Strategia: A Primer on Theory and Strategy for Students of War

THE MUST-READ PRIMER ON MILITARY THOUGHT THROUGHOUT HISTORY War fascinates us, but what do we really know about its nature? Strategia (The Science and Art of Military Command) is the product of Colonel Oliviero’s decades-long intellectual quest to address this fundamental query. His work offers both the serious student and the casual reader a foundation stone upon which to build a deeper understanding of military thought and theory, and thereby a richer appreciation of mankind’s deadliest pursuit. Strategia introduces many of the major contributors to military thought and theory as well as some of their most profound impacts on the conduct of war, from Sun-Tzu to the modern day, encompassing warfare on land, at sea and in the air, as well as in the cyber-realm. While not an all-encompassing deep dive, Strategia is an essential primer and a point of departure. With this foundation stone in place, the student of war can proceed to follow Clausewitz’s admonition to develop a “fine and penetrating mind.” REVIEWS “...a must-read for practitioners, theorists and students of the art of war. Highly recommended.” - LCol Professor David Kilcullen, PhD “...a welcome antidote to the malaise that currently afflicts Western Professional Military Education (PME)...which we can only hope will free them from the curse of parroting bromides they learned at staff college as a substitute for serious and rigorous thought." – Dr. John Grenier “....an enlightened perspective on military thought and theory....a must read for all the students of our respective War Colleges." - Lieutenant-General (ret’d) J.M. Lanthier “In a witty and perceptive narrative grounded in military history and the classic works of military thought, Chuck Oliviero shows us the way to go at it. The colonel knows the deal.” - Daniel P. Bolger, Lieutenant General, U.S. Army, Retired “Strategia is more than a survey of the great theorists of warfare...[it] offers a coherent critique of modern military ideas..." - Jonathan M. House, Professor Emeritus, U.S. Army Command and General Staff College