A Book Recommendation
Most of those who read TAH have a military background.
However, we’re not all from the same service. And though we all know this, it bears repeating: there is a distinct – and at times, frustrating and perplexing – difference between the services in terms of norms, goals, and objectives. Each service has its own personality; each has its own culture. Each prays at a different “altar”.
And to outsiders, those norms, goals, objectives, personality, and culture are a mystery.
If you truly want to understand the other services – their personality, their culture, what makes them tick – a book written in 1989 IMO holds the key. The book was written by a RAND Corporation analyst, Carl Builder. It’s called The Masks of War (ISBN-10: 0801837766; ISBN-13: 978-0801837760).
A short description of Builder’s discussion of service personalities may be found on pp. 9-14 of this document. While this is a credible introduction, the book contains much more. (Builder was asked after his book was originally published about the USMC – which he originally did not include in his analysis of service personalities. His reply was that the USMC’s altar is “Honor”.)
From what I’ve seen over close to 40 years now, Builder is dead on target.
The book is relatively short – 256 pages, including index and bibliography – and its examples are now rather dated. But if there’s a better source for understanding the differences in culture and focus that drive the different uniformed services, I’ve not found it.
It really IMO should be required reading for any Senior Enlisted or Officer going to a joint assignment, or who will be working directly with those of other services.
Do yourself a favor: find a copy and read it. (Used copies can be had on Amazon for $10 or less; you might also be able to get it via inter-library loan at your local library.) If you’re interested in how the military services really work and what makes them tick, I don’t think you’ll regret the time you spend reading it.
And if you know someone going to a joint assignment, maybe point them at a copy. It could well make their life during that assignment much easier.
Category: Book Review
Thank you Hondo for the recommendation. I will find it on Amazon and download it.
Heh-read this one somewhere the other day: “The Army and the Navy are the only two real military branches in the U.S. The Air Force is a corporation and the Marines are a cult.”
I do love that quote.
Cult or gang.
Take your pick.
And the Coast Guard is just like the Marine Corps, only different.
Great recommendation, added it to my list.
The link in the post takes you to a monograph from a LTC DiMarco. It’s an analysis of Joint Operations and individual branch culture’s impact on it.
Good read if you have the patience to look past the horrible grammar, punctuation and occasional sentences that make no sense at all.
I’m usually not a Nazi about such but I will never know how that got thru a CGSC editorial review.
COB6, I just finished reading the monograph and came here to make the same observation. It’s hard to believe that an LTC writes so poorly and especially that it passed review as you note. She did make O-6 and teaches (or taught) leadership at the CGSC. At least she’s not West Point; here’s her bio:
http://www.afi.org/Advisory-Committee/Joyce-P
How to Tell the Difference Between the Branches of the US Armed Forces!
If you give the command “SECURE THE BUILDING”, here is what the different services would do:
The NAVY would turn out the lights and lock the doors.
The ARMY would surround the building with defensive fortifications, tanks and concertina wire.
The MARINE CORPS would assault the building, using overlapping fields of fire from all appropriate points on the perimeter.
The AIR FORCE would take out a three-year lease with an option to buy the building.
You nailed it Chief
We always held that there were really only two branches of military (Army and Marines) and two branches of paramilitary (Navy and Air Force.) The distinction was further divided by the difference between the Air Force and other paramilitary like the Boy Scouts being the AF’s lack of adult leadership.
I strongly suspect other branches held different hierarchical views…