Macgregor, now stationed at National Defense University, has a knack for skillfully blending historical examples from the past with powerful arguments about the future. The combination is both thoroughly educational and extremely stimulating. This is a serious book worthy of reading by today's field grade officers and civilian policymakers interested in arguments that challenge the status quo. It is also highly recommended for joint combat developers and force planners at U.S. Joint Forces Command....Professionals who want to think differently and examine the kinds of forces and capabilities that can meet new challenges and unexpected circumstances should start with Transformation Under Fire. * Marine Corps Gazette *
In today's Global War on Terrorism, the Pentagon's senior civilian and military leaders--who should read this book--must be afraid of nothing, not even a new idea. * Military Heritage *
The book is scholarly, well researched, cohesive, and technically written in a stimulating manner...Macgregor's book is ideal for reading at the war colleges, for the professional soldier and military planner, and for advanced courses in strategic defense. * Perspectives on Political Science *
Has delivered another insightful vision in his latest book....Transformation Under Fire is a must-read for both military professionals and public officials charged with overseeing defense programs. It is likely to figure prominently in ongoing discussions of defense reform. The value of this book lies in its superb analysis of the current geopolitical environment and the author's coupling of this analysis with an informed assessment of the impact of information technology on warfare to support his proposals....Offers a strident critique of recent Army transformation efforts while also providing the reader a comprehensive vision of near-term changes within the department of Defense that could truly enhance our military's ability to conduct joint expeditionary operations....Essential reading for military professionals and for those with oversight of defense programs. * Army Magazine *
Macgregor's book is the best tradition of military theorists, whose ideas transformed armies to meet the challenges of WWII: Hans Von Seckt, B. H. Liddell Hart, Charles de Gaulle, and Heinz Guderian. Macgregor presents the first coherent view of how the information age should transform the way we organize for war. The question now remains whether the U.S. Army will heed his calls for true or continue to cede more and more of its missions to the Marine Corps, which has embraced expeditionary warfare. Macgregor takes to task the leadership culture that stifles change; but more importantly, he sketches out a realistic, immediate path to true transformation that will vault the Army out of exile at the Pentagon and back into the forefront of the Nation's fight in the war on terrorism. * Armor *
Transformation Under Fire offers a strident critique of recent Army transformation efforts while also providing the reader a comprehensive vision of near-term changes within the department of defense that could truly enhance our military's ability to conduct joint expeditionary operations....Essential reading for military professionals and for those with oversight of defense programs. * Army *
Though widely considered a maverick, Col Macgregor enjoyed influence beyond his rank. Two of his books--Breaking the Phalanx, published in 1997, and the more recent Transformation Under Fire--were considered must-reads within the army, and some of the changes he advocated have been adopted in some form. * London Financial Times *
Found a receptive audience in Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld's office....The defense secretary is intrigued by Macgregor's thinking, which he has refined in a new book, Transformation Under Fire: Revolutionizing The Way America Fights, due out in the fall: three to five rapidly deployable battle groups is the kind of force Rumsfeld believes is necessary in the global war on terrorism. * The Washington Post *
