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Intelligence in War: The value--and limitations--of what the military can learn about the enemy Paperback – October 12, 2004

by John Keegan (Author)
4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 211 ratings
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A masterly look at the value and limitations of intelligence in the conduct of war from the premier military historian of our time, John Keegan.

Intelligence gathering is an immensely complicated and vulnerable endeavor. And it often fails. Until the invention of the telegraph and radio, information often traveled no faster than a horse could ride, yet intelligence helped defeat Napoleon. In the twentieth century, photo analysts didn’t recognize Germany’s V-2 rockets for what they were; on the other hand, intelligence helped lead to victory over the Japanese at Midway. In Intelligence in War, John Keegan illustrates that only when paired with force has military intelligence been an effective tool, as it may one day be in besting al-Qaeda.
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  1. Print length
    432 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Vintage
  4. Publication date
    October 12, 2004
  5. Dimensions
    5.19 x 0.95 x 7.9 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    0375700463
  7. ISBN-13
    978-0375700460
  8. See all details
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4.4 out of 5 stars
211 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers find the book provides an in-depth look at intelligence in modern warfare. They find it fascinating and well-written, with concise and meaningful lessons about types of military intelligence. Readers consider it a good value for money and worth their time and effort.

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Intelligence valueWriting qualityValue for money
20 customers mention "Intelligence value"20 positive0 negative

Customers find the book informative and fascinating. They say it provides in-depth studies on military intelligence and modern warfare. The writing is fast-paced yet detailed around critical points. Readers appreciate the historical examples and case studies that are useful and interesting reads on their own.

"...He advances the premise that, although the American intelligence gathered was certainly valuable, certain random events occurred which facilitated..." Read more

"...These arguments are important. We use this book at the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College where I currently teach...." Read more

"...This book is recommended to the general reader looking for a entertaining discussion of just how intelligence can fit into the bigger picture in..." Read more

"Keegan’s book deals with military intelligence, as distinguished from espionage: little glamour is involved, as these stories are wartime experiences..." Read more

14 customers mention "Writing quality"14 positive0 negative

Customers find the book well-written, thorough, and concise. They describe it as excellent, readable, and one of the best accounts of the campaign they have encountered. The writing style is also described as brilliant and appreciate the author's tackling a subject underappreciated.

"...It's a fascinating and well-written work...." Read more

"...Keegan is an exceptionally easy read, but he raises some significant questions which is always a good combination." Read more

"John Keegan's 2003 "Intelligence in War" is a well-written, if limited, survey of several battle and campaigns to determine what if any impact..." Read more

"...The book is well organized. Keegan prefaces each episode with rich background, so that the main activities are clearly understood in context...." Read more

5 customers mention "Value for money"5 positive0 negative

Customers find the book reliable and inexpensive. They say it's worth the time and effort.

"...some of the mystique of intelligence in war is likely of value for the general reader, as opposed to the dedicated student of conflict or..." Read more

"...V-1 was potentially a war-winning invention that "was reliable and cheap, cost about 150 pounds in 1944 values." If mass-produced in..." Read more

"...The book is thorough and well written. Completely worth the money." Read more

"Well worth the time and effort...." Read more

Top reviews from the United States

  • Jeff Ryan
    5.0 out of 5 stars John Keegan's excellent survey of the use of intelligence information in warfare.
    Reviewed in the United States on September 23, 2020
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    I really like this book. The author delves into a number of historical eras in which proper intelligence that was gathered either contributed to victory or was ignored and resulted in defeat. Early in the text, he describes how the Roman Empire valued intelligence-gathering so much that its army had three different types of reconnaissance units for differing task profiles. It's a fascinating and well-written work.
    One of two areas which stood out for me was the Royal Navy's 1914 pursuit of the Imperial German Far East naval squadron. The main engagements took place off South America's Pacific coast and later, in the South Atlantic's remote Falkland Islands anchorage. This was all "new territory" to me. Undersea cable message traffic and wireless radio communications assisted both sides in this early First World War sea campaign.
    The other area which I especially enjoyed is the 1942 air-sea battle at Midway, and whether it was the "perfect intelligence victory" for the US Navy. He advances the premise that, although the American intelligence gathered was certainly valuable, certain random events occurred which facilitated US Naval aircraft finding and ultimately destroying four large Japanese aircraft carriers, thus blunting the Japanese Navy's most effective striking tool in the Pacific during WW 2. Although the Americans lost the carrier USS Yorktown after repeated attacks, the Battle of Midway ended major Japanese naval and military offensives in the Pacific until the war ended in 1945. Japan was never able to regain its early-war offensive momentum after June of 1942.
    INTELLIGENCE IN WAR is full of historical examples in which the gathering of information played a role in the outcome of a battle or campaign. John Keegan seems to take the position that intelligence-gathering, in and of itself, is not a war-winning (or even battle-winning) weapon, and that many factors play into whether a military contest is won or lost, which is a theme in some of his other books as well.
    3 people found this helpful
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  • Nicholas E. Sarantakes
    5.0 out of 5 stars Spys in War
    Reviewed in the United States on November 15, 2007
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    Sir John Keegan, the defense editor for "The Daily Telegraph" and one of the foremost military historians writing in English today, has turned his attention to an important but regularly overlooked topic--the role of military intelligence in combat operations. He argues that political intelligence is an ancient craft that goes back almost as far as recorded history, but military intelligence has until the last 200 hundred years or so had limited impact on the battlefield due to the technological challenges of getting information to a commander and then to units in the field. Intelligence was mainly the work of scouts.

