Stanley A. McChrystal

"In U.S. Military Operations: Law, Policy, and Practice, a distinguished group of military legal experts provide important insight into how law influences the conduct of all military operations, both in peacetime and in war. The text covers a range of operational issues to include: legal challenges inherent in special operations; legal complexities of coalition operations; legal regulation of military cyber-defense measures; how military lawyers advise commanders making life and death target engagement decisions; the important military interaction with the International Committee of the Red Cross; the role military justice plays in ensuring disciplined military operations; and how military commanders leverage claims authority to contribute to mission accomplishment. Written by authors whose expertise includes both content and implementation of the law, they offer insight into not just the what, but the equally important how and why of legal regulation of military operations"--Unedited summary from book cover.

General Stanley McChrystal, the commanding officer of all U.S. and coalition forces in Afghanistan, frankly explores the major episodes and controversies of his eventful career.

"This book addresses real-life applications of the "Star Wars" saga, from the political fallout of targeting civilians, to toxic top-down leadership, to the long-term consequences of abandoning postwar allies"--

The retired four-star general challenges the "Great Man" theory of leadership, sharing the less-recognized lessons of diverse leaders, from Robert E. Lee and Walt Disney to Margaret Thatcher and Martin Luther King, Jr.

As commander of Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC), General Stanley McChrystal played a crucial role in the War on Terror. But when he took the helm in 2004, America was losing that war badly: despite vastly inferior resources and technology, Al Qaeda was outmaneuvering America's most elite warriors. McChrystal came to realize that today's faster, more interdependent world had overwhelmed the conventional, top-down hierarchy of the U.S. military. Al Qaeda had seen the future: a decentralized network that could move quickly and strike ruthlessly. To defeat such an enemy, JSOC would have to discard a century of management wisdom, and pivot from a pursuit of mechanical efficiency to organic adaptability. Under McChrystal's leadership, JSOC remade itself, in the midst of a grueling war, into something entirely new: a network that combined robust centralized communication with decentralized managerial authority. As a result, they beat back Al Qaeda. In this book, McChrystal shows not only how the military made that transition, but also how similar shifts are possible in all organizations, from large companies to startups to charities to governments. In a turbulent world, the best organizations think and act like a team of teams, embracing small groups that combine the freedom to experiment with a relentless drive to share what they've learned. Drawing on a wealth of evidence from his military career, the private sector, and sources as diverse as hospital emergency rooms and NASA's space program, McChrystal frames the existential challenge facing today's organizations, and proposes a compelling, effective solution.