Soul of Armies

Austin Long is an Assistant Professor at the School of International and Public Affairs and a Member of the Arnold A. Saltzman Institute of War and Peace Studies and the Harriman Institute for Russian, Eurasian, and East European Studies at Columbia University. He was an analyst and advisor to Coalition forces in Iraq (2007–2008) and Afghanistan (2011 and 2013). He is author of On "Other War": Lessons from Five Decades of RAND Counterinsurgency Research.

• Preface 1. Military Doctrine and the Challenge of Counterinsurgency 2. Culture, Doctrine, and Military Professionalization 3. "The Habits and Usages of War": U.S. Army Professionalization, 1865–19624. From the Halls of Montezuma: Marine Corps Professionalization, 1865–19605. A Family of Regiments: British Army Professionalization, 1856–1948 6. "A Nasty, Untidy Mess": U.S. Counterinsurgency in Vietnam, 1960–71 7. A Natural Experiment in I Corps, 1966–68 8. Out of Africa: British Army Counterinsurgency in Kenya, 1952–56 9. Counterinsurgency in the Land of Two Rivers: The Americans and British in Iraq, 2003–8 10. Counterinsurgency in Afghanistan, 2003–11 Conclusions

In The Soul of Armies, Dr. Long... explores the question: how does an army's organizational culture impact how it conducts counter-insurgency? Long argues an army's ability to execute a counter-insurgency campaign is rooted in formative experiences during the 19th century. Policymakers, military professionals, and scholars will all gain insights from this book. Long provides cause for introspection by those who variously formulate policy, conduct operations, and study this new way of war. Although Long presents convincing evidence that organizational culture impacts the conduct of counter-insurgency operations, as he points out, the key for successful campaigns must rest beyond organizational culture alone.- Colonel Ian C. Rice (Parameters) Through its wealth of empirical material, it shows not only that culture matters but also how. The Soul of Armies is a must read for all those interested in where the ongoing debate on military culture, and on culture in general, is heading, and it paves the way for a return to the study of culture and of the stickiness of ideas in international politics.(Perspectives on Politics)