A veteran's list for learning about war (50 books)

A veteran's list for learning about war

I'm a GWOT veteran who went to college after, majored in economics & mathematics, but also took a strong minor in international studies, concentrating on defence and dipomacy issues. This is my list for what I think everyone who's interested in the military and its application should know.

all votes add books to this list

1	Combat Ready by David Wolstenholm (Goodreads Author) 4.83 of 5 stars 4.83 avg rating — 12 ratings score: 400, and 4 people voted	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
2	On Killing: The Psychological Cost of Learning to Kill in War and Society by Dave Grossman 4.15 of 5 stars 4.15 avg rating — 2,013 ratings score: 187, and 2 people voted	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
3	Ender's Game (Ender's Saga, #1) by Orson Scott Card 4.28 of 5 stars 4.28 avg rating — 401,395 ratings score: 184, and 2 people voted	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
4	Starship Troopers by Robert A. Heinlein 3.95 of 5 stars 3.95 avg rating — 65,300 ratings score: 182, and 2 people voted	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
5	The Savage Wars Of Peace: Small Wars And The Rise Of American Power by Max Boot 3.92 of 5 stars 3.92 avg rating — 424 ratings score: 100, and 1 person voted	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
6	On War by Carl von Clausewitz 3.91 of 5 stars 3.91 avg rating — 3,291 ratings score: 99, and 1 person voted	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
7	Supreme Command: Soldiers, Statesmen, and Leadership in Wartime by Eliot A. Cohen (Goodreads Author) 3.86 of 5 stars 3.86 avg rating — 126 ratings score: 98, and 1 person voted	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
8	Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies by Jared Diamond 3.98 of 5 stars 3.98 avg rating — 93,270 ratings score: 97, and 1 person voted	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
9	On The Psychology Of Military Incompetence by Norman F. Dixon 4.18 of 5 stars 4.18 avg rating — 78 ratings score: 96, and 1 person voted	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
10	Alexander the Great and the Logistics of the Macedonian Army: Thirty-Fifth Anniversary Edition, Updated with a New Foreword by Donald W. Engels 4.12 of 5 stars 4.12 avg rating — 76 ratings score: 95, and 1 person voted	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
11	Hell In A Very Small Place: The Siege Of Dien Bien Phu by Bernard B. Fall 4.33 of 5 stars 4.33 avg rating — 418 ratings score: 94, and 1 person voted	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
12	From Beirut to Jerusalem by Thomas L. Friedman 4.07 of 5 stars 4.07 avg rating — 5,260 ratings score: 93, and 1 person voted	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
13	Grant and Lee: A Study in Personality and Generalship by J.F.C. Fuller 4.02 of 5 stars 4.02 avg rating — 43 ratings score: 92, and 1 person voted	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
14	The Generalship Of Alexander The Great by J.F.C. Fuller 3.99 of 5 stars 3.99 avg rating — 107 ratings score: 91, and 1 person voted	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
15	The Warriors: Reflections on Men in Battle by Jesse Glenn Gray 4.01 of 5 stars 4.01 avg rating — 76 ratings score: 90, and 1 person voted	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
16	The Sling and the Stone: On War in the 21st Century by Thomas X. Hammes 3.81 of 5 stars 3.81 avg rating — 242 ratings score: 88, and 1 person voted	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
17	The Army and Vietnam by Andrew F. Krepinevich 3.89 of 5 stars 3.89 avg rating — 38 ratings score: 87, and 1 person voted	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
18	Seven Pillars of Wisdom: A Triumph by T.E. Lawrence 4.0 of 5 stars 4.00 avg rating — 2,216 ratings score: 86, and 1 person voted	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
19	Warrior Politics: Why Leadership Requires a Pagan Ethos by Robert D. Kaplan 3.65 of 5 stars 3.65 avg rating — 404 ratings score: 85, and 1 person voted	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
20	The Clash of Civilizations and the Remaking of World Order by Samuel P. Huntington 3.52 of 5 stars 3.52 avg rating — 2,912 ratings score: 82, and 1 person voted	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
21	The Professional Soldier by Morris Janowitz 3.56 of 5 stars 3.56 avg rating — 9 ratings score: 81, and 1 person voted	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
22	On the Origins of War and the Preservation of Peace by Donald Kagan 3.95 of 5 stars 3.95 avg rating — 207 ratings score: 80, and 1 person voted	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
23	The Face of Battle by John Keegan 4.2 of 5 stars 4.20 avg rating — 2,442 ratings score: 79, and 1 person voted	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
24	The Price of Admiralty: The Evolution of Naval Warfare from Trafalgar to Midway by John Keegan 3.91 of 5 stars 3.91 avg rating — 372 ratings score: 78, and 1 person voted	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
