Secretary of Defense James Mattis once wrote, “Thanks to my reading, I have never been caught flat-footed by any situation, never at a loss for how any problem has been addressed (successfully or unsuccessfully) before. It doesn’t give me all the answers, but it lights what is often a dark path ahead.” He wrote this to impart how important it is for military professionals to study history. In this episode, Dr. Bruce Gudmundsson, a historian at the Marine Corps University in Quantico, VA, talks about why the study of history is important and how an earlier reform effort has shaped current military reform in the United States.
Pentagon Labyrinth
Dr. Bruce Gudmundsson on Military History
July 5, 2017
Dr. Bruce Gudmundsson speaks to CDI’s Dan Grazier about military history.
People
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Guest Expert
Bruce I. Gudmundsson
The author of seven books and several hundred articles, he is a historian who specializes in the internal workings of military forces (their structure, training, doctrine and culture) as well as the way that these things influence their ability to adapt to changing circumstances.
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Host
Dan Grazier
Dan Grazier is a Senior Defense Policy Fellow at the Center for Defense Information at POGO.
Show Notes:
- Dr. Bruce Gudmundsson Marine Corps University Biography
- “General James 'Mad Dog' Mattis Email About Being 'Too Busy To Read' Is A Must-Read”
- Stormtroop Tactics: Innovation in the German Army, 1914-1918
- Using Complete Stories in Decision Forcing Cases by Dr. Bruce I. Gudmundsson
- Music: “Without Limits” Ross Bugden
Center for Defense Information
The Center for Defense Information at POGO aims to secure far more effective and ethical military forces at significantly lower cost.