Service Reading List: Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Reading List

The 18th Chairman’s Reading List

While there have been some attempts to update the CJCS Reading List since 2012, when this version was produced, it seemed to be little more than efforts to put something new there. So, for now, we will stick with General Dempsey’s version. The books were selected to capture the values and ethos of our military profession, promote innovative thinking to prepare for the operational realities of an uncertain future, and provide insights into the foundations of our service cultures.

Title:

The American Way of War: A History of United States Military Strategy and Policy

Author:

Book Description:

The American Way of War: A History of United States Military Strategy and Policy by Russell F. Weigley is a foundational work that examines the evolution of U.S. military strategy from the Revolutionary War through the Vietnam War. Weigley argues that the “American way of […]

Title:

The Art of War

Author:

Book Description:

Written in China over two thousand years ago, Sun Tzu’s The Art of War provides the first known attempt to formulate a rational basis for the planning and conduct of military operations. These wise, aphoristic essays contain principles acted upon by such twentieth-century Chinese generals […]

Title:

Affording Defense

Author:

Book Description:

From the Publisher: Jacques Gansler’s previous book, The Defense Industry, was hailed by Senator William Proxmire as “a superb analysis of our defense problems.” Air Force magazine called it a “brilliant dissection of the U.S. armament industry.” Now, with Affording Defense, Gansler again points the […]