25	The Prince by Niccolò Machiavelli 3.66 of 5 stars 3.66 avg rating — 74,927 ratings score: 77, and 1 person voted	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
26	The Art of War by Sun Tzu 3.9 of 5 stars 3.90 avg rating — 68,489 ratings score: 76, and 1 person voted	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
27	The Art Of War by Niccolò Machiavelli 3.95 of 5 stars 3.95 avg rating — 1,929 ratings score: 75, and 1 person voted	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
28	The Influence Of Sea Power Upon History, 1660 1783 by Alfred Thayer Mahan 3.77 of 5 stars 3.77 avg rating — 227 ratings score: 74, and 1 person voted	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
29	On Guerrilla Warfare by Mao Tse-tung 3.74 of 5 stars 3.74 avg rating — 355 ratings score: 73, and 1 person voted	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
30	Dereliction of Duty: Johnson, McNamara, the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and the Lies That Led to Vietnam by H.R. McMaster 3.96 of 5 stars 3.96 avg rating — 246 ratings score: 72, and 1 person voted	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
31	In Retrospect: The Tragedy and Lessons of Vietnam by Robert S. McNamara 3.69 of 5 stars 3.69 avg rating — 793 ratings score: 71, and 1 person voted	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
32	The Tragedy of Great Power Politics by John J. Mearsheimer 3.75 of 5 stars 3.75 avg rating — 351 ratings score: 70, and 1 person voted	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
33	Panzer Battles: A Study of the Employment of Armor in the Second World War by F.W. von Mellenthin 3.89 of 5 stars 3.89 avg rating — 359 ratings score: 69, and 1 person voted	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
34	Obedience to Authority by Stanley Milgram 4.17 of 5 stars 4.17 avg rating — 928 ratings score: 68, and 1 person voted	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
35	A Book of Five Rings: The Classic Guide to Strategy by Miyamoto Musashi 4.11 of 5 stars 4.11 avg rating — 9,893 ratings score: 67, and 1 person voted	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
36	We Were Soldiers Once... and Young: Ia Drang - The Battle That Changed the War in Vietnam by Harold G. Moore 4.23 of 5 stars 4.23 avg rating — 8,021 ratings score: 66, and 1 person voted	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
37	Learning to Eat Soup with a Knife: Counterinsurgency Lessons from Malaya and Vietnam by John A. Nagl 3.88 of 5 stars 3.88 avg rating — 392 ratings score: 65, and 1 person voted	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
38	Moving Mountains: Lessons in Leadership and Logistics from the Gulf War by William G. Pagonis 3.52 of 5 stars 3.52 avg rating — 31 ratings score: 64, and 1 person voted	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
39	Makers of Modern Strategy from Machiavelli to the Nuclear Age by Peter Paret (Editor) 3.97 of 5 stars 3.97 avg rating — 297 ratings score: 63, and 1 person voted	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
40	Maverick Marine: General Smedley D. Butler and the Contradictions of American Military History by Hans Schmidt 3.41 of 5 stars 3.41 avg rating — 17 ratings score: 62, and 1 person voted	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
41	Odysseus in America: Combat Trauma and the Trials of Homecoming by Jonathan Shay 4.21 of 5 stars 4.21 avg rating — 98 ratings score: 61, and 1 person voted	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
42	A Bright Shining Lie: John Paul Vann and America in Vietnam by Neil Sheehan 4.2 of 5 stars 4.20 avg rating — 3,741 ratings score: 60, and 1 person voted	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
43	Defeat Into Victory: Battling Japan in Burma and India, 1942-1945 by William Slim 4.27 of 5 stars 4.27 avg rating — 86 ratings score: 59, and 1 person voted	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
44	The History of the Peloponnesian War by Thucydides 3.82 of 5 stars 3.82 avg rating — 10,833 ratings score: 58, and 1 person voted	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
45	Supplying War: Logistics from Wallenstein to Patton by Martin van Creveld 3.93 of 5 stars 3.93 avg rating — 91 ratings score: 57, and 1 person voted	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
46	Command in War by Martin van Creveld 3.87 of 5 stars 3.87 avg rating — 68 ratings score: 56, and 1 person voted	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
47	Technology and War: From 2000 B.C. to the Present by Martin van Creveld 3.88 of 5 stars 3.88 avg rating — 43 ratings score: 55, and 1 person voted	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
48	The Sword And The Olive: A Critical History Of The Israeli Defense Force by Martin van Creveld 3.77 of 5 stars 3.77 avg rating — 39 ratings score: 54, and 1 person voted	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
49	Fighting Power: German And Us Army Performance, 1939-1945 by Martin van Creveld 4.45 of 5 stars 4.45 avg rating — 22 ratings score: 53, and 1 person voted	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
50	The Transformation Of War by Martin van Creveld 3.9 of 5 stars 3.90 avg rating — 129 ratings score: 52, and 1 person voted	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars