The Blind Strategist

“Stephen Robinson does a superb job of analyzing the momentous debate about the virtues of “maneuver warfare” that took place in the United States during the latter years of the Cold War. He shows in great detail that the proponents of maneuver - including their guiding light, John Boyd - based their claims on a deeply flawed understanding of history. The Blind Strategist is a must read for all serious students of modern warfare.”

“The Blind Strategist is a timely, controversial and iconoclastic book. Stephen Robinson takes aim at a shibboleth of American military doctrine: maneuver. Re-interpreting the story of John Boyd, it debunks the orthodoxy that maneuver is the self-evidently superior form of warfare in all circumstances. Instead, it seeks to re-habilitate the concepts of mass, firepower and attrition articulated in the apparently superseded concept of Active Defence proposed by General William DePuy in the 1970s. This book is essential and challenging reading for US military officers returning to the problem of high-interest inter-state against near peer competitors, after two decades of counter-insurgency.”

“The book is bound to spark controversy and debate within the US defence establishment, and that is a good thing.”

“This remarkable volume is absolutely essential reading for any military professional and highly recommended for their political masters as well.”

“When formulating his theories on conflict, Boyd relied upon fraudulent accounts of WWII written by Wehrmacht veterans, who fabricated historical evidence to disassociate their reputations from Germany’s defeat and cover up their willing participation in Nazi war crimes. Manoeuvre warfare has accordingly corrupted the art of war and resulted in catastrophic decisions made in Iraq and Afghanistan during 21st century conflict.”

“An Aussie Army Reservist officer may have just undermined the strategic theories underpinning much of the Anglo American tactical warfighting doctrine. Very important book.”

“The book is bound to spark controversy and debate within the US defence establishment, and that is a good thing. To those who would challenge followers of Boyd in deliberating on future US force structure and doctrine, the book provides rich food for thought. Ideally, Robinson will advance the same goal that Boyd himself ultimately sought to achieve: an understanding of warfare more in line with reality.”

Stephen Robinson has a First Class degree in Asian history and politics and has graduated from Australian Command and Staff College. He has worked at the Department of Veterans’ Affairs, as a policy officer in the Department of Defence, and has now written three books about the art of war.