"This is an important book for anyone interested in the U.S. military's effort to learn from contemporary conflict and adapt to the demands of counterinsurgency warfare in Iraq. Ucko's thorough research and incisive analysis have produced one of the most valuable books on military affairs to appear in recent years." —H. R. McMaster, brigadier general, U.S. Army and author of
Dereliction of Duty: Lyndon Johnson, Robert McNamara, the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the Lies that Led to Vietnam"This is hot-off-the-press history, an essential look at how the Pentagon has--and has not--changed in response to the Iraq war." —Thomas E. Ricks, author of
Fiasco and
The Gamble: General David Petraeus and the American Military Adventure in Iraq, 2006-08"Perhaps the most important attribute of a successful armed force is the ability to adapt rapidly during war. David Ucko describes how the U.S. Army and Marine Corps adapted to insurgency and, more importantly, why and whether those adaptations are likely to stick. This is required reading for those guiding the future of the Armed Forces."—Thomas X. Hammes, colonel, United States Marine Corps (Ret.) and author of
The Sling and the Stone: On War in the Twenty-First Century"David Ucko's book is a very instructional addition to the literature on American counterinsurgency. His clear and informed depiction of the institutional obstacles to deep and enduring reform comes at a critical time. A failure to heed his analysis and admonitions could again result in intellectual amnesia and unnecessary and tragic losses in blood and treasure in a future insurgency."—Bard E. O'Neill, author of
Insurgency and Terrorism: From Revolution to Apocalypse"An insightful and objective evaluation of the Pentagon's halting progress towards a true transformation. Facing an insidious global insurgency, today's military is at a crossroads as it adapts from a myopic focus on the kinds of wars it prefers to those that we ignore at our peril. Required reading for serious professionals and students of national security policy."—Frank Hoffman, senior fellow, Foreign Policy Research Institute
"David Ucko has taken on one of the most important and perplexing dilemmas in contemporary American defense policy and has created a pioneering work. Reflecting a sound grounding in history and a mastery of official policy and doctrine, Ucko places the counterinsurgency debate within its larger strategic context. Both scholars and strategists will find this book provocative and informative. All will benefit from reading it."—Steven Metz, Strategic Studies Institute, U.S. Army War College
"The U.S. military that invaded Iraq in 2003 was neither designed nor trained for counterinsurgency. Its experience of adapting to these new requirements offers a crucial source of potential insight for students of organizational change, irregular warfare, strategy, and defense policy. David Ucko presents the history of this process of adaptation with skill and analytical acuity."—Stephen Biddle, senior fellow for defense policy, Council on Foreign Relations
"David Ucko has written a provocative and thorough, and sometimes troubling, study about how the American military has learned and adapted in the cauldron of contemporary conflict. That capability will be an essential attribute for any organization hoping to deal with the dangerous, complex, and often irregular challenges in the current and future security environment."—Conrad C. Crane, U.S. Army Military History Institute, and lead author of
Field Manual 3-24/MCWP 3-33.5"
The New Counterinsurgency Era is a valuable resource for military leaders as well as academics who wish to understand the true forces of military change. It is a warning to both sides of the debate that the battle for the future of the American military is not over."—Janine Davidson, George Mason University
"David Ucko's
The New Counterinsurgency Era will make a major contribution to the ongoing debate about such operations and about American military culture. Readers interested in this subject will find this to be an invaluable source and future historians of the Iraq War will no doubt look to it too."—Michael P. Noonan, managing director, Program on National Security, Foreign Policy Research Institute and Operation Iraqi Freedom veteran
"This is a timely book on an exceedingly important and controversial topic . . . The argument is persuasive . . . the author's conclusions are sound and his predictions and prescriptions are reasonable."—Anthony James Joes, St. Joseph’s University, and author of
Urban Guerrilla Warfare, Resisting Rebellion: The History and Politics of Counterinsurgency, America and Guerrilla Warfare"David Ucko's excellent portrayal of the U.S. military's repeated learning and unlearning of counterinsurgency is a stark reminder that even today there is no guarantee that the U.S. military will remember what it has learned in Afghanistan and Iraq."—Heather Peterson, project associate, RAND Corporation
