What do you think?
Rate this book
Strategia: A Primer on Theory and Strategy for Students of War
THE MUST-READ PRIMER ON MILITARY THOUGHT THROUGHOUT HISTORY
War fascinates us, but what do we really know about its nature?
Strategia (The Science and Art of Military Command) is the product of Colonel Oliviero’s decades-long intellectual quest to address this fundamental query. His work offers both the serious student and the casual reader a foundation stone upon which to build a deeper understanding of military thought and theory, and thereby a richer appreciation of mankind’s deadliest pursuit.
Strategia introduces many of the major contributors to military thought and theory as well as some of their most profound impacts on the conduct of war, from Sun-Tzu to the modern day, encompassing warfare on land, at sea and in the air, as well as in the cyber-realm.
While not an all-encompassing deep dive, Strategia is an essential primer and a point of departure. With this foundation stone in place, the student of war can proceed to follow Clausewitz’s admonition to develop a “fine and penetrating mind.”
REVIEWS
“...a must-read for practitioners, theorists and students of the art of war. Highly recommended.”
- LCol Professor David Kilcullen, PhD
“...a welcome antidote to the malaise that currently afflicts Western Professional Military Education (PME)...which we can only hope will free them from the curse of parroting bromides they learned at staff college as a substitute for serious and rigorous thought."
– Dr. John Grenier
“....an enlightened perspective on military thought and theory....a must read for all the students of our respective War Colleges."
- Lieutenant-General (ret’d) J.M. Lanthier
“In a witty and perceptive narrative grounded in military history and the classic works of military thought, Chuck Oliviero shows us the way to go at it. The colonel knows the deal.”
- Daniel P. Bolger, Lieutenant General, U.S. Army, Retired
“Strategia is more than a survey of the great theorists of warfare...[it] offers a coherent critique of modern military ideas..."
- Jonathan M. House, Professor Emeritus, U.S. Army Command and General Staff College
War fascinates us, but what do we really know about its nature?
Strategia (The Science and Art of Military Command) is the product of Colonel Oliviero’s decades-long intellectual quest to address this fundamental query. His work offers both the serious student and the casual reader a foundation stone upon which to build a deeper understanding of military thought and theory, and thereby a richer appreciation of mankind’s deadliest pursuit.
Strategia introduces many of the major contributors to military thought and theory as well as some of their most profound impacts on the conduct of war, from Sun-Tzu to the modern day, encompassing warfare on land, at sea and in the air, as well as in the cyber-realm.
While not an all-encompassing deep dive, Strategia is an essential primer and a point of departure. With this foundation stone in place, the student of war can proceed to follow Clausewitz’s admonition to develop a “fine and penetrating mind.”
REVIEWS
“...a must-read for practitioners, theorists and students of the art of war. Highly recommended.”
- LCol Professor David Kilcullen, PhD
“...a welcome antidote to the malaise that currently afflicts Western Professional Military Education (PME)...which we can only hope will free them from the curse of parroting bromides they learned at staff college as a substitute for serious and rigorous thought."
– Dr. John Grenier
“....an enlightened perspective on military thought and theory....a must read for all the students of our respective War Colleges."
- Lieutenant-General (ret’d) J.M. Lanthier
“In a witty and perceptive narrative grounded in military history and the classic works of military thought, Chuck Oliviero shows us the way to go at it. The colonel knows the deal.”
- Daniel P. Bolger, Lieutenant General, U.S. Army, Retired
“Strategia is more than a survey of the great theorists of warfare...[it] offers a coherent critique of modern military ideas..."
- Jonathan M. House, Professor Emeritus, U.S. Army Command and General Staff College
249 pages, Kindle Edition
Published June 20, 2022
41 people are currently reading
51 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
August 15, 2024
A solid review of western perspectives on Military theory. The author seems to try and be hard to peg down on críticism himself by remaining "open" and agnostic on all views of military analysis. However, he constantly dances around the obvious because his clear bías towards western imperialism.
For much of the book, Oliviero, wonders at the true "Nature" of war and comes up empty handed, stating it is not known but is not unknowable, like an 8th grader trying to fill a page minimum requirement.
He fails to see the most obvious purposes of punishing bloodletting to extract demands, war for the sake of itself as a business racket and resource domination.
Oliviero also muses wistfully that maybe one day there will be some beautiful unifying military theory that makes sense of everything. By only focusing on Military theorists that are amoral psychopaths, whose only drive is upholding eternal.western hegemony, he has missed that necessity is the mother of invention. The Western Empires tactical dependence on technological superiority is the rational result of them being the overwhelmingly superior force in most conflict, not needing innovation. Including a study in underdog strategy from historical figures like Che Guevera, Lenin, Mao, etc. Might offer more diverse thinking on strategy.
A true work of buffoonery that is a fair reflection of its subject.
For much of the book, Oliviero, wonders at the true "Nature" of war and comes up empty handed, stating it is not known but is not unknowable, like an 8th grader trying to fill a page minimum requirement.
He fails to see the most obvious purposes of punishing bloodletting to extract demands, war for the sake of itself as a business racket and resource domination.
Oliviero also muses wistfully that maybe one day there will be some beautiful unifying military theory that makes sense of everything. By only focusing on Military theorists that are amoral psychopaths, whose only drive is upholding eternal.western hegemony, he has missed that necessity is the mother of invention. The Western Empires tactical dependence on technological superiority is the rational result of them being the overwhelmingly superior force in most conflict, not needing innovation. Including a study in underdog strategy from historical figures like Che Guevera, Lenin, Mao, etc. Might offer more diverse thinking on strategy.
A true work of buffoonery that is a fair reflection of its subject.
abandoned
December 15, 2024Stopped at 12% (Pg. 28)
Nothing wrong with the book per se, simply just a bit more esoteric than anticipated. Book keeps referencing characters and philosophies I'm not familiar with.
Nothing wrong with the book per se, simply just a bit more esoteric than anticipated. Book keeps referencing characters and philosophies I'm not familiar with.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews