James Norman Mattis is an American veteran and former government official who served as the 26th United States Secretary of Defense. A retired United States Marine Corps general, Mattis served in the Persian Gulf War, the War in Afghanistan, and the Iraq War. His career in the armed forces and subsequent public service shaped his perspective on strategy and leadership. His work reflects a deep understanding of military conflict and international relations.
"Call sign chaos is a clear-eyed account of learning to lead in a chaotic world by General Jim Mattis-the former secretary of defense and one of the most formidable strategic thinkers of the twenty-first century-and Bing West, a former assistant secretary of defense and combat marine. In this vivid memoir, Mattis recounts the foundational experiences and lessons he learned over four decades and in three wars. It is a journey about learning to lead at every level, with insights equally applicable to the military, to business, and to individual growth." -- Back of book
A diverse group of contributors offer different perspectives on whether or not the different experiences of our military and the broader society amounts to a "gap"--and if the American public is losing connection to its military. They analyze extensive polling information to identify those gaps between civilian and military attitudes on issues central to the military profession and the professionalism of our military, determine which if any of these gaps are problematic for sustaining the traditionally strong bonds between the American military and its broader public, analyze whether any problematic gaps are amenable to remediation by policy means, and assess potential solutions. The contributors also explore public disengagement and the effect of high levels of public support for the military combined with very low levels of trust in elected political leaders--both recurring themes in their research. And they reflect on whether American society is becoming so divorced from the requirements for success on the battlefield that not only will we fail to comprehend our military, but we also will be unwilling to endure a military so constituted to protect us. Contributors: Rosa Brooks, Matthew Colford, Thomas Donnelly, Peter Feaver, Jim Golby, Jim Hake, Tod Lindberg, Mackubin Thomas Owens, Cody Poplin, Nadia Schadlow, A. J. Sugarman, Lindsay Cohn Warrior, Benjamin Wittes
