The Generals: American Military Command from World War II to Today

Published in 2012, The Generals explores the history of American military command, emphasising the growing divide between performance and accountability in the US military’s upper echelons. In the context of historical generals such as Matthew Ridgeway (Korea), David Petraeus (Iraq), George Marshall, and Dwight Eisenhower (World War II), Risks argues that poor management of the American Army’s senior officers, and a failure to hold them accountable, is directly responsible for the declining performance of the American Army. Among The Generals’ key themes is the difference between an organisation that learns and one that fails, a vital thought exercise for all members of modern militaries, in a world evolving at an unprecedented rate.