UNITED STATES NAVY - Recommended Reading (Warfighting First)

	by Peter Schwartz What increasingly affects all of us, whether professional planners or individuals preparing for a better future, is not the tangibles of lifebottom-line numbers, for instance but the intangibles: our hopes and fears, our beliefs and dreams. Only storiesscenariosand our ability to visualize different kinds of futures adequately capture these intangibles. In The Art of the Long View (now for the first time in paperback and with the addition of an all-new users guide), Peter Schwartz outlines the scenaric approach, giving you the tools for developing a strategic vision within your operational sphere. Schwartz, the president of Global Business Network, describes the new techniques originally developed within Royal/Dutch Shell, based on many of his firsthand scenario exercises with the worlds leading institutions and companies, including the White House, the EPA, BellSouth, PG&E, and the International Stock Exchange. Hopes and fears affect us in planning for a better future. The scenaric approach gives you the ability to visualize different kinds of futures. This book gives you the tools for developing a strategic vision.
	by Margot Morrell and Stephanie Capparel The intrepid explorer Sir Ernest Shackleton was once dubbed the greatest leader that ever came on Gods earth, bar none, for sav­ing the lives of the nearly 30 men who ended up stranded with him in the Antarctic for the better part of two years. To this day, the actions of this great adventurer have made him a model for superior leadership and suc­cessful crisis management. Shackletons Way draws from historical anecdote, the diaries of the men in his crew, and Shackletons own writing to delineate his leadership style for the modern business world. Co-authored by two veteran business writers and graced with rare photos as well as stunning images by renowned ship photographer Frank Hurley, this is a handbook to help todays leaders follow Shackletons shining example. Shackletons Way has been lauded for its ability to seamlessly translate Shackletons leadership genius into lessons specifically applicable to todays Sailor, working as a roadmap for military leader­ship, which is why this work is of value to anyone pursuing a naval career. Those reaching the level of Leading Petty Officer now find themselves at a whole new level, one involving a significantly higher leader­ship responsibility. And, as one critic put it, Shackletons Way is an important addi­tion to any leaders library.
	by Ian Toll   Six Frigates is a well researched and insightful account of the origin of the United States Navy after the American Revolution through the War of 1812, focusing on the authorization, construction and battles of the six frigates that became the vanguard of the standing navy. The author explores how the political philosophies of early American leaders shaped the future development of the country and its navy. The book examines how domestic and foreign events forced many leaders to rethink their views on both the direction of the country and shape of its armed forces. Toll provides a refreshingly honest history of the erratic course of the nation and brings to light the cross-purposes, incompetence and self-serving actions that are not discussed in the less gritty accounts. The book is not merely a story of a young nations policy debates. The author follows the naval actions of the original six frigates through engagements with the days superpowers (France and Britain) and the Barbary Pirates. Toll covers these ships successes and failures with detail and realism that is often compared to novelist Patrick OBrians account of the British Navy during roughly the same era. With the U.S. Navy reevaluating its future direction this uncompromising history shows how a nations view of a rapidly changing world and the best and worst of human nature can shape the size, role and mission of a navy.
	by Robert Heinlein This Hugo Award-winning 1959 classic by the dean of American science fiction writ­ers just happens to take place in the 22nd century and involves intergalactic warfare against insectoid monsters, but it nonetheless captures the feel of military service, and the ordeal of young recruits from basic training to battle-hardness, with a vividness that will resonate for any serviceman in any era. Heinlein, a Naval Academy graduate, brings these things to life through the story of John­nie Rico, who denies his fathers wishes and joins the planets Mobile Infantry. The rigors of military life, the sacrifices that such a life entails, the raw fear before going into battle, the burdens of leadershipall are captured masterfully. Like most sci-fi that stands the test of time, Starship Troopers is about much more than futuristic hardware and shootouts with space creatures. It is, above all, a novel of ideas, a book that stimulates thought about citizenship, responsibility, duty, and the role of the individual in society. It remains to this day a controversial workin Heinleins world of tomorrow, only those who have served in the military are allowed to vote, a concept that has rankled some and served as provocative food-for-thought for others. Above all, Starship Troopers is a gripping read that rises above the normal science-fiction novel. For todays Sailor, this novel is extremely worthwhile, for it shows that the travails and aspirations of those who serve are universal and timeless. Its point-of-view, that of an idealistic young man learning the ropes in the military, will seem refreshingly familiar to the reader. It is easy to relate to, and root for the protagonist as he goes from being a raw, naïve recruit to a tough leader of men, along the way learning the true meaning of discipline, loyalty, and courage.
