On Strategy: A Primer

by Nathan K. Finney

What is strategy? This rather mysterious quality does not photograph well, if at all. Despite such elusiveness, the concept of strategy enjoys high authority. Plainly, the world at large considers strategy important to the point of essentiality. Strategy is not an optional extra either for aspiring politicians or soldiers. Inherited from the Greeks, the word strategy refers to generals and their generalship, or lack thereof! By way of an economical—but trustworthy—definition, strategy can best be understood as the threat or use of force for political purposes. Many other uses are made these days of the adjective, strategic, but we should not be tempted to stray into considering “business strategy” and suchlike as abominations. When an idea is stolen or borrowed for tasks well removed from its original home (military in this case), it is very likely to lose much of its purpose. It can be linguistically all but lobotomized. Strategy and strategic are concepts with such widespread appeal that they appear almost to invite theft, which commonly results in the word being used inappropriately. Ironically, perhaps, our strategic language itself may require defending. It should be emphatically obvious from the table of contents of this book that we are not interested in strategies for potato farming, or widget selling, important though those enterprises certainly are.

This book is a collection of essays that provide historical insight, lessons learned from experience, and illustrations of strategy in practice. Designed as a primer for mid-career military professionals, On Strategy culls the expertise of a diverse group of strategists who represent the brightest minds of the field. They offer a succinct breakdown and instruction on how to think and act strategically at every level. It is a comprehensive and useful book that connects foundational theory to contemporary complexities.

276 pages, ebook

Published April 1, 2020

Reviews

[Brent · Rating 4 out of 5]

From Clausewitz to thermonuclear deterrence, this is an excellent and accessible work on strategy.

[Joe · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kudos to the team for this effort. Exactly what it intends to be: a primer for new and experienced military strategists alike. It simultaneously levels the playing field by not only offering a solid strategic foundation in the basics of theory and history, but also broadening the conversation and offering areas for further individual study.

Great work by all.

[Doug McGuire · Rating 4 out of 5]

Does what it claims to do, provides a primer on strategy.