Scales on War is a collection of ideas; concepts; and observations about contemporary war taken from over thirty years of research; writing; and personal experience by retired Major General Bob Scales. Scales’ unique style of writing utilizes contemporary military history; current events; and his philosophy of ground warfare to create a very personal and expansive view of the future direction of American defense policies.Each chapter in the book addresses a distinct topic facing the upcoming prospects of America’s military; including tactical ground warfare; future gazing; the draft; and the role of women in the infantry. Fusing all of these topics together is Scales’ belief that; throughout its history; the United States has favored a technological approach to fighting its wars and has neglected its ground forces.Scales on War shows that; as a result of America’s focus on winning wars with technology rather than people; America’s enemies have learned how to win battles by defeating such technology. As a well-known warfare expert; Scales demonstrates how only a resurgent land force of Army and Marine small units will restore America’s fighting competence.
#265793 in Books Ferejohn John 2016-12-06 2016-12-06Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 9.50 x 1.50 x 6.50l; .0 #File Name: 1631491601480 pagesForged Through Fire War Peace and the Democratic Bargain
Review
0 of 1 people found the following review helpful. Great educational readBy TerraGreat educational read. The authors did the homework and created a readable book to broaden the readers mind and understanding of democracies and the caveats associated with democracies as they rise and fall.19 of 20 people found the following review helpful. Good; but nothing newBy MattThe copy of the book that I read was an advance printing that I won from a Goodreads.com giveaway. Some of the editorial problems (like saying an event from the Spanish-American War took place in 1990) might have been fixed by the time it went to full printing. But my evaluation of the book is based on its premise and major content; which would not (should not) have changed.I rated the book at “three stars;†simply because of the amount of research that obviously went into writing this work. However; the content deserves about two-and-a-half stars.My problem with the book begins with the fact that much of it is more a general political and military history; not the philosophical discussion of how war affects democracy; which is implied by its title and synopsis. In that sense; I felt that it failed to fully deliver its stated goal. The information presented specifically on this topic; in its clearest and most succinct form was in the beginning portion of the book and then in the conclusion. For that amount of information; this book could have been condensed to a “paper;†or even a series of shorter articles; and avoided padding the discussion with long portions of history that do not fully apply to the main premise.The idea that governments expand rights for citizens in exchange for citizens’ aid (in war or other areas) is not a new one. Even the idea that war opens the door for social change is not unique to this book. I am by no means a professional historian; but I noticed a form of this theme several years ago through my own personal study. I must assume that someone else had noticed this pattern on their own; as well; so while this book brings these ideas together on “one place;†it does not actually present new information.This critique does not mean that the book was worthless. The premise was interesting and some of the information aided in understanding the topic. The portion on race in the United States should at least be consulted by everyone teaching American history because of how well the authors discuss this topic. Its largest strength; in my opinion; is its focus on the larger arch of history; not simply one portion of the history of the world.However; as a whole; this book was disappointing. It was not “bad†but simply presented nothing dramatically new.1 of 4 people found the following review helpful. Bloodless story of a bloody ascendency of democracyBy Old dogConcept is weakened by too little passion and too much academic papering
