An analytical study of conventional and unconventional uses of tactics in the mountains and valleys of...

books:


	• Afghanistan And the Troubled Future of Unconventional Warfare Hy S. Rothstein US Naval Institute Press, 2006 - 218 pages average customer review:based on 6 reviews view larger image
	for more information click here

highly recommended

Required Reading for Changing Geostrategic Threats

As a former counterinsurgent who understands the issue from firsthand experience at both the grassroots and strategic levels, I cannot recommend this book highly enough. Professor Rothstein intimately understands both COIN and the situation in Afghanistan. The paradigm shift required by our government, military, and citizens in general to successfully understand and deal with COIN is dramatic. If we as a nation decide that the threat requires us to be proficient in this type of warfare, then this book is required reading. The US has the preeminent conventional military force on the planet--the result of our need to mitigate the soviet threat of the past. Today, no force in its right mind would stand toe-to-toe with the US military, so the geostrategic threats we are likely to face will come from unconventional and terrorist action. Professor Rothstein's book explains how to address these changes and even offers relatively quick and cost efficient changes that our military could implement. I have sent copies of this book to various US senators and congressmen, and even a couple of influential university presidents in the hope that they would understand this issue and start taking the right kinds of action. This is a must read.

for more information click here

An analytical study of conventional and unconventional uses of tactics in the mountains and valleys of Afghanistan

Afghanistan And The Troubled Future Of Unconventional Warfare by Hy S. Rothstein (Department of Defense Analysis at the Naval Postgraduate School, Monterey, California) is an analytical study of conventional and unconventional uses of tactics in the "War on Terrorism" as it is currently being waged in the mountains and valleys of Afghanistan. Arguing that although the operation in Afghanistan was presented as unconventional the Bush administration, but was in actuality, a case of America's military power being employed in a segmented and quite conventional manner, Afghanistan And The Troubled Future Of Unconventional Warfare provides an in-depth overview of the Afghan war and why certain situational intricacies may imply, but not require, unconventional or irregular tactics. An important and seminal contribution to Military Studies reference collections and reading lists, Afghanistan And The Troubled Future Of Unconventional Warfare is very strongly recommended work of impeccable scholarship.

for more information click here

What is the core of the problem?

In this book, the author first asserts that after the initial success of a conventional war in Afghanistan, the US has failed to prosecute a successful unconventional war as is required. Then, through a brief introduction of organization theory, he describes the problem as symptomatic of the organizational mindset of conventional forces. He makes the point, and well I believe, that the conventional warfare thinking continues to take over and attempt to shape all forces under its structure to the conventional model. This does seem often to be the case and it is a valid point. The author's recommendations for remedying the problem are, in effect, a new separate branch of the military that is more attuned to the CIA unconventional model than the DoD conventional model. Unfortunately, this seems to still leave open the probability that the regular military will slowly take over this new force and attempt to mold it also in its own image. It seems a bandaid solution to a problem requiring more than bandaids to this reviewer. I think a better solution would be something along the lines that the late Col. Hackworth proposed - a new military altogether. Still, this is an important work about how organizational structure can affect the ability of the military to perform in unconventional warfare settings. It is not specifically regarding Afghanistan as it might seem, rather, the experience in Afghanistan is only the latest symptom of a long standing disease that needs drastic treatment. A very helpful book to raise some more thoughtful ideas for the healing.

for more information click here

Understanding the Future of War

Hy Rothstein has written one of the great books on modern warfare. It is a well written and thoroughly researched evaluation of the US Military's ability to wage unconventional warfare in the modern age, through the lens of the Afghan campaign in Operation Enduring Freedom.

What began as a stunning example of modern unconventional warfare using special forces partnering with local forces and precision air power was replaced with conventional troops conducting major "cordon and sweep" operations. The result can be seen in the news every day, as a resurgent Taliban has swept back in from the Pakistani tribal areas to wreak havoc on Afghanistan.

This book is a critical read for modern policy makers, military professionals, and anyone looking to understand warfare in the modern world.

for more information click here

An important contribution to thinking about our military

First, a reader has to hold his nose past the stench of association with Seymour Hersh. (What an awful marketing decision to link the New Yorker reporter with a serious work.) Then, one has to wade through lead-footed prose and a narrative style that appears directed to about the eleventh grade level of high school. But, despite these difficulties, there are significant kernals of wisdom about the issues we face. In the background, there is the haunting leitmotif found as well in other books devoted to our current military, especially the army: Packer, Kaplan, Hammes,Naylor, Krepinevich, Gordon & Trainor, et al. There is something seriously wrong with the United States Army's training, selection and promotion of its flag officers. It's placed America and its people at deadly risk in the current war with the Islamofascists. Anyone concerned about current events should buy this book despite its shortcomings. The items listed initially are the only reason it doesn't get five stars.

for more information click here

reviews: page 1, 2

A Naval Postgraduate School professor and former career Special Forces officer looks at why the U.S. military cannot conduct unconventional warfare despite a significant effort to create and maintain such a capability. In his examination of Operation Enduring Freedom, Hy Rothstein maintains that although the operation in Afghanistan appeared to have been a masterpiece of military creativity, the United States executed its impressive display of power in a totally conventional manner--despite repeated public statements by Secretary of Defense Rumsfeld that terrorists must be fought with unconventional capabilities. Arguing that the initial phase of the war was appropriately conventional given the conventional disposition of the enemy, the author suggests that once the Taliban fell the war became increasingly unconventional, yet the U.S. response became more conventional.

This book presents an authoritative overview of the current American way of war and addresses the specific causes of the "conventionalization" of U.S. Special Forces, using the war in Afghanistan as a case study. Drawing a distinction between special operations and unconventional warfare (the use of Special Forces does not automatically make the fighting unconventional), Rothstein questions the ability of U.S. forces to effectively defeat irregular threats and suggests ways to regain lost unconventional warfare capacity.

for more information click here

hot or not? What's your opinion? Write a review and share your thoughts!

recommendations

Course Pre Reading

unconventional

Guerrilla Marketing for Job Hunters: 400 Unconventional Tips, Tricks, ...
Unconventional Flying Objects: A Scientific Analysis
The Tiger's Way: A U.S. Private's Best Chance for Survival
Are You Ready to Succeed? Unconventional Strategies to Achieving ...
THE SECRET KEEPING: Special Kindle Edition

warfare

Marketing Warfare: 20th Anniversary Edition
Career Warfare : 10 Rules for Building a Sucessful Personal Brand on ...
Counterinsurgency Warfare: Theory and Practice (PSI Classics of the ...
The Handbook for Spiritual Warfare: Revised & Updated
Executive Warfare: 10 Rules of Engagement for Winning Your War for ...

future

The Extreme Future: The Top Trends That Will Reshape the World for ...
The Future of an Illusion
The Once and Future King
Five Minds for the Future
The Future of Management

search for books
afghanistan, future, troubled, unconventional, warfare

Impressum / about us