The Pentagon's Wars: The Military's Undeclared War Against America's Presidents

The Pentagon's Wars examines the complex relationship between America's military leadership and its commanders-in-chief from the Vietnam War through the Obama administration. Through interviews and declassified documents, Perry tracks the tensions between civilian control and military autonomy across multiple presidencies. The book focuses on key moments of friction between the Pentagon and various presidents, including conflicts over strategy in Vietnam, decisions about military interventions, and disagreements on policy reforms. Perry documents the perspectives of generals, admirals, defense secretaries, and presidents during periods of both war and peace. The narrative pays particular attention to how military leaders have pushed back against presidential directives and attempted to shape policy outcomes through various means at their disposal. The account draws from Perry's decades of experience covering military affairs and national security. This examination of civil-military relations raises fundamental questions about democratic oversight of the armed forces and the balance of power between elected officials and military expertise. The book illustrates an ongoing institutional struggle that continues to influence American foreign policy and military decisions.

Readers view this book as an examination of tension between civilian leadership and military brass, supported by interviews and detailed research. Liked: - Inside perspective on decision-making between military leaders and presidents - Coverage of lesser-known conflicts between Pentagon and White House - Clear explanations of complex military policy debates - Balanced treatment of both military and presidential viewpoints Disliked: - Some readers found the anti-military tone too strong - Several note factual errors and oversimplified narratives - Writing style can be dry and dense - Limited coverage of pre-1990s events Ratings: Amazon: 4.1/5 (108 reviews) Goodreads: 3.8/5 (89 ratings) Notable reader comments: "Excellent research but occasionally lets bias show through" - Amazon reviewer "Important look at civil-military relations, though sometimes overstates conflicts" - Goodreads review "Strong on post-9/11 coverage but glosses over earlier periods" - Military Times forum comment

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🔹 Author Mark Perry spent five years conducting over 150 interviews with senior military and civilian defense officials, gaining unprecedented access to internal Pentagon discussions and debates. 🔹 The book reveals that in 1967, President Johnson was so distrustful of his military advisers that he installed a secret taping system in the White House Situation Room to record their conversations. 🔹 Despite its critical examination of military leadership, the book was extensively reviewed by the Pentagon prior to publication, with officials requesting only minor changes to protect classified information. 🔹 The work documents how Colin Powell, while serving as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, developed what became known as the "Powell Doctrine" - advocating for overwhelming force and clear exit strategies in military interventions. 🔹 During research for the book, Perry discovered that several military leaders had maintained detailed private diaries of their interactions with presidents, which had never before been accessed by historians or journalists.