Hog Pilots, Blue Water Grunts: The American Military in the Air, at Sea, and on the Ground (Vintage Departures)

In Hog Pilots, Blue Water Grunts , acclaimed journalist Robert D. Kaplan continues his exploration of the American military's challenging and varied commitments around the world. From protecting sea lanes, to providing disaster relief, to preparing for potential military confrontation with North Korea and Iran, Kaplan describes the astonishing, vital, and often unacknowledged operations regularly performed by American military personnel in the air, at sea, and on the ground. Vivid and illuminating, this book takes us deep into the highly technical and exotic cultures of the armed forces, telling soldiers' stories from the perspective of the troops on the ground. In this extraordinary book, Robert D. Kaplan lets readers experience up close the American military worldwide in the air, at sea, and on the ground: flying in a B-2 bomber, living on a nuclear submarine, and traveling with a Stryker brigade on missions around the world. Provided unprecedented access, Kaplan moves from destroyers off the coast of Indonesia to submarines in the central Pacific, from simulated Iraqi training grounds in Alaska to technology bases in Las Vegas, from army and marine land forces in the heart of the Sahara Desert, to air bases in Guam and Thailand and beyond. Hog Pilots, Blue Water Grunts provides not only a riveting ground-level portrait of the Global War on Terrorism on several continents, but also a gritty firsthand account of how U.S. soldiers, sailors, marines, and airmen are protecting sea-lanes, providing disaster relief, contending with the military rise of China, fighting the war in Iraq, and crafting contingency plans for war with North Korea and Iran. Expanding on Kaplan's acclaimed Imperial Grunts, the first volume of his exploration of the American military, which "offers the reader an enlightened way to understand what is happening in the world" (San Francisco Chronicle), Hog Pilots, Blue Water Grunts shifts focus to the Pacific, where emerging Asian powers present vexing diplomatic and strategic challenges to U.S. influence. In this volume, Kaplan completes his analysis of army Special Forces and the marines, while also taking readers into the heart of the myriad tribal cultures of the air force, surface and subsurface navies, and the regular army's Stryker brigades. Kaplan goes deep into their highly technical and exotic worlds, and he tells this story through the words and perspectives of the enlisted personnel and junior officers themselves--men and women who, as he writes, have "had their national identities as Americans engraved in sharp bas-relief." This provocative and illuminating book, like Imperial Grunts before it, not only conveys the vast scope of America's military commitments, which rarely make it into the news, but also shows us astonishing and vital operations right as they unfold--from the point of view of the troops themselves.From the Hardcover edition.

in This Extraordinary Book, Robert D. Kaplan Lets Readers Experience Up Close The American Military Worldwide In The Air, At Sea, And On The Ground: Flying In A B-2 Bomber, Living On A Nuclear Submarine, And Traveling With A Stryker Brigade On Missions Around The World. Provided Unprecedented Access, Kaplan Moves From Destroyers Off The Coast Of Indonesia To Submarines In The Central Pacific, From Simulated Iraqi Training Grounds In Alaska To Technology Bases In Las Vegas, From Army And Marine Land Forces In The Heart Of The Sahara Desert, To Air Bases In Guam And Thailand And Beyond. Hog Pilots, Blue Water Grunts Provides Not Only A Riveting Ground-level Portrait Of The Global War On Terrorism On Several Continents, But Also A Gritty Firsthand Account Of How U. S. Soldiers, Sailors, Marines, And Airmen Are Protecting Sea-lanes, Providing Disaster Relief, Contending With The Military Rise Of China, Fighting The War In Iraq, And Crafting Contingency Plans For War With North Korea...

the New York Times - Phillip Carter

occasionally, Kaplan's Reporting Lapses Into Unabashed Cheerleading, Obscuring The Problems With The Military's Missions Or Strategies. Nonetheless, His Book Offers A Valuable Bridge Across The Country's Widening Civil-military Divide. It Is An Important Contribution To Our Understanding Of How This Military Works In The 21st Century.

Foreign affairs journalist Kaplan lets readers experience up close the American military worldwide in the air, at sea, and on the ground: flying in a B-2 bomber, living on a nuclear submarine, and traveling with a Stryker brigade on missions around the world. Provided unprecedented access, Kaplan moves from destroyers off the coast of Indonesia to submarines in the central Pacific, from simulated Iraqi training grounds in Alaska to technology bases in Las Vegas. He goes deep into their highly technical and exotic worlds, and tells this story through the words and perspectives of the enlisted personnel and junior officers themselves--men and women who, as he writes, have "had their national identities as Americans engraved in sharp bas-relief." He not only conveys the vast scope of America's military commitments, but also shows us astonishing and vital operations as they unfold--from the point of view of the troops themselves.--From publisher description Offers a study of the American military, providing a profile of the global war on terrorism, as well as how the U.S. Navy protects sea lanes and prepares for a confrontation with China, while the Air Force prepares for war with Iran and North Korea