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, 1865-1962 4. From the Halls of Montezuma: Marine Corps Professionalization, 1865-1960 5. 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
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.
"In The Soul of Armies, Dr.Long... exploresthe question: how does an army's organizational culture impact how itconducts counter-insurgency?Long argues an army's ability to execute a counter-insurgencycampaign is rooted in formative experiences during the 19th century.Policymakers, military professionals, and scholars willall gain insights from this book. Long provides cause for introspectionby those who variously formulate policy, conduct operations, and studythis "new way of war." AlthoughLong presents convincing evidence that organizational culture impactsthe conduct of counter-insurgency operations, as he points out, the keyfor successful campaigns must rest beyond organizational culture alone."- Colonel Ian C. Rice, Parameters (Summer 2016) "Why are some armies better at counterinsurgency than others? Austin Long provides the most convincing answer yet by showing how organizational culture shapes military doctrine and practice. Critically, he finds that this matters less than one might think. Success in counterinsurgency ultimately depends on reliable local government and security partners. This is an insightful and important book."-Theo Farrell, Head of the Department of War Studies, King's College London "In The Soul of Armies, Austin Long advances the literature on military culture not only by demonstrating how variation in culture explains variation in how armies approach the challenge of counterinsurgency, but also by providing a theory of the origins of military culture. Forged in wars fought at the time of officer corps professionalization, military culture provides armed services with a set of ideas about the appropriate ends and means of warfare that prove remarkably resistant to change, and which powerfully shape behavior on the battlefield. In a series of compelling case studies, Long shows how the divergent cultures of the U.S. Army, Special Operations Forces, Marine Corps, and the British Army influenced how they prosecuted counterinsurgency. Anyone hoping to understand why militaries fight they way they do should read this book."-Alexander Downes, The George Washington University, author of Targeting Civilians in War "Austin Long uses an impressive mix of case studies on Vietnam, Kenya, Iraq, and Afghanistan to explain why some organizations conduct counterinsurgency campaigns in the way they do and why there is variation in the way militaries conduct counterinsurgency. Long's focus on the role of organizational culture is a valuable contribution to the literature on counterinsurgency."-Seth G. Jones, RAND Corporation and Johns Hopkins University
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