Praise
"This is a terrific and illuminating piece of writing, one of the best things to come out of the Iraq war. It reads to me like a history of the conflict as it would be told by a smart American platoon leader. It should be in the rucksack of every soldier heading to Iraq, and also should be read by anyone who cares about this war. If you want to support our troops, buy it right now."-Thomas E. Ricks, author of FIASCO: The American Military Adventure in Iraq
"After reading both these accounts of learning the hard way, any lieutenant would be better prepared to fight wars, armed with lessons of history, and with lasting principles of counterinsurgency, provided to him by Captains and Colonels of today and of years gone by."-John A. Nagl, author of Learning to Eat Soup with a Knife
"This should be mandatory reading for AOB students! Well written with a ton of lessons learned."-William Coryell
"These two U.S. Army Captains have written a modern classic that not only ranks with its model but should be read alongside it�The requirement that Swinton, Burgoyne, and Marckwardt impose on their protagonists � to understand their operational environment � remains the essence of the junior officer�s task in COIN and other Small Wars."-John T. Fishel, PhD, LTC (ret.) Author of Uncomfortable Wars Revisited and The Savage Wars of Peace Professor Emeritus, National Defense University Professor Emeritus (Adjunct), School of International Service, American University
"This book by Mike Burgoyne and Albert Marckwardt allows the reader to learn what is required of soldiers in a COIN environment, from security measures, to application of force, the treatment of non-combatants, the value of cultural understanding, to dealing with Clausewitz's elements of friction and chance. The Defense of Jisr Al-Doreaa is a must read for any young soldier going in country or any civilian hoping to understand more thoroughly the challenges faced by U.S. soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan. The work offers the opportunity to learn real lessons without having to experience them the hard way. Burgoyne and Marckwardt have done a marvelous job of making the lessons come alive and illustrating the need and value of informed, adaptive informed leadership."-Dr. Ed Coss, author of All for the King's Shilling: The British Soldier under Wellington, 1808-1814
"The authors, Majors Michael L. Burgoyne and Albert J. Marckwardt, have written, arguably, the most practical book to come out of Iraq yet�By combining this new small-unit story with E.D. Swinton�s classic The Defence of Duffer�s Drift, the authors have produced a short must-read for every lieutenant preparing to lead soldiers in COIN operations."-LTC Jon Scott Logel, military professor of strategy and policy at the U.S. Naval War College
"...an excellent book on adapting to counterinsurgency..."-Greg Grant, DoD Buzz
"Provides glimpses of the raw emotions of war."-Arizona Daily Star
"The new �Defense� is a respectful and relevant update to �Defence�. Their contemporary tale could enlighten anyone who thinks the Boer is a bore. While Swinton seems quaint, the officers are current and quick."-J. Ford Huffman, Army Times June 8, 2009
"This book, by two amazing captains of cavalry, presents a modern day look at countering insurgency...one of our favorite books. This short read takes LT Phil Connors (of Groundhog Day fame) from the receipt of his first mission � control the town of Jisr al-Doreaa � and follows his actions through the six times that it takes to get it right. The book by itself is an excellent discussion primer, and the accompanying website includes the dreams in a series of vignettes that leaders can use before or after reading what LT Connors did. It can be an, "I can do better" or a "Here�s what this guy did" for your officers."- Kelly Jones and Scott Shaw, Pro-Reading Challenge
"The bullet points of experience that the author arrives at should serve as a checklist for every young officer entering combat in either of the two theaters where the American military is currently engaged. This book should be mandatory reading for all officer basic courses, advanced courses, and the war college, itself. It should be printed and laminated, and passed out to all. While battle plans seldom hold up when the enemy is met, basic procedures of operation are critical regardless of how engagements unfold. We have them here, poignantly loud, clear, and germane."-Bob Flournoy Author of "Just a Little Rain�" (Military Writers Society of America)
"The Defense of Jisr al-Doreaa by Captains Michael L. Burgoyne and Albert J. Marckwardt, with a preface by the ubiquitous John Nagl, is itself an example of the counterinsurgency expertise acquired by even very junior US Army officers, which allowed them to rise from the depths of 2004 to the present heights of effectiveness."-Edward N. Luttwak, Times of London, author of Strategy the Logic of War and Peace
"The Defense of Jisr Al-Doreaa lives up to the classic it is patterned after. Like Defense of Duffer's Drift, Burgoyne and Marckwardt's new book provides a ready made series of vignettes and discussion points for the small unit leader. Maneuver warfare is based on the mental link between the commander and his team. That link is built in peacetime training, exercises and Tactical Discussion Games. Both books provide material for commander's to teach their people how to think through a problem - and in doing so teach the commander how his people think. Professionals need to own both volumes."-TX Hammes author of The Sling and the Stone
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"These two U.S. Army Captains have written a modern classic that not only ranks with its model but should be read alongside it�The requirement that Swinton, Burgoyne, and Marckwardt impose on their protagonists � to understand their operational environment � remains the essence of the junior officer�s task in COIN and other Small Wars." -John T. Fishel, PhD, LTC (ret.) Author of Uncomfortable Wars Revisited and The Savage Wars of Peace Professor Emeritus, National Defense University Professor Emeritus (Adjunct), School of International Service, American University
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