Your mind is a powerful weapon; do you encourage your Soldiers to read Art of War by Sun Tzu?

SSG Private RallyPoint Member — Fri, 03 Jul 2015 10:45:44 -0400

Encourage your Soldiers to become more adaptive in the world around them. Challenge them to get out, and get involved in some positive activities. And have them arm theirselves with knowledge. A great book: Art of War by Sun Tzu.

Response by FN Private RallyPoint Member made Jul 3 at 2015 10:50 AM

FN Private RallyPoint Member — Fri, 03 Jul 2015 10:50:27 -0400

Im not a Soldier but I'd read it, Id like to be some what knowledgeable on what's going on and how to go forward at it.

Response by COL Charles Williams made Jul 3 at 2015 10:59 AM

COL Charles Williams — Fri, 03 Jul 2015 10:59:25 -0400

Yes, Leaders especially Yes. This is a good too.... Clausewitz "On War" The Michael Howard version is easy to read and covers the key points

http://www.veryshortintroductions.com/view/10.1093/actrade/ [login to see] [login to see] /actrade [login to see] 576

Clausewitz : ClausewitzA Very Short Introduction

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Response by SPC Jan Allbright, M.Sc., R.S. made Jul 3 at 2015 10:59 AM

SPC Jan Allbright, M.Sc., R.S. — Fri, 03 Jul 2015 10:59:28 -0400

This is a much better book IMHO .. AoW is toooo philosophical.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Book_of_Five_Rings

The Book of Five Rings - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Book of Five Rings (五輪書, Go Rin No Sho?) is a text on kenjutsu and the martial arts in general, written by the swordsman Miyamoto Musashi circa 1645. There have been various translations made over the years, and it enjoys an audience considerably broader than only that of martial artists: for instance, some business leaders find its discussion of conflict and taking the advantage to be relevant to their work. The modern-day Hyōhō Niten...

Response by SSgt Private RallyPoint Member made Jul 3 at 2015 11:06 AM

SSgt Private RallyPoint Member — Fri, 03 Jul 2015 11:06:48 -0400

I love the Art of War. It's a brand new book every time I read it.

Response by SPC Jan Allbright, M.Sc., R.S. made Jul 3 at 2015 11:10 AM

SPC Jan Allbright, M.Sc., R.S. — Fri, 03 Jul 2015 11:10:50 -0400

I find it interesting that AoW preaches making the enemy come to you and then I look at the distance from Washington DC to Baghdad

Response by SGT Kristjan Rahe made Jul 3 at 2015 12:39 PM

SGT Kristjan Rahe — Fri, 03 Jul 2015 12:39:54 -0400

I read it, I also encourage law enforcement officers to read it also. I recommend "On Killing" also

Response by 1SG Private RallyPoint Member made Jul 3 at 2015 4:58 PM

1SG Private RallyPoint Member — Fri, 03 Jul 2015 16:58:33 -0400

Contrary to popular opinion, knowledge is not power...knowledge applied is power. In this new paradigm of instant gratification and short attention spans, it is becoming more important than ever that we provide tomorrows leaders with the time proven tools to shape them into the best they can be. The books provided thus far on this thread are on every officer & senior NCO reading list I have ever seen and are well worth the investment in time to read. To these, I would also add "Gates of Fire."

Response by SSG (ret) William Martin made Jul 3 at 2015 7:58 PM

SSG (ret) William Martin — Fri, 03 Jul 2015 19:58:53 -0400

My copy of the Art of War is pretty old but still readable. The Art of War can be applied to many events in life, not just in war as some might think who can not think outside the box.

Response by MSgt Mike Brown; MBTI-CP; MA, Ph.D. made Jul 4 at 2015 4:58 AM

MSgt Mike Brown; MBTI-CP; MA, Ph.D. — Sat, 04 Jul 2015 04:58:04 -0400

I really enjoyed the responses so-far. My recommendation: My Life and The Sinai Campaign by Moshe Dayan

Response by CPT Private RallyPoint Member made Jul 4 at 2015 11:15 AM

CPT Private RallyPoint Member — Sat, 04 Jul 2015 11:15:15 -0400

Anyone ever see this documentary? One of my favorites....
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lqGjsrcZiY4

Sun Tzu - The Art of War - Extraordinary People HD - Full Documentary

The Art of War is an ancient Chinese military treatise that is attributed to Sun Tzu (also referred to as Sunzi and Sun Wu), a high ranking military general ...

Response by CPT Pedro Meza made Jul 13 at 2015 4:32 PM

CPT Pedro Meza — Mon, 13 Jul 2015 16:32:06 -0400

SSG Danny Johnson, The Art of War is a great book and I did require soldiers to read it. My first experience with The Art of War was in Colombia in 1985, it was required reading for the rebels.

Response by SSgt Alex Robinson made Aug 7 at 2015 7:45 AM

SSgt Alex Robinson — Fri, 07 Aug 2015 07:45:15 -0400

Read anything you can. Broaden your horizons and think outside the box. Any sources of info that make you a better leader or soldier should be used.

Response by LTC "Chip" Ernest Gross made Aug 7 at 2015 2:08 PM

LTC "Chip" Ernest Gross — Fri, 07 Aug 2015 14:08:33 -0400

Yes, it is a timeless book on the principles of warfare. I wrote a report on the book way back in FAOBC.

Response by LTC "Chip" Ernest Gross made Aug 7 at 2015 2:11 PM

LTC "Chip" Ernest Gross — Fri, 07 Aug 2015 14:11:50 -0400

Another excellent biography that I read this past year is "Boyd: The Fighter Pilot Who Changed the Art of War" about John Boyd. He is the reason we were so successful in OPERATION DESERT STORM.