The Inheritance: America's Military After Two Decades of War

by Mara E. Karlin

Exploring how the U.S. military can move beyond Iraq and Afghanistan Since the September 11, 2001, attacks, the U.S. military has been fighting incessantly in conflicts around the globe, often with inconclusive results. The legacies of these conflicts have serious implications for how the United States will wage war in the future. Yet there is a stunning lack of introspection about these conflicts. Never in modern U.S. history has the military been at war for so long. And never in U.S. history have such long wars demanded so much of so few. The legacy of wars without end include a military that feels the painful effects of war but often feels alone. The public is less connected to the military now than at any point in modern U.S. history. The national security apparatus seeks to pivot away from these engagements and to move on to the next threats—notably those emanating from China and Russia. Many young Americans question whether it even makes sense to invest in the military. At best, there are ad hoc, unstructured debates about Iraq or Afghanistan. Simply put, there has been no serious, organized stock-taking by the public, politicians, opinion leaders, or the military itself of this inheritance. Despite being at war for the longest continuous period in its history, the military is woefully unprepared for future wars. But the United States cannot simply hit the reset button. This book explores this inheritance by examining how nearly two decades of war have influenced civil-military relations, how the military goes to war, how the military wages war, who leads the military and who serves in it, how the military thinks about war, and above all, the enduring impact of these wars on those who waged them. If the U.S. military seeks to win in the future, it must acknowledge and reconcile with the inheritance of its long and inconclusive wars. This book seeks to help them do so.

Genres: Military Fiction, History, Politics, Nonfiction

320 pages, Paperback

Published December 14, 2021

Reviews

[Dale · Rating 4 out of 5]

timely

A great study encapsulating over 20 years of war. Not sure anyone outside the military would get as much out of this book as those that have lived it. Recommended for military professionals, especially those in service schools that have the time to reflect on lessons learned, the culture, and way ahead.

[Paula · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a necessary review of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. The way Karlin covers different topics and highlights problematics make it easier to identify where the challenges in drawing lessons of these wars come from. Highly recommend to anyone in the national security space, particularly those in the military as it will provide a different point of view to the military echo chamber.

[Chad Manske · Rating 5 out of 5]

20 years of war and conflict between Afghanistan and Iraq, notwithstanding the USAF’s continued presence in the region since 1991, and the US military’s inheritance is essentially bankrupt. This, according to my acquaintance and National War College-favored lecturer and national security expert Mara Karlin. Blood and treasure seemingly would yield a peace dividend of some sort yet there is nothing to show except the recency of battle experience and a questioning of what was gained. Karlin expertly details what happened, enhanced by first-hand interviews of the senior officers who were there making decisions and leading. A frustrated and uncaring public, coupled with politicians who want to forget and move on to Russia and China leave a U.S. military in limbo as to how to move on. A reset button doesn’t work here, nor does sulking about the failures of the past and Karlin helps remedy that with her expert analysis and recommendations for getting beyond this malaise and aptly applying sound ways ahead for the future. An outstanding book in my view.

[Eric Haas · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mara E. Karlin’s The Inheritance: America’s Military After Two Decades of War is a fascinating read that highlights many of the issues facing today’s military. Published in 2022, it most likely was through final edits before the August 2021 collapse of the Afghanistan Government. This lends a note of overt optimism about the state of the “Forever Wars” that rings a little hallow. The issues the author address are spot on and her chapter focused on the U.S. Military Service culture (minus the Space Force) is an excellent update to Carl Builder’s Mask of War. Additionally, the author is spot on when she highlights many of the issues facing our current civil-military divide, especially the military’s knack for believing the source of all its failures come from political decisions, without the requisite study into where the military made some bad decisions.
My biggest issue with the work (keeping it from 5-stars) lies with the sourcing of her quotes and also the over use of the Duffleblog to make her key points. There is an over-reliance on anonymous sourcing (i.e. “unnamed senior general said…”) and the over use of a satire website (though providing a interesting shot of humor from the time many of the issues were occurring), work to undercut some of the seriousness of what the author presents. This is a must read for those who work in and around the Pentagon and those who want to build better understanding of how the U.S. military has grown / changed since 9/11.

[Eric Johnson · Rating 5 out of 5]

My only gripe about this book is the cost, but that's okay; it was a little worth it. This book goes over the realization of the past decades of the post-9/11 situation, the GWOT, and well, what's next? It reviews the highlights of GWOT and how it affects future generations of servicemembers who have to fight the next war, whatever it may be. I can highly recommend the book, though, as said, and as a Soldier who fought during the GWOT, this book hit home in the evaluation of what happened, the opinions, and views of mainly officers, as well as some enlisted at that time. While I agree with the premise, and a veteran who cares about those in uniform, this book is a good way to look at yourself and see what may be next, and where we came from as well.

[Tyler Jared · Rating 5 out of 5]

No better book has been written about the legacy of the GWOT on the DOD. Sober, critical, but still understanding, it really is just a fantastically comprehensive look at where things went wrong and what that means for the military going forward. (All in just over 200 pages too)

[Kathryn Olson · Rating 5 out of 5]

100/10

[Allie · Rating 5 out of 5]

A good primer on the current state of the military.

[Barry Green · Rating 5 out of 5]

Interesting insights into the internal conflicts between the military and civil services that led to numerous inefficiencies

[Alana Bleness · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really well-researched and insightful. It's kind of a heavy read; I consider myself pretty well-read and I had to reach for the dictionary more than once. I would love to hear this book discussed by people closer to the wars than me. I also wish Karlin had included a bibliography for anyone interested in reading further. She quotes extensively and I want to track down some of those works.

[Seth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Must read for anyone on active duty of those thinking of joining! Thought provoking and insightful from cover to cover.

[Fox Walker · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars.