Dragon Days: Time for "Unconventional" Tactics [Paperback]

H. John Poole (Author), Mike Leahy (Illustrator), Ray L. Smith (Foreword)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 10, 2007

NPR reported on 12/15/11 that DoD's focus had shifted from Europe to Asia and SW Pacific. This book describes the extent of Islamist and Communist expansion there and how to quell it. Both takeover tries involve drugs and are otherwise similar, so only one solution is required. Instead of occupying countries or training their armies, the Pentagon must blanket the area with tiny foreign-assistance teams in the law enforcement sector. This takes more police and Unconventional Warfare (UW) ability than any U.S. grunt or special operator currently has. Part One details the extent of the subversion. Part Two shows what the teams must know about criminal investigative procedure. Part Three has the UW techniques they will need to escape encirclement. As such, this book may be America's only UW tactical-technique manual.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Marines, Soldiers, and other personnel who directly face 4GW threats will benefit from reading 'Dragon Days.' The author has researched and developed an impressive book on unconventional warfare tactics and techniques that should not be ignored." -- (Naval) Proceedings Magazine, July 2008

"John Poole's writing on small-unit techniques is far advanced over what the U.S. armed forces offer in their manuals and teach in their schools (father of 4th-Generation Warfare theory)." -- William S. Lind, 2007

"Part One of 'Dragon Days' shows how China has been hiding Maoist expansion behind Islamic insurgency. DoD must deploy foreign-aid workers in the law enforcement sector to help indigenous police and soldiers reestablish local security. Part Two contains their criminal investigative procedures, while Part Three has their unconventional warfare techniques." -- Mil. Officers Assn. of America (MOAA) Magazine, February 2008

"John Poole has written another brilliant manual that superbly captures the tactics and techniques necessary to ... succeed on the complicated battlefields ... [of] today. His expertise in unconventional warfare makes [this book] ... a valuable addition to the considerable collection of insightful works he has [already] produced on this complex challenge (former head of CENTCOM)." -- Gen. Anthony C. Zinni USMC (Ret.), 2007

"'Dragon Days: Time for Unconventional Tactics,' ... details the need for such units [squads with enough tactical skill to survive alone] in the current 4th-Generation Warfare being waged by terrorists to the benefit ... of China." -- Aerospace Daily and Defense Report, 4 January 2008

"Poole, who is an undisputed expert in both 4th-Generation Warfare and the Asian culture ... teaches [the] tactics and techniques ... [of] unconventional warfare.... If you are a leader, at any level, you need to read this book and utilize it to train your warriors for the ongoing global war on terrorism." -- Leatherneck, December 2007

"[P]erfect ... for the counterinsurgent.... [An entire] collection of ... [the author's] supplements to official manuals would be helpful to most deployed soldiers." -- Columbus Ledger-Enquirer (GA), 19 December 2007

"'Dragon Days' explains how to successfully counter terrorist groups.... Fighting terrorists ..., Poole points out, is more like police work than a military operation. I highly recommend this book." -- Fort Knox Turret, 6 March 2008

"This book is packed with background on China's increasing involvement with Muslim insurgencies and terrorist activities in Asia, the Pacific, and Middle East. He [the author] also convincingly argues that American forces must fight like guerrillas to defeat guerrillas, and includes detailed chapters on ... [stalking] attack, rural and urban escape and evasion, and how best to [enhance] ... terrain." --Mil. Officers Assn. of America (MOAA) Professional Reading List entry, January 2009

"I ... recommend this book highly to all U.S. infantrymen and special operators. The tactical techniques of UW [unconventional warfare] are new to the literature and not covered by any government manual. They should serve as a welcome supplement to the mostly conventional skills that those, who must ultimately win the War on Terror, already have (former commander of Camp Lejeune)." --Maj.Gen. Ray L. Smith USMC (Ret.), August 2007

"Poole brings us ... [our real foe's] identity: need true light infantry trained in ... unconventional warfare.... This is .. a great departure from ... reliance on ... firepower, already proving ineffective in both Iraq and Afghanistan. 'Dragon Days' should be studied by our military professionals and its lessons incorporated into infantry training (publisher emeritus, Presidio Press)." --Col. Robert V. Kane U.S. Army (Ret.), August 2007

"Fighting the terrorist ..., Poole points out is more like police work than a military operation.... Poole [also] stresses the United States military has to be more unconventional in its tactics.... I highly recommend the book."-- Quantico Sentry, 7 March 2008

"War is about diplomacy and violence as well as deceit and manipulation. In 'Dragon Days',... Poole ... postulates as to which nations are practicing what strategies in their quest for recognition and dominance (former commander of 1st Marine Division)." -- Maj.Gen. John H. Admire USMC (Ret.), 2007

"Sherlock Holmes [said] ... to solve a crime look to see who profits by it. When 9/11 happened, few Americans ... knew that the ... [veiled] proposal to use jet passenger liners to attack high rise buildings ... had been [already] written by two Chinese Army colonels.... [This is Poole's] continuing research ... on the threat posed to Western Civilization (professional military historian)."-- Kim B. Holien, 2007

"Poole ... offers two studies in 'Dragon Days': how a rising superpower may be hiding its Maoist expansion behind Islamic insurgency, and what America's armed forces must do to curtail either."-- Oberlin Alumni Magazine, Summer 2008

"Probably the most important book [so far].... Part One is a most valuable historical review of the growth and spread of PRC and Muslim terrorism. To read it is to reveal what may transpire in our very uncertain future.... [The] research is not only thorough but magnificent in detail.... [An] outstanding piece of work! --Vice Adm. Thomas R. Sargent USCG (Ret.), August 2007

About the Author

Through an inverted military career, H. John Poole has discovered a few things that more promotable people miss. After spending his first two years as a combat commander, he did his last seven as an enlisted tactics instructor. That allowed him to see why American troops have so much trouble quelling insurgency. The techniques in their small-unit tactics manuals are quite simply outmoded. Those techniques are so unlikely to surprise anyone as to be "premachinegun" in format. This oversight on the part of their commanders and how it can be corrected forms much of the framework of Poole's work. Since retirement from the U.S. Marine Corps in 1993, he has has traveled extensively in the Communist and Islamist worlds and written 11 other tactics and intel. manual supplements. He has also conducted multiday training sessions for 40 U.S. battalions, 9 military schools, and 7 special-operations units from all four service branches. As most U.S. intelligence personnel know too little about the Eastern thought process and evolution of squad tactics, these supplements provide currently deployed GIs with a rare glimpse into their opponent's intentions. John Poole has been stationed twice each in South Vietnam and Okinawa. He has visited Japan, Taiwan, the Philippines, Indonesia, both Koreas, Mainland China (twice), Hong Kong, Macao, North Vietnam, Myanmar (Burma), Thailand, Cambodia, Malaysia, Singapore, Tibet, Nepal, Bangladesh, India (five times), Pakistan (twice), Russia, Turkey, and Iran. Between early tours in the Marine Corps, he worked for two years as a criminal investigator in Chicago for the Illinois Bureau of Investigation. While at the IBI, he was a student of Tae Kwon Do.

Product Details

• Paperback: 484 pages
• Publisher: Posterity Press (NC); Illustrated edition (October 10, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 096386954X
• ISBN-13: 978-0963869548
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.5 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #455,062 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Further refinement of squad-level thinking, December 14, 2007

By 

Christian E. De Leon-Horton (Iraq) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Dragon Days: Time for "Unconventional" Tactics (Paperback)

In his latest study of terrorism and its tactical implications, H. John Poole draws upon diverse threads to suggest that Islamist terrorist groups are drawing support and possibly tactical expertise from the PRC. While his conclusions are at odds with mainstream analysis, his argument is well constructed, and the implications are well worth considering.

Even for those who do not agree with Poole's strategic analysis, this book is a useful study of advanced light infantry tactics. In previous books Poole layed out his vision of a "strategic hamlet" practice to be adapted to the urban battle ground of Iraq. It is worth noting that the current "surge" strategy carried out under GEN Petraeus resembles Poole's strategy in broad outline--but that Poole beat him to the punch by several months. Poole goes farther in "Dragon Days" by considering the tactical implications of a well-trained infantry squad with indigenous support. In Poole's vision, a light infantry unit cut off and surrounded by hostiles need not call in heavy firepower in an attempt to break out. Rather, Poole provides tactical guidelines that would allow the beleagured unit to slip away quietly, thus preserving the lives of both soldiers and civilians in the combat area. While much of the book is devoted to urban terrain, Poole does not neglect the application of his tactics to more rural areas. In addition, he provides guidelines for how American troops could be trained in methods that are currently unfamiliar to them.

As always, Poole's tactical recommendations are more progressive than anything coming out of the Pentagon. While Poole's studies are conducted with an extremely limited budget, he has consistently managed to provide effective analysis and appropriate tactical responses. In this, he is similar to the insurgents he studies. It is high time that military commanders consider applying the techniques that Poole has been advocating for three decades.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Many new insights from the expert in unconventional warfare, January 14, 2008

By 

Blacksheep (US Army) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Dragon Days: Time for "Unconventional" Tactics (Paperback)

I am an infantry officer currently serving on my second tour in Iraq. Dragon Days provides a lot of new and useful information to American Soldiers and decision makers. Using his proven, effective formula, Mr. Poole beings his analysis at the strategic level and works his way down to tactical details. At the strategic level, his estimates and conclusions about the sources of contemporary conflict are disturbing, especially because they are well supported by research and fact. His tactical lessons provide a practical solution to many of the strategic problems he identifies. First, he focuses on developing a new, westernized version of sapper reconnaissance, and then goes into great detail about escape and evasion techniques for both rural and urban environments. Such techniques could prove very valuable to infantry units in the future. Dragon days is already having a positive effect on the soldiers in my unit.

12 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Unconventional tactics, November 28, 2007

By 

Brian D. Cochran (Los Angeles, CA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Dragon Days: Time for "Unconventional" Tactics (Paperback)

This book is an incisive look into the War on Terror, its sources, rammifications, and ways to combat the enemy. John Poole is current. He takes the Iraqi "surge" and proposes small unit tactics that are not currently employed and that would be even more effective in dealing with a non-uniformed and unconventional opposition. He is concrete in his suggestion of how to teach small unit guerrilla tactics at the squad and company levels. He also describes a type of leadership attitude that has rarely been followed in western armies, but has been overwhelmingly successful when employed.

This is the latest in an outstanding series of Posterity Press publications, each one of which has been read and reread many times.