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Command

The Politics of Military Operations from Korea to Ukraine

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Command

By: Lawrence Freedman
Narrated by: Richard Burnip
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Throughout history, the concept of command -- as both a way to achieve objectives and as an assertion of authority -- has been essential to military action and leadership. But, as Sir Lawrence Freedman shows, it is also deeply political.

Military command has been reconstructed and revolutionized since the Second World War by nuclear warfare, small-scale guerrilla land operations and cyber interference. Freedman takes a global perspective, systematically investigating its practice and politics since 1945 through a wide range of conflicts from the French Colonial Wars, the Cuban Missile Crisis and the Bangladesh Liberation War to North Vietnam's Easter Offensive of 1972, the Falklands War, the Iraq War and Russia's wars in Chechnya and Ukraine. By highlighting the political nature of strategy, Freedman shows that military decision-making cannot be separated from civilian priorities and that commanders must now have the sensibility to navigate politics as well as warfare.

© Lawrence Freedman 2022 (P) Penguin Audio 2022

 Leadership Management & Leadership Military Political Science Politics & Government War Russia Business Imperialism Middle East Management Warfare Imperial Japan Iran
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Critic reviews

Lawrence Freedman is the dominant academic authority in Britain and the English-speaking world on the way modern wars have been fought. Rational, liberal-minded, clear-sighted, he has drawn on a lifetime of experience for his new book. ... Command is the history of our time, told through war. It's a wonderful, idiosyncratic feat of storytelling as well as an essential account of how the modern world's wars have been fought, written by someone whose grasp of complex detail is as strong and effective as the clarity of his style. I shall read it again and again. (John Simpson)
superb study of high command and civil-military relations ... It is simply one of the finest books I have read in ages, and full of lessons for contemporary leaders. Highly recommended! (Mick Ryan)
wise ... insightful ... masterly ... One suspects that this well-researched, well-written and thought-provoking book will soon be required reading for any Nato officer hoping to exercise high command (Andrew Roberts)
Freedman offers excellent concise summaries of some of the world's main clashes since 1950 ... The author makes an encouraging point when he concludes this useful book: "The advantages of democratic systems lie not in their ability to avoid bad decisions, either by governments or commanders . . . The advantage lies in their ability to recognise these mistakes, learn and adapt. Closed systems, in which subordinates dare not ask awkward questions . . . will suffer operationally." (Max Hastings)
Lawrence Freedman is one of our most distinguished military historians. In this thoughtful book, drawing on decades of study, he looks at the marriage of authorities that takes place in the running of wars since 1945: where political power meets military expertise, and who ends up having the final say. ... sumptuous ... this should be the standard text in staff colleges around the world, and for military-history studies. (Simon Heffer)
It is incredibly insightful, occasionally moving and profoundly wise. (Andrew Roberts)
All stars
Most relevant
Another triumphant piece of work from Sir Lawrence Freedman.

Brilliant case studies complete with clear summaries, all vocalised by a fantastic narration.

Seriously recommend your investment of time listening to this this audiobook - simply brilliant!

Majestic overview of Military & Civilian Command

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An excellent set of case studies, some well known others not. Full of useful lessons for military and political leaders. And an excellent synthesis at the end. There is no better book on this important topic

A very good analysis clearly articulated

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Incredibly good book, the Russian invasion of Ukraine has intensified my interest in military conflicts. This book provides a clear picture of the chain of command in different types of wars/conflicts. Despite the war in Ukraine still ongoing, this book illustrates clearly what has been happening so far.

Great

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Sir Frederick Freedman hits the nail on the head with this book on politics of Military Ops since 1950.
Dealing with the common problems of democracies involved in conflicts, where coalitions are required to be held together and the opposite side of the coin of Dictatorship or Autocratic regimes being totally controlled by a single person, this is a fine well composed example how, like Hussain, Hitler and Putin fail to engender proper command and control over military operations.

Ukraine is very much in the news, but there have been many prior cases where military command and control issues have resulted in the final outcomes of conflicts, whether it be withdrawal, coups, or total defeat, the common feature is the manner in which the head of the military (politicians included) dictate actions and orders without free consultation with free minded or more professional credentials, and this is why military disasters arise.

Read/Listen and you will be thoroughly enlightened to the aspects of Military Operations in relation to Political constraints, and will further understand why operations or conflicts often fall short of their respective objectives.

Flawed Command or not?

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This is really hard to listen to as the content is great but the narrator READS. EVERY. SENTENCE. AS. IF. THEY. ARE. PASSING. THE. WORDS. OF. GOD.
COMMAND. THEREFORE. IS NOT. A. SIMPLE. MATTER. and so on.
As a result it is really hard to keep focussed on the content and distracted too much by the narrator.
I know narration is hard, but in this case, the narrator gives too much weight to the words and in doing so makes it easier to read than hear.

Great Content Robot Reading

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