rapidfire In Review
Winning at War: 7 Keys to Military Victory Through- out History. By Christian P. Potholm. Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, 2010. $39.95. ISBN 978-1-4422-0130-9.
War is a critical
Pacific Networking J
apanese officials and senior retired U.S. military officers signed documents May 28 at the Army and Navy Club in Washington, D.C., creat-
ing the U.S. Military Japan Alumni Association. “Those of us who have served in Japan would tell you that it was a unique and defi ning experience both personally and professionally, not only for us but [also] for [our] families,” said Gen. Ralph Eberhart, USAF-Ret., a founding member. The association celebrates these friendships and pro-
motes strong international relations. It comes 50 years after the signing of the U.S.-Japan Security Treaty. “A security arrangement is not merely a paper, not only a document — it’s a people-to-people relationship, and we are very happy that this association will be one to fortify that friendship between two peoples,” said Japa- nese Ambassador to the U.S. Ichiro Fujisaki. For more information, visit
www.usmjnetwork.com.
TRICAREUPDATE
TRICARE Retired Reserve allows eligible retired gray- area reservists to enjoy certain health care benefits. Along with full-cost premiums, gray-area retirees pay retiree cost shares of 25 percent for TRICARE Stan- dard or 20 percent for TRICARE Extra and deductibles of $150 a person ($300 a family). Additionally, they fall under the retired catastrophic cap of $3,000 a family per fiscal year ($3,000 is the maximum out- of-pocket expense for TRICARE-covered benefits in a fiscal-benefit year.) While MOAA does not have enroll- ment specifics, we expect them in the fall. For more information, read Washington Scene, page 31.
2 4 MI L I T A R Y O F F I C E R AU G U S T 2 0 1 0
part of the human experi- ence, its
relevance
affi rmed in a quote attrib- uted to Leon Trotsky: “You may not be interested in war, but war is interested in you.” Winning at War is a clever and thoughtful book about how and why states win or lose wars. Author Christian P.
Potholm does not attempt to justify the morality of war; he seeks to under- stand success in war. He offers seven key elements as essential components for success- fully waging and winning wars, elements he calls the Template of Mars (after the Roman god of war). Several keys are obvious: superior weapons, technol- ogy, and discipline. Others are more provocative and surely will stir up contro- versy: sustained and con- trolled ruthlessness (not only the ability but the will to be ruthless) and the un- pleasant but also necessary belief there will always be another war.
Potholm uses battle
studies from the Roman Empire to Vietnam and Iraq to illustrate his points.
On the Swing Shift: Build- ing Liberty Ships in Sa- vannah. By Tony Cope. Naval Institute Press, 2009. $26.95. ISBN 978-1-59114-123-5.
During
World War II, the Lib- erty ship- building program,
from 1942-
45, symbolized America’s technological ingenuity and industrial might, pro- ducing more than 2,700 cargo ships to support the global war effort.
Author Tony Cope
tells the fascinating and inspiring story of a Savan- nah, Ga., shipyard’s re- markable contribution of creating 88 Liberty ships in just over four years. Approximately 15,000
unskilled men and women quickly were trained as shipbuilders, and they went to work in the heat on the muddy, mosquito- infested shore of the Savannah River. Cope also reviews
the working conditions and unique construction techniques that produced a standardized, welded steel-plate vessel of 10,000 tons with a speed of 11 knots. — William D. Bushnell
PHOTO: TOP, SEAN SHANAHAN
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