David Jablonsky

The term 'small wars' is synonymous with Charles E. Callwell's famous publication of that name. It is most closely linked with the conflicts of the late 19th century, and in particular those concerning the British Empire. This new work by David Jablonsky looks at several of the wars that could justifiably be classed as 'small wars'. In doing so it witnesses and examines them through the eyes of a young army officer and journalist whose name would later become known throughout the world. At this stage Winston Churchill was a young man making his way as both a journalist and Army officer.The journey starts with a visit to Cuba during the Spanish-American War where Churchill traveled with the Spanish Army commanded by General Juarez Valdez. He then served in India, accompanying the Malakand Field Force, the story of which provided the basis for his first book. Following that he was in the Sudan, where he witnessed an unusual kind of 'small war', and took part in the 'celebrated' charge of the 21st Lancers. The outcome of this was his second book, The River War, which gives an interesting insight into this 'small war'. Jablonsky then looks at the conflict that perhaps is at the very limit of what could be called a 'small war' The South African War, or Second Anglo-Boer War.In all such conflicts Churchill combined his military activity with that of journalism, thus leaving a detailed account and giving a unique perspective of such conflicts. This was a man who rode with the Spanish in Cuba, fought on the Northwest Frontier, charged with the 21st Lancers in the Sudan, made a successful escape from a Boer prisoner of war camp and a run to freedom, and recorded all his events for publication. His conduct might appear strange to a modern reader, as we do not expect journalists to take part in the fighting, but it was not uncommon for the era, and as his life and experiences show, Churchill was far from ordinary. Indeed, this work highlights a largely forgotten period of a remarkable man, and by so doing sheds light on the conduct of the 'small wars' of empire.

In this book a retired U.S. Army colonel and military historian takes a fresh look at Dwight D. Eisenhower’s lasting military legacy, in light of his evolving approach to the concept of unified command. Examining Eisenhower’s career from his West Point years to the passage of the 1958 Defense Reorganization Act, David Jablonsky explores Eisenhower’s efforts to implement a unified command in the U.S. military—a concept that eventually led to the current organization of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and that, almost three decades after Eisenhower’s presidency, played a major role in defense reorganization under the Goldwater-Nichols Act. In the new century, Eisenhower’s approach continues to animate reform discussion at the highest level of government in terms of the interagency process.

This book examines the effect the Verbotzeit had on the leadership structure and on the consequent position of the party within the völkisch movement. Looking primarily at Bavaria and North Germany it examines the failed attempts that were made to prevent Hitler from filling the leadership void within both the NSDAP (the National Socialist German Workers' Party) and the völkisch movement.

This book examines major historical post-war transition periods, with particular emphasis on the differences and similarities of the American experience after both world wars of this century and with the post-Cold War transition currently underway. Jablonsky provides a strategic vision that incorporates a multilateral, great-power approach to the international relations of our era.After every momentous event there is usually a transition period in which participants in the events, whether individuals or nation-states, attempt to chart their way into an unfamiliar future. For the United States in this century there are three such transitions, each focused on America's role in the international arena. After World War I, the American people specifically rejected the global role for the United States implicit in Woodrow Wilson's strategic vision of collective security. In contrast to this return to normalcy, after World War II the United States moved inexorably toward international leadership in response to the Soviet threat. The result was an acceptance of George Kennan's strategic vision of containing the Soviet Union on the Eurasian landmass and the subsequent bipolar confrontation of the two super-powers in a twilight war that lasted for more than 40 years.Sometime in the penultimate decade of this century, the United States and its allies won the Cold War. Once again the United States faces a transitional period, and the primary questions revolve around the management of power and America's role in global politics. In this regard, the Cold War set in train a blend of integrative and disintegrative forces and trends that are adding to the complex tensions of the current transition. The realist paradigm still pertains in this situation where nation-states are still the primary international actors. In such a world, American government elites must convince an electorate, increasingly conscious of the domestic threats to national security, of the need to continue to exercise global leadership in the management of power. The answer, as Jablonsky demonstrates, is a strategic vision that incorporates a multilateral, great-power approach to international relations.

This collection of essays examines the development of Churchill and Hitler as strategic leaders and analyses in particular the impact of their formative years on their leadership styles, operational codes', views on civilmilitary relations, and approaches to the conduct of war at strategic, operational and tactical levels. Ultimately, victory depended on the calculated use of all the means of national power military, political, psychological and economic to achieve the national end. These essays demonstrate it was Churchill who best understood that calculation.

This collection of essays examines the development of Churchill and Hitler as strategic leaders and analyses in particular the impact of their formative years on their leadership styles, operational codes', views on civilmilitary relations, and approaches to the conduct of war at strategic, operational and tactical levels. Ultimately, victory depended on the calculated use of all the means of national power military, political, psychological and economic to achieve the national end. These essays demonstrate it was Churchill who best understood that calculation.

Influenced by what Clausewitz called the "remarkable trinity" - the government, the military and the people - David Jablonsky studies the interaction between Churchill, the British people and the army during World War II. He argues that the great British leader saw civilian supremacy as the rule in total war.