"Herspring places his subject in the public dock and concisely but completely lays out an indictment of Donald Rumsfeld for his inept performance in office. . . . For those seeking to understand the debacle in Iraq, [title] offers much. . . . It is highly recommended to graduate schools in national security affairs and strategic studies as a useful case history in civil-military relations, strategic leadership, and military innovation."—War in History
"This critique of the Bush administration’s conduct of the Iraq War and lack of preparation for post-hostilities reconstruction carries weight because the author writes without political or ideological animus. Herspring is a conservative scholar with extensive service in the navy and a career as a distinguished author in the field of military affairs and civil-military relations."—Choice
"[Despite its minor flaws, this is] a model of contemporary history. Although his argument is not strictly original, Herspring usefully summarizes and supplements the growing literature on the Iraq War. His book should be read by anyone interested in bureaucratic politics, civil-military relations, or military strategy."—On Point
"Herspring is a twenty-year Foreign Service officer, a retired Naval Reserve Captain, and one of the best living scholars of Russian civil-military relations. Importantly, Herspring confesses to voting twice for President George H.W. Bush and initially supporting the invasion of Iraq. He is a serious man, and his criticisms deserve to be taken seriously. . . . Well-written and accessible even to those who have little previous knowledge of the subject. . . . Herspring’s anger is evident but controlled . . . . [it] will continue to burn in the reader’s mind for a long time to come."—Manhattan Mercury
“Dale Herspring has written a brilliant and well-researched book analyzing the remarkable failures of the Rumsfeld Pentagon. It is an important work that provides superb insights and valuable lessons learned. Herspring is honest, clear, and accurate. This is a must read for all those who desire to understand and never repeat the mistakes of the past.”—General Anthony C. Zinni, USMC (Retired)
“With careful documentation and scathing analysis, Herspring demonstrates that Rumsfeld failed in far more than his management of the Iraq war. This conservative critique of the once-vaunted secretary of defense also exposes Rumsfeld’s confused approach to military transformation and his arrogant handling of civil-military relations.”—Charles Stevenson, author of SecDef: The Nearly Impossible Job of Secretary of Defense and Warriors and Politicians
“Rumsfeld’s Wars is an important analysis of the impact of the most influential secretary of defense in several generations. . . . Highly recommended.”—John A. Nagl, author of Learning to Eat Soup with a Knife: Counterinsurgency Lessons from Malaya and Vietnam