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US Military Commander's Suggested Reading List
kcurtis writes "I realize this has nothing to do with technology, but I found this list of books (and related Boston Globe article) suggested by the US Chief of Staff of the Army fascinating. It is basically what General Peter Schoomaker thinks officers at different ranks should read. It includes classics like "The Art of War", and newer books like "Band of Brothers: E Company, 506th Regiment, 101st Airborne from Normandy to Hitler's Eagle's Nest". It is also interesting for the changes made to the list. As noted in the Globe article, there is a new emphasis on the way the roles of an army may change."
The Commandant of the Marine Corps puts out a suggested reading list which is similar to the Army's. While the list is heavily dominated by books on the Marine Corps ("Semper Fidelis: The History of the United States Marine Corps" by Millett), it also includes a few Army books ("Patton: A Genius for War" by D'Este), books on warfare in general ("Mao Tse-Tung on Guerrilla Warfare"), and, oddly enough, Starship Troopers.
The World is Yours.
The U.S. government has been dominated for a long time by people who think that violence is the only way to solve problems. For example, see History surrounding the U.S. war with Iraq: Four short stories. See the heading, "The U.S. government has bombed 24 countries since the Second World War."
U.S. military commanders literally do not have the social sophistication to see any other method than violence, and they are backed by similarly minded U.S. citizens, many of whom have never seen a war they didn't like.
Also, there is an extreme conflict of interest. Weapons makers hire retired military leaders, so supporting violence supports getting a good job after military service. As former U.S. President General Dwight D. Eisenhower said in a famous speech, beware of the "military-industrial complex". Here's a quote:
"In the councils of government, we must guard against the acquisition of unwarranted influence, whether sought or unsought, by the military-industrial complex. The potential for the disastrous rise of misplaced power exists and will persist.
"We must never let the weight of this combination endanger our liberties or democratic processes."
Another quote:
"The prospect of domination of the nation's scholars by Federal employment, project allocations, and the power of money is ever present - and is gravely to be regarded."
President George W. Bush operates under extreme conflict of interest, also. His family is heavily invested in The Carlyle Group, which is a major owner of weapons manufacturers. That puts pressure on him to see only violent possibilities.
United States citizens often have only 2 weeks vacation each year, and they work more than the people of other nations besides Japan. They simply don't have the time to try to understand their government. They can only hope that everything is all right. But it isn't. For example, see Unprecedented Corruption: A guide to conflict of interest in the U.S. government.
Brazil is a country of about the same land size as the U.S. (excluding Alaska). Brazil is dominated by people of European descent, as is the United States. However, it has been more than 100 years since the Brazilian government has been involved with aggression against its neighbors. (Brazil did support the Allies in the Second World War.) Somehow, Brazilians have found a way to live in the world without killing other people.
See the first entry of the first list.
...for a time, Clancy's Red Storm Rising was required reading at West Point (and possibly at the other academies), because a lot of people involved in professional war game planning said that his scenarios tracked closely to what they were expecting at the time.
Life is hard, and the world is cruel
However, it has been more than 100 years since the Brazilian government has been involved with aggression against its neighbors.
Other than World War II, that's basically true. But it's convenient to omit that Brazil's civilian government was deposed in a military coup in 1964, civilian rule was only restored in 1985, and in the meantime death squads and terrorism were a fact of life in Brazil. And despite a return to civilian government, death squads and otehr violence sponsored by the Brazilian government against its own citizens continues to this day.
Air Force Chief of Staff, General John P. Jumper
http://www.af.mil/csafreading/
Phillip