Product Description

From one of the twelve founding members of Delta Force, a collection of commentary on the future of war.

Media commentator Eric Haney-a founding member of Delta Force and author of Inside Delta Force-along with other noted military analysts and award-nominated editor Brian M. Thomsen, examines how our military must evolve to face changing times, technology, and adversaries. From limited wars to possible large scale invasions of Syria or Iran-or a major military stand-down with North Korea-Beyond Shock and Awe is a fresh, provocative look at America's army of the future.

Articles include the work by Harlan K. Ullman and James P. Wade, Jr., which first used the term "shock and awe;" Kevin Dockery on the weapons of future wars; Professor William Forstchen on how precisionguided weaponry will eliminate "problem" individuals before they can start a war; Eugene Sullivan on such legal issues as pre-emptive attacks and military tribunals; Paul A. Thomsen on integrating military intelligence into strategic warfare; William Terdoslavich on how America's swift victory in the Iraq War gave way to a bloody stalemate; John Helfers on the importance of cultural knowledge in winning wars and building alliances; and Eric Haney on the many ways in which rapid dominance of an adversary can be gained through shock and awe.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #768271 in Books
• Published on: 2006-04-04
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 272 pages

From Booklist
The articles in this reader on the immediate future of war are accessible to general readers and cover quite a variety of topics. SEALs chronicler Kevin Dockery provides an overview of weaponry, from the massive to the miniscule, while military historian and sf writer William Forstchen discusses the particular role of precision-guided missions in eliminating especially dangerous enemy individuals. Tom Clancy commentator William Terdoslavich offers valuable insight on the current war in Iraq, and historian Paul A. Thomsen discusses integrating military intelligence into strategic warfare, an area in which U.S. performance clearly needs substantial improvement. Military nonfiction and fiction scribe John Helfers points to another sadly neglected subject, the role of knowledge of the opponent's culture in effective war making (ignorance of enemies' cultures has hampered the West since well before 9/11). A valuable first book on its subject. Roland Green
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

About the Author
Eric Haney is a founding member of Delta Force and the author of the acclaimed Inside Delta Force: The Story of America's Elite Counterterrorist Unit.

Brian M. Thomsen is a noted anthologist and publishing professional with books on a wide variety of subjects ranging from pop culture to the civil war and presidential writings to science fiction and fantasy. He is the product of a Jesuit education and resides in Brooklyn with his wife Donna.

Customer Reviews

"Arrive firstest with the mostest."


This book is an excellent overview of warfare and what it takes to win.Warfare has changed much over the centuries. At one tine the biggest,toughest guy would win.Then it was one who could throw the biggest stone,the greatest distance with the most accuracy.Through the centuries massive armies and weaponry evolved till we saw the results of WWII. As weapons of agression evolved,so did systems of defence,from simple forts to the Great Wall of China,the Maginot Line,etc.
With the Atomic Bomb and Hiroshima ,all that changed.There have been things like poison gas,terrorists,guerrilla warfare,enslavement,and a host of other methods employed;but in the end it is the one with the best weapon and best ighters that wins.
History has shown that appeasement only prolongs the inevitable,and the sooner an enemy is dealt with the better.However ,the political approach and the military approach are always in conflict;and the longer that conflict extends,the more costly in both resources and loss of lives it becomes.
In this book we see where todays method of Shock and Awe is what the future approach will be.
The author also gives a pretty good idea of the types of weaponry that we will be seeing in the future. However;the weapon that has the biggest impact,is usually that which was least expected. When we saw Saddam tossing those Skud missils willy-nilly;we learned what Shock and Awe was all about when we saw that US missil get placed directly into the door of the structure.I would have liked to have been there when Saddam saw it on his TV;and heard his comment.He knew,then and there,it was the end.
The author very clearly defines the future of warfare with what he calls Rapid Dominance as the way of the future. The next step will be to deploy forces within a few days. I surmise we will become first aware of a conflict when we hear that it has already taken place.
This book is not just some academic musings. It is a clear outline of what we are going to see in the future.

Didn't Knock my Socks Off
Shock & Awe is a series of essays by various writers who discuss their takes on the multiple aspects of present and future war fighting doctrine.

The book was engaging in parts, but tedious in others depending on the author of the individual essay. While I would say most essays were decent, the first four were the best in my opinion.

Standouts included Eric Haney's chapter in the use of special forces, an essay on legitimacy of an occupying force, and one of the later essays "The Eye of God". The "Hearts and Minds in 2025" chapter was unnecessarily long and boring, as was the Appendix on the original "Shock and Awe" doctrine. The essay on "Weapons of the Next War" was uninformative, and not entirely well researched.

All in all, this was an OK read, but not a knock your socks off experience.

For Thinkers
This book is a series of articles on the future of warfare as predicted by the editors. Some articles are better than others, as would be expected depending on one's point of view and background but all will make you think. Haney's preface is a very succinct presentation of the world we currently live in and will have to deal with in the coming decades. The articles naturally follow this lead. I would recommend this book to those who are interested in the concepts of force application when dealing with low intensity conflicts and terrorism.