	by Winston Churchill Winston Churchill was not only one of the towering statesmen of the 20th century (indeed, to many he remains the Man of the Century); he also happened to be a masterful writer as well. His epic six-volume history of World War II ranks among the greatest historical works ever pennedboth for the uniquely top-level insider perspec­tives of its author and for its brilliant, elegant prose. It all begins here with The Gathering Storm, which chronicles the fate of Europe in the aftermath of World War I, and how inter­national complacency allowed Hitler and the Nazis to rise from the ashes of a defeated Germany to threaten the world. Churchill, of course, was at the time a voice crying in the wilderness. His warnings of pending Nazi belligerence went unheeded for too long, and his frustration at it all comes through in the retelling, giving the narrative even more of an edge. He himself summed up the books theme succinctly: How the English-speaking people through their unwisdom, carelessness, and good nature allowed the wicked to rearm. And the New York Times summed up this works value beautifully: It is our immense good fortune that a man who presided over this crisis in history is able to turn the action he lived through into enduring literature. All five subsequent volumesTheir Finest Hour, The Grand Alliance, The Hinge of Fate, Closing the Ring, and Triumph and Tragedyare equally highly recommended.
	by Jeff Edwards The heroes of this Recommended category, Warfighting First book are the crew of an Arleigh Burke destroyer and the civilian technicians operating an unmanned robot submersible to stop a rogue actor with nuclear weapons.  Author Jeff Edwards is a retired Navy Chief Petty Officer and Anti-Submarine Warfare specialist.  His military techno-thriller novels have been awarded the Admiral Nimitz Award, the Readers Choice Award, the Clive Cussler Award and the American Authors Medal. The Seventh Angel blends page turning action and compelling characters with an informative history on the development of rockets, ICBMs and the challenges of Ballistic Missile Defense.  Edwards has his facts straight on military technology and tactics. Edwards has a true gift for creating stories that keep his readers on the edge of their seats.  This is an enjoyable and surprisingly informative book for Sailors and Officers of all paygrades
	by A.B.C. Whipple The Barbary War, an often overlooked yet significant and prophetic event in U.S. history, was Americas first battle against an Arab despot and President Thomas Jef­fersons first major challenge to U.S. foreign policy. A.B.C. Whipple provides a vivid account of Jeffersons decision to meet force with force rather than trade arms for hos­tages with Barbary Coast rulers who held the crew of an American ship. He describes how the new presidents order to send a squadron of warships to the Mediterranean while Congress was in recess prompted the first major debate on the warmaking pow­ers of a U.S. president and the establish­ment of the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps to replace the disabled Continental Navy. Whipples rousing narrative is filled with fascinating personalities. In addition to Jefferson there is Edward Preble, who com­manded the first naval forces into battle; a bold young Stephen Decatur; a tyrannical bashaw; a U.S. Army captain who comes across like a Lawrence of Arabia prototype as he marches his starving foreign legion 500 miles across the desert to invade Trip­oli; a tough Marine lieutenant who played the violin; and a host of potentates and politicians, sailors and soldiers of fortune, hostages and harem women.
	by James McPherson This Recommended category, Warfighting First book is an outstanding case study on leadership and the roots of Americas tradition of civil-military relations.  Pulitzer Prize-winning author James M. McPherson provides a rare, fresh take on one of the most enigmatic figures in American historyAbraham Lincoln.  Tried by War offers a revelatory portrait of leadership during the greatest crisis our nation has ever endured.  Suspenseful and inspiring, this is the story of how Lincoln, with almost no previous military experience before entering the White House, assumed the powers associated with the role of commander in chief, and through his strategic insight and will to fight changed the course of the war and saved the Union.  Tried by War provides an enjoyable read with important lessons on civil-military relations, leadership and decision making at the strategic level.