    In a series of case studies starting with the naval operations of Lord Nelson, Keegan argues: "Intelligence, however good, is not necessarily the means to victory; that ultimately, it is force, not fraud or forethought, that counts" (p. 334). Two of the most striking examples he uses are the battles of Crete in 1940 and Midway in 1942. At Crete, the British had accurate signals intelligence telling them what the Germans were going to do and they still lost. At Midway, the Americans had equally good information on what the Japanese intended, but random chance was the key to U.S. victory. The American planes that sank three of the four Japanese carriers were lost and found the enemy fleet by accident at a time when their defenses were ill prepared for another attack.

    These arguments are important. We use this book at the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College where I currently teach. Keegan's ideas are revisionist but also seem straight forward. The title is accurate. This book focuses only on military intelligence in war. The subtitle is a bit misleading. There is next to no mention of al-Qaeda in the book. Keegan is an exceptionally easy read, but he raises some significant questions which is always a good combination.
    7 people found this helpful
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  • HMS Warspite
    4.0 out of 5 stars Translating Intelligence into Victory, or Not.....
    Reviewed in the United States on February 27, 2008
    Verified Purchase
    John Keegan's 2003 "Intelligence in War" is a well-written, if limited, survey of several battle and campaigns to determine what if any impact intelligence had on their outcome. Keegan cites Admiral Lord Nelson's pursuit of Napoleon's fleet, Stonewall Jackson's famous Valley campaign, and the World War II battles of Crete, Midway, and the North Atlantic, among others. His concluding argument seems to be that the availability of good intelligence in and of itself does not determine the outcome of conflict as much as the ability of warriors to turn intelligence into some decisive advantage on the battlefield. As Keegan notes, the outcome of battle may be as much dependent on sheer chance as anything else.

    Keegan's book sparked some vigorously dissenting opinions on the value of his argument, as can be seen in other reviews. It has been noted before that Keegan's undoubted powers of description are sometimes stronger than his ability to interpret their meaning. To the extent that Keegan breaks no new intellectual ground in this book, those dissenting opinions are perfectly valid. The effect of "Intelligence in War" to strip away some of the mystique of intelligence in war is likely of value for the general reader, as opposed to the dedicated student of conflict or intelligence. His selected examples place intelligence firmly in context in the chaos that accompanies battle. His point, that intelligence can facilitate success but does not mandate it, may be far less obvious to the general reader than to the dedicated student.

    Keegan's prose, as always, is imminently readable. His accounts of the Battle of the North Atlantic and of Crete, including his analysis of the outcomes, are superbly concise, with much nuance. Keegan includes an excellent selection of maps and photographs.

    This book is recommended to the general reader looking for a entertaining discussion of just how intelligence can fit into the bigger picture in conflict. Dedicated students of intelligence in warfare will find more challenging fare elsewhere.
    4 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

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  • Dr. Wolfgang Crass
    4.0 out of 5 stars John Keegan Intelligence in War
    Reviewed in Germany on December 3, 2021
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    Nüchterne Analysen
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  • MisterWizard
    5.0 out of 5 stars ottimo
    Reviewed in Italy on July 18, 2019
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    ottimo
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  • Shishkabob
    5.0 out of 5 stars Good value
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 10, 2019
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    Excellent - exactly as described
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  • Joerg Weber
    2.0 out of 5 stars Too little focus on the actual subject of intelligence
    Reviewed in Germany on October 2, 2015
    Verified Purchase
    This book describes certain campaigns and battles and the role of intelligence in those. The book gives a lot of details about the historical background and the course of those campaigns / battles. Too many, actually, at least for my taste: Considering the title of the book, I would have expected a stronger focus on intelligence itself, and less information on the historical background.

    Moreover, this book approaches the subject of intelligence by giving (lengthy) examples. What it does not provide is a systematic approach to intelligence. For example, it lacks a systematic categorization and explanation of the different types of intelligence. Indeed, what the book lacks, in my opinion, is a good explanation of the term "intelligence" itself before starting with the example battles. What I also missed is the description of typical structures of intelligence services.

    Altogether, I was disappointed. I have no doubt about the historical quality of the book, but it simply did not meet my expectations. I expected a book with a systematic and - at least approximately - scientific approach to the subject of intelligence. What I got is a book with lengthy descriptions of the history of some battles/campaigns, which casually also covered some aspects of intelligence in a piecemeal fashion.

    What I also did not like was the style of writing. The author often uses cumbersome sentences which are horribly long and unnecessarily complicated. This makes reading a hard task. It often happened to me that I had to read a sentence multiple times to "decode" it. Well, yes, I'm not a native English speaker; but I'm used to read English books, and usually I don't have such troubles.
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  • Kindle Customer
    4.0 out of 5 stars Case studies of military engagements illustrating the role played by intelligence and communications.
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on December 11, 2013
    Verified Purchase
    This is a fascinating and instructive book, though the author sometimes is overly repetitive, as if the manuscript was not properly checked by the author or a good editor. Emphasis is placed on the effects of an absence of intelligence, misleading intelligence or good intelligence, and the importance of communications systems and timely delivery and analysis of information. Thus the examples are useful in commerce and even domestic situations removed from the military context of the case studies.
    An early example is a naval code system capable of conveying several hundred altetnative complex messages by the positioning of a few flags. The code book made it possible to identify and read the message quickly. Alas code book worked on decoding the message quickly but it was very difficult to encode a message. The comparison would be an English to German dictionary with no German to English section.
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