No Sure Victory: Measuring U.S. Army Effectiveness and Progress in the Vietnam War
"This timely and important book is a major addition to the military history of the VietnamWar. It should be required reading for those grappling with the issues posed by counterinsurgency wars today." --George C. Herring, Alumni Professor Emeritus of History, University of Kentucky, and author ofFrom Colony to Superpower"InNo Sure Victory,Gregory Daddis has asked questions about the past that speak directly to the present: How should progress in a counterinsurgency war be measured? What is the defi nition of victory-and what is its meaning? The effort of the US military and civilian command to answer these questions and their ultimate failure to do so is the burden of Daddis' book. He writes as a professional soldier as well as an historian, and his meticulously researched and carefully argued account makes a signifi cant contribution to the ongoing effort to understand the Vietnam War." --Marilyn B. Young, Professor of History, New York University, and author ofThe Vietnam Wars"Stunning in its research and highly sophisticated in its analysis,No Sure Victoryis farand away the best study we have of the way the US Army measured its performanceduring the Vietnam War. Daddis argues that US strategists were far more interested indata collection than they were in data analysis. This failure had a dramatic impact on theconduct and outcome of the war. An important study with monumental implications forUS military policy in the future." --Robert Brigham, Shirley Ecker Boskey Professor of History and International Relations, Vassar College"...Engaging...Daddis has written a provocative and well-researched book...It will be of value to both students and historians of the Vietnam War, in addition to military professionals interested in contemporary counterinsurgency operations." --Vietnam Magazine"No Sure Victoryis a thought-provoking look at a problem that is both perennial and current...essential reading for anyone concerned with our current and probable future conflicts." --MILITARY REVIEW"Deeply researched and revealing" --VVA Veteran"Daddis ... probes more deeply than anyone has previously done into the army's Measurements of Progress Reports, and the collective inability to agree on a set of meaningful dominant indicators of military and political effectiveness." --Times Literary Supplement"No Sure Victoryis well researched, nicely organized, and lucidly written. The author backs his arguments with a judicious use of quotations and copious footnotes, and he frequently provides balance by explaining differing points of view. In short, this is a book worthy of serious consideration." --ARMY HISTORY"Daddis has written an  insightful analysis into the failure of American military and political leaders in measuring the effectiveness and progