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AC K N OW L E D G M E N T S I am grateful to a number of people for contributing to this study and for their unqualified support. At the University of Pittsburgh’s Graduate School of Public and International Affairs (GSPIA), I am indebted to Phil Williams for his continued support and friendship from the inception of this study through its completion. His insight, stewardship, criticality, and availability helped me get through the challenges of putting this book together and bringing it to fruition. I am also thankful for the guidance from and friendship of Dennis Gormley, Donald Goldstein , and Michael Brenner. Without their insight and support, this work would not have been possible. Each of these gentlemen’s scholarship, companionship, and seemingly endless capacity for assistance is truly appreciated. I would also like to thank Beverly Brizzi, Renee Kidney, Joyce Valiquette, Tom Haase, Colin Clarke, Michael Echemendia, and Maj. C. Roy Beeson, US Army, for their friendship and helpfulness over the past few years. At the US Army War College, I would like to thank Steven Metz in particular for his willingness to provide guidance to this work, availing his numerous connections and associations, and for being willing to help me at a moment’s notice. Steve is a true scholar, and I owe him a great debt of gratitude. I also benefited from lengthy conversations and interviews with Lt. Col. (ret.) Lenny Wong, US Army; Col. Richard Lacquement, US Army; and Col. Alex Crowther, US Army. Their comments and suggestions were invaluable. Lt. Col. (ret.) Conrad Crane, US Army, deserves special mention for his willingness to support this and other work that I have undertaken over the past few years. I thank all of my attributed and unnamed interviewees from the US Army for their time and for their intellect, including Gen. Peter W. Chiarelli, Gen. (ret.) William S. Wallace, Maj. Gen. David Perkins, Lt. Gen. Daniel Bolger, Maj. Gen. (ret.) Robert Scales, Brig. Gen. H. R. McMaster, Lt. Col. James Crider, and Lt. Col. (ret.) John Nagl. Not only did I stand on the shoulders of many giants prior to and during the preparation and writing of this book, I also had the opportunity to work with, interview, discuss, admire, and be humbled by many of them. Seeing through their eyes made my vision much clearer and my opinion of their adaptive struggle much greater. xi xii Acknowledgments I would be remiss not to thank some of the US Army veterans who I served with who helped shape and expand my understanding of how the army operates at the tactical level and how to effectively implement programs of instruction to junior leaders: Maj. Gen. Robert B. Brown, Col. Bradley Becker, Col. Garry Bishop, Col. Marc Hutson, Col. Mark Horoho, Lt. Col. (ret.) Lee Barnes, Lt. Col. Matthew Venhaus, Lt. Col. Erik Zetterstrom, Lt. Col. Eric Land, Maj. William Clark, Maj. Ian Davis, and Chief Warrant Officer 2 James Anderson. I would like to thank Georgetown University Press and Don Jacobs in particular for his support, editorial assistance, and help in making the publication of this manuscript possible. This manuscript benefited greatly from the reviews generously provided by Terry Terriff, University of Calgary, and Col. (ret.) Peter Mansoor , the Ohio State University. Their reviews and suggestions are greatly appreciated. Any errors or omissions in this book are my own. Last, I would like to thank my family for helping me become who I am. I am forever grateful to my parents for their love and devotion and for teaching me how to be a better person and friend. I cannot express all that I owe them for their years of unyielding support and care. I would like to thank my brothers Dru, Doug, Scott, Kirk, and Jeff, for being my best friends and guardians over the years. Finally, I would like to thank my wife, Mia, for her sacrifices, love, support, and care. I am grateful that you are my wife, and I couldn’t have done this without you. ...

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