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Book Review: Mission Iran: Special Forces Berlin & Operation Eagle Claw JTF 1-79
Full text linkAuthor: James Stejskal
Reviewed by Colonel Daniel W. Harris, US Air Force, instructor, Department of Command, Leadership, and Management, US Army War College
Adding to the history of Operation Eagle Claw, the author includes primary sources, photos, and declassified documents to the story of the failed special operations forces rescue attempt and a second planned-but-never-executed rescue attempt. The reviewer calls this book “captivating” and of interest to “anyone interested in learning more about a lesser-known element of the Desert One mission.”https://press.armywarcollege.edu/parameters_bookshelf/1089/thumbnail.jp
Book Review: Knife Fights: A Memoir of Modern War in Theory and Practice
Full text linkAuthor: John A. Nagl
Reviewed by Major Brennan Deveraux, national security researcher, Strategic Studies Institute, US Army War College
Today’s force still has plenty to learn about counterinsurgency from Operation Desert Storm. John Nagl’s Knife Fights: A Memoir of Modern War in Theory and Practice “a book about counterinsurgency and its journey from the far periphery of US military doctrine to its center, for better and, some would argue, for worse.” The reviewer notes, Nagl’s work “provides a tangible example of the impact junior leaders can have on the service.”https://press.armywarcollege.edu/parameters_bookshelf/1080/thumbnail.jp
What the Russia-Ukraine Conflict Tells Us about Educational Resilience
Full text linkEducation, which can operate as a source of vulnerability or resiliency across multiple domains before, during, and after armed conflicts, is often only examined within a single domain, limiting the use and effectiveness of civil-affairs operations. This article outlines a novel conceptual framework of the primary mechanisms across seven unique domains by which education can serve as a key area of resiliency or vulnerability. A case study of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine illustrates how vulnerabilities can manifest in the seven domains and what military planners can do to build resiliency. The article concludes with a discussion of the costs, benefits, and potential role military civil affairs can play in a post-conflict scenario
Mission Command’s Asymmetric Advantage Through AI-Driven Data Management
No full textArtificial intelligence can optimize mission command by condensing multisource field data that ascends the decision chain while distilling concise, decision-quality guidance to the tactical edge. Diverging from existing publications, this article positions information asymmetry as a defining pillar of mission command rather than a limitation. This article presents a condensation-distillation framework that manages complexity through data condensation, AI-driven distillation, and conceptual metrics to assess asymmetric information flows. Drawing on military doctrine, algorithmic-warfare literature, and current modernization programs, military practitioners will engage with a systems-thinking perspective, revealing how AI-enabled command and control can enhance decision clarity and reinforce the intent of mission command
Book Review: Pivotal Poland: Europe’s Rising Power
No full textAuthor: Janusz Bugajski
Reviewed by: Magnus Petersson, professor of international relations, Stockholm University
In the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Poland has emerged as the strategic anchor of NATO’s eastern flank, reshaping the continent’s security landscape. Janusz Bugajski explores how Warsaw’s military modernization, economic resilience, and assertive diplomacy have positioned it as a rising power capable of countering Russian imperialism and leading regional defense efforts. This timely and incisive book reveals Poland’s transformation from a peripheral actor to a pivotal force in Europe’s evolving geopolitical order.
©2025 Magnus Peterssonhttps://press.armywarcollege.edu/parameters_bookshelf/1102/thumbnail.jp
Parameters Spring 2025
Full text linkWelcome to the Spring 2025 issue of Parameters. This issue consists of an In Focus special commentary, three forums (Russia, Ukraine, and NATO; Strategic Competition and Managing National Security; and Joint Sustainment Strategies), the regular Civil-Military Relations Corner installment, and a review essay
Thompson’s Rifle Battalion: The Original Unit of the Army of the United Colonies (Now the United States Regular Army)
Full text link©2025 John A. Bonin
Although 1775 is indisputably the birth year of the US Army, two events occurred on June 14 of that year to which the Army can credit its birthday. One is the adoption by the Continental Congress of the collective militia forces from several colonies outside Boston to form a Continental Army, of which Congress appointed George Washington the commander in chief on June 15, 1775. In addition, the US Regular Army officially dates its beginning to June 14, 1775, when the Second Continental Congress directed 10 companies of expert riflemen to be raised immediately in Pennsylvania, Maryland, and Virginia.
William Thompson’s commission as the colonel of the Pennsylvania Rifle Battalion was dated June 25, 1775, and made him the first colonel of what would eventually become, through George Washington’s Continental Army, the US Regular Army. But William Thompson has not found a prominent place in the American pantheon of revolutionary heroes for a variety of reasons. In addition, Thompson’s Pennsylvania Rifle Battalion later became the 1st Continental Regiment and ended the American Revolution as the 1st Pennsylvania Regiment, but its lineage has not continued in the modern US Army.https://press.armywarcollege.edu/monographs/1973/thumbnail.jp
Restoring the Primacy of Army Mobilization Planning: Lessons from the Interwar Period (1919–41)
Full text linkThis article argues that the US Army must restore the primacy of mobilization planning to prepare for the growing likelihood of a protracted large-scale war involving the United States. While the Army’s transformation initiatives have emphasized important tactical matters, this piece calls attention to critical strategic vulnerabilities associated with mobilization—one of the Army’s enduring core functions. The article identifies insights, challenges, and recommendations for contemporary leaders and practitioners by analyzing the body of thought on mobilization planning during the interwar period (1919–41) and drawing connections to the present day
Book Review: How to Fight a War
Full text linkAuthor: Mike Martin
Reviewed by Colonel Chase Metcalf (US Army), assistant professor, Department of Military Strategy, Planning, and Operations, US Army War College
Current member of the British Parliament, former British Army officer with Afghanistan experience, and senior visiting research fellow at Kings College London’s War Studies Department Dr. Mike Martin delivers what he terms a “reference guide for the Commander in Chief” in How to Fight a War (3). The result is far more and will serve as an accessible primer for aspiring national security professionals and senior leaders seeking to understand the basic principles of employing violence to prosecute wars successfully.https://press.armywarcollege.edu/parameters_bookshelf/1083/thumbnail.jp