How to Make War (Fourth Edition) : A Comprehensive Guide to Modern Warfare in the Twenty-first Century

Rating:
Summary: An Encyclopedia look at war but not quite sexy enough
Review: An encyclopedia of modern military machinery and warfare. Thorough in its look at tactics and the weapons that are used by the armed forces. I would have liked to see a bit more of a look at what could be next though admittedly the author does answer the question in a way by saying that it's more likely to be more of the same with a lot more electronics until the next big war. And then it'll be lots of surprises. I guess my only complaint about the book is that it's not sexy enough. And considering that real war and the armed forces that gets the job done aren't sexy that's probably as big a compliment as anything else. This book gets an A on the StuPage Reviews.

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Summary: Managing Modern war
Review: Dunnigan was part of the now gone SSI war gamers generation. This books is not a collection of war stories but a lay person's guide to how wars are managed from a broad perspective. This is not the book written by a beltway bandit trying to sell the next generation of wonder weapons, or an author who uses the usual beltway pompous pointless semantics that offend no one and says nothing. This is a book that talks about war at the retail and wholesale level. There are comparison tables, weapons charts and explanations of what it takes for modern war. You might get a 5 second blip about this on CNN. Dunnigan's books should be required reading for all those who want a more than casual shoot'em up approach to war. His chapters are organized around topics and themes such as "Leadership" or "The Poor Bloody Infantry". Those who are military academy students or citizens who want a more direct explanation of the mechanics of warefare management should read this book.

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Summary: Good for Wargamers - Veterans Need Not Apply
Review: Mr. Dunnigan is an respected authority on wargames and military simulations, having produced more than one hundred (mostly manual) games between the late 1960's and early 1990's. The rise and complexity of computer and video games has mostly left him behind, however, in producing profitable products in recent years. This book is best suited for a reader interested in wargaming or as a basic introduction to broad military topics. If you already own the Updated Third Edition (1983), very little substance has changed in the Fourth Edition. The post-9/11 war on terrorism and current war in Iraq are not covered in any useful detail. In fact, lessons from the first Gulf War are not explained much at all. The "How to Make War" editions are written very much from the perspective of a wargamer and to a lesser extent a civilian historical and military analyst. Mr. Dunnigan is not a military professional and did not command men and machines in combat as a career soldier, sailor or airmen. His insights are good and in many cases spot on, but an experienced reader will quickly realize that the book superficially covers most topics and never really explains the psychology, politics, and specialization behind the numbers. It portrays an idealized and romantic view, akin to Tom Clancy`s fiction, by simplifying the issues into mathematical analysis and technical explanations of systems. John Keegan's books do a much better job of giving readers a good understanding of men at war and how they win. Mr. Dunnigan's writing style may also put some readers off, as he tends to lecture and ramble. Given his expert stature in the wargaming community, this professor to pupil style is easily understood. In summary, this book makes a good introduction for non-professional military readers and in particular wargamers.

Rating:
Summary: Good overall explanations with some bad stats
Review: The author of this book does a good job of explaining what is going on behind the scenes before, during and after a war. However, his attempts at placing numbers on things are misleading. He goes on and on about tactics and strategy yet he fails to see that there is more to war than just sheer numbers (he does mention that but doesn't follow his own advice). The analisis in this book, in my opinion, are leading a lot toward the superiority of US forces while diminishing the fighting potential of any other nation. This makes the book bias to one side and thus useless when one wants to see a honest comparison. Some of the numbers given are incorrect or misleading, for example Canada does not have 2400 AFV (maybe if you count all the trucks :)). Overall good explanation of war as long as you ignore comments about country X vis country Y that are not a direct result of an actual combat (i.e. ignore predictions).

Rating:
Summary: good but out of time
Review: This book is good and complete, but as usual in handbooks about battles and military, it has the sight pointed in yesterday, and usually a war can't be won with past strategies. War, I think together with investing in stock exchange or playing cards is between the most hazardous activities men must have to attempt, but Napoleon, Gral Lee or Guderian didn't follow dated doctrines.
And this is the case that just now the world has become very dangerous, but it's clear, nobody goes to deploy enormous divisions of tanks, thousand regular troops or dozens of battleships against the USA: simply nobody can afford these, and it's that delayed class of war what Dunnigan explains, but real war of today is terrorism. Modern compact explosives, electronics and devices permits to execute more easily facts of sabotage and terrorism. World War I needed to begin, a desperado firing a revolver from few meters, to murder the Austrian archduke Francis Ferdinand and his wife Sophie in Sarajevo. Today all that isn't necessary and these it's a big danger for all people in civilized countries.

Rating:
Summary: Very good
Review: This book is one of the best I've come across on the subject of modern warfare. The chapters are well organized , easily read, and brutally honest on the truths of modern war as it is today and will be in the future. Dunnigan delves not only into tactis and strategy, but also other, often overlooked details of war in the modern world. Among these topics are morale of soldiers, training, equipment and technology, and logistics. Recommended for any student of warfare and current global issues.