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9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Terrific Effort At Contemporary Military History!, November 19, 2003
This review is from: America's Splendid Little Wars: A Short History of U.S. Military Engagements: 1975-2000 (Hardcover)
This is a splendid little exploration of the flurry of American military engagements in the thirty years since the end of the Vietnam imbroglio, and illustrates both the awesome power and inherent limitations of attempting to accomplish political goals through force of military arms. And somewhat of a decidedly mixed bag is what we have to show for the more than a dozen such operations detailed and analyzed herein. And herein Peter A. Huchthausen, best selling author of the absorbing "K-19", takes the reader on a fascinating and thought-provoking journey into each of these adventures. Many of the operations have been successful indeed, including the Mayaguez incident in the mid 1970s, Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm all being impressive displays of our incredible ability to project power into any little corner of the world. On the other hand, sordid failures abound as well, such as the botched Iranian hostage situation in the desert, the disastrous peacekeeping operation in Lebanon, and the exercise in `nation-building' amid the squalor of Somalia. The author pulls few punches in relating how such elements as arrogance, ignorance, and inter-service rivalries often hamper and limit our military exercises, such that having not properly done the necessary homework can sometimes result in massive casualties or miscalculation when we do not appreciate the threat of the opposing forces or underestimate their resolve. Finally, he discusses successful but somewhat conflicted efforts such as both the intervention in Bosnia and later Kosovo, where we limited ourselves to air campaigns which translated into much higher levels of unintended civilian collateral casualties then would otherwise have been the case, and where the enemy defended themselves by using innocent civilians as `human shields', and Grenada, where our own casualties were higher than necessary due to lack of inter-service cooperation. The author, a retired navy officer, displays a magnificent respect for the men and women in arms, especially the enlisted troops, while being less kind and deferential to the officers and higher echelons of the power elite, who often send the fighting force off on what are destined to become fools' errands for their own somewhat limited and sometimes selfish political reasons. This is an interesting book and provides a wonderful summary of American miltary actions over the last quarter century. Enjoy!
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Good Overview of Modern "Small" Wars, February 22, 2004
This review is from: America's Splendid Little Wars: A Short History of U.S. Military Engagements: 1975-2000 (Hardcover)
The major U.S. wars -- especially the Civil War and the highly romanticized WW II -- loom large in the American consciousness. But as Max Boot demonstrated in his "The Savage Wars of Peace" (2002), scores of military engagements, interventions, peacekeeping operations and so-called "small" wars have had consequential impact. Boot discusses many such pre-Vietnam operations, including the efforts to end Barbary Coast piracy, the Spanish-American war, the Pancho Villa expedition, and various South America and the Caribbean interventions, among others. Now Peter Huchthausen picks up where Boot left off, with a concise examination of more than a dozen military operations that occurred between 1975 and 2000. Huchthausen, best known as the author of "K-19: The Widowmaker," presents the ignominious (Iranian Hostage Rescue, Lebanon, Somalia) alongside the unqualified successes (Panama, Desert Shield/Storm, Libya retaliation) and engagements in which success came at a price (Grenada, Kosovo). Throughout the narrative, it is interesting to observe the U.S. military progressively restoring its efficacy following its "hollow" period in the immediate aftermath of Vietnan. And we see the positive effects of the Goldwater-Nichols reforms (1986) in fostering increased inter-service cooperation and improved operational performance. Inter-service coordination, for example, was much better in Panama (late 1989) than in Grenada (1983). Huchthausen's book is a highly readable, compact overview, easily digestible in one session or two. Well worth the time for anyone interested in the creation of the modern U.S. military, whose recent successes in Afghanistan and Iraq we've all marveled at.
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3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A great concise read!!!!, September 28, 2003
This review is from: America's Splendid Little Wars: A Short History of U.S. Military Engagements: 1975-2000 (Hardcover)
This wonderful book walks the reader through all the 'little' wars that america fought after Vietnam. It takes you through 'Desert One' the disaster of the Carter administration. it looks at the Magasuay indcident in Cambodia, the invasion of Grenda, the duel with Quadafy, the Beirut peacekeeping, the invasion of panama and the missions in Haiti and Somalia. This is a wonderful book. Well written, packed with information and gives good overviews of the countries and participants involved. A great way to understand americas role in the late 20th century.
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