The Pentagon's Wars: The Military's Undeclared War Against America's Presidents

by Mark Perry

Overview

A gripping insider account of the clash between America's civilian and military leadership

The Pentagon's Wars is a dramatic account of the deep and divisive debates between America's civilian leaders and its military officers. Renowned military expert Mark Perry investigates these internal wars and sheds new light on the US military-the most powerful and influential lobby in Washington. He reveals explosive stories, from the secret history of Clinton's "don't ask, don't tell" policy to how the military plotted to undermine Barack Obama's strategy in Afghanistan, to show how internal strife and deep civilian-military animus shapes America's policy abroad, often to the nation's detriment.

Drawing on three decades of high-profile interviews, both on and off the record, Perry yields sobering judgments on the tenures of our nation's most important military leaders. The Pentagon's Wars is essential reading for anyone seeking to understand the inner workings of the making of America's foreign policy.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780465079711
Publisher:	Basic Books
Publication date:	10/24/2017
Pages:	368
Product dimensions:	6.20(w) x 9.30(h) x 1.40(d)

About the Author

Mark Perry is a military and foreign affairs analyst whose articles have appeared in the Nation, Foreign Policy, Washington Post, and Politico. Perry lives in Arlington, Virginia.

Table of Contents

Prologue Bill Crowe's Warning xi

Chapter 1 John Warden's War 1

Chapter 2 Colin Powell's Other Doctrine 31

Chapter 3 Wes Clark: Water Walker 59

Chapter 4 Hugh Shelton: Clinton's General 87

Chapter 5 Tommy Franks: Rumsfeld's General 117

Chapter 6 Richard Myers: The Invisible Chairman 141

Chapter 7 "Mad Dog" Mattis and the Fight for Iraq 169

Chapter 8 Jack Keane's Coup 197

Chapter 9 Mike Mullen: The Navy's George Marshall 227

Chapter 10 The Rise of Martin Dempsey 261

Epilogue Original Sin 291

Acknowledgments 299

A Note on Sources 301

Notes 303

Index 329

Editorial Reviews

"A book that does much to explain quirks of foreign policy, providing a military context for them-and one that makes one wonder who's really in charge."
—Kirkus

"When it comes to America's senior military leaders, Mark Perry has a gift for exposing the truth. The Pentagon's Wars is a historical narrative of enormous value to Americans trying to understand the disastrous military interventions of the last twenty-five years."
—Colonel (ret) Douglas Macgregor, US Army, PhD, author of Margin of Victory

"This is a hard-hitting insider's walk through the corridors of American power. Mark Perry marshals decades of interviews and applies his keen journalistic insight to grapple with a question that all citizens need to ask: Why can't the most powerful nation in the world achieve its strategic policy aims when it goes to war? He does a great service by explaining in clear, human terms the failures and the limits of American military power. A must read."—David E. Johnson, author of Fast Tanks Heavy Bombers: Innovation in the U.S. Army, 1917-1945

"A 'tour de force' of insights into the senior-most decision-making surrounding the critical political-military events of the last quarter of a century. Author Mark Perry's perceptive insight and years' worth of professional experience yields a highly accurate description regarding the personality traits and relationships between the Presidents and their respective senior military leaders in the years following the Cold War to present day. Deft prose adds readability to an incredibly complex set of issues making this book difficult to put down until complete. A must read."
—Lt General David A. Deptula, USAF (Ret), Dean, The Mitchell Institute of Aerospace Studies

"In unflinching detail, Mark Perry takes us behind the scenes of America's often tense civil-military relationship. The public and the national security community will want to ponder carefully the implications of this fascinating and engaging narrative."
—Richard H. Kohn, Professor Emeritus of History and Peace, War, and Defense, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill; former Chief of Air Force History, USAF

"Once again Mark Perry has produced an extremely well-written and thought-provoking book. War is an extension of politics, and this book is a must-read for anyone interested in the critical and sometimes controversial role that senior generals and admirals have played in American foreign policy since the end of the Cold War."
—David B. Crist, PhD, executive director, Joint History Office, Joint Chiefs of Staff

From the Publisher

10/15/2017
American military leaders often differ from political leaders in matters of policy, and the result can be contentious discussions, both in public and private. Foreign affairs analyst Perry (The Most Dangerous Man in America) here brings forward some post-Cold War arguments and incorporates the effects of both the concept of the Revolution in Military Affairs and the 1986 Goldwater-Nichols Act on the administrations between Ronald Reagan and Barack Obama. Rather than focusing on politico-military differences of opinion, the author spends much of the book dissecting personality conflicts among generals, particularly during the Iraq War. Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld dominates the chapter on Iraq, while Bill Clinton's relationship with Gen. John Shalikashvili is a central theme in Bosnia. The role of analysis and policy is not absent but tends to be shown through interpersonal relations, rather than complex discussions. In the end, Perry questions the will and ability of modern military leaders to speak hard truths to their political overseers. VERDICT A dense yet well-researched and detailed insider look at the making of military policy under six presidents that will be of most interest to military professionals.—Edwin Burgess, Kansas City, KS

Library Journal

2017-08-08
Why have we been in Afghanistan twice as long as the Soviets? Why did Saddam Hussein reign for a dozen more years after defeat in the Persian Gulf War? This study of the clash of military and civilian cultures goes a long way toward answering such questions.By many reckonings, the United States has not been at peace since the atomic bombs fell on Japan in 1945. There is good reason for that: politicians like war, and they have been able to co-opt plenty of military people to press their cases, even as professional soldiers recognize war as a last resort. By freelance military affairs journalist Perry's (The Most Dangerous Man in America: The Making of Douglas MacArthur, 2014, etc.) account, in the last three decades especially, "the brilliance of our battlefield leaders has not been matched by those in Washington who are responsible for making certain that our soldiers, sailors, and airmen (and women) not only have what they need to win, but are backed by strong leaders who speak their minds." It is this last matter that occupies much of the book, for the military is made up of two classes of officers: politicians who often migrate into the enemy (read: administrative or legislative) camp and actual combat leaders who have little use for politicians but still follow their orders. The author observes that the politicians among the soldiers, usually at the very apex of leadership, rarely say no to their civilian bosses: only Colin Powell did, and then only over the matter of gays in the military, which was less problematic of itself than as a symptom of Bill Clinton's "rookie mistake" tendency to tell the Pentagon what to do. The overarching result is that field officers often actively conspire to frustrate political ambitions, particularly to resist directives at nation-building, which is not the military's mission. A book that does much to explain quirks of foreign policy, providing a military context for them—and one that makes one wonder who's really in charge.

Kirkus Reviews

This audiobook illustrates one of the central conflicts in our Constitution: How do we reconcile a military that is under civilian control with the power of military leaders who want more control over policy? Under this system, the author argues, presidents and generals have clashed openly and secretly, many times to the country’s detriment. From the start, narrator Ron Butler reads against type by approaching this audiobook with an expressive, deep, assuring voice, rather than as an authoritarian. He varies his pitch and tone, and adds character voices to make the political and military sources come alive. Butler also uses pauses judiciously, which allows us to consider the effects that many of these decisions and events have had on our recent history. R.I.G. © AudioFile 2017, Portland, Maine

DECEMBER 2017 - AudioFile

This audiobook illustrates one of the central conflicts in our Constitution: How do we reconcile a military that is under civilian control with the power of military leaders who want more control over policy? Under this system, the author argues, presidents and generals have clashed openly and secretly, many times to the country’s detriment. From the start, narrator Ron Butler reads against type by approaching this audiobook with an expressive, deep, assuring voice, rather than as an authoritarian. He varies his pitch and tone, and adds character voices to make the political and military sources come alive. Butler also uses pauses judiciously, which allows us to consider the effects that many of these decisions and events have had on our recent history. R.I.G. © AudioFile 2017, Portland, Maine

DECEMBER 2017 - AudioFile