Battle of Endor James Stavridis and Colin Steele 16. Han, Greedo, and a Strategy of Prevention Chuck Bies 17. The Logic of Strategy in Space Steve Metz 18. Darth Vader and Mission Command Jonathan Bratten 19. The Battle of Hoth: A Critical Analysis Andrew Liptak 20. Why Military Forces Adapt, Even in a Galaxy Far, Far Away Chuck Bies 21. Dispatch from Hoth: When the Blood Runs Cold August Cole Part 4. Assessment of War 22. Darth Vader’s Failed Counterinsurgency Strategy Liam Collins 23. Why the Jedi Won Fights, Not Wars John Spencer 24. Why the Galactic Republic Fell: An Imperial-Network Perspective Van Jackson 25. Why the Empire Failed Theresa Hitchens 26. Star Wars, Cyclical History, and Implications for Strategy Kathleen J. McInnis 27. Suffer, the Weak Must: A History of the Galactic Civil War Craig Whiteside 28. A Strategist, Yoda Was Not ML Cavanaugh Epilogue: The Lessons of Star Wars ML Cavanaugh Contributors

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Book Synopsis

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