McFate, a PhD military theorist and former U.S. Army warrior, argues for a radical renewal of American strategic thought, that recognizes that the World War II and Cold War view of warfare as encompassing only "conventional war" between nation-states equipped with expensive technology such as the F-35 fighter and aircraft carriers (the Tom Clancy approach, as he calls it) is obsolete, and does not address most emerging military threats.
He discusses the paradox of how every American military venture since World War II has ended in political and strategic failure, despite the fact that American combat units almost "never lose a battle", whether in Korea, Vietnam, Iraq, Afghanistan or elsewhere.
He proposes some unorthodox solutions, including creation of an American Foreign Legion (AFL); use of mercenaries and AFL for limited war, as opposed to maintaining a large standing military; and use of shadow war, cyberwar and other hidden means of political persuasion and enforcement. He also strongly endorses the idea of robust diplomatic organizations and non-lethal means of influencing others, whether state or non-state actors.
This important work contains many interesting and thought-provoking ideas on war and the military in the emerging 21st century geopolitical landscape, some of which may have immediate relevance to the unfolding war in Ukraine. Recommended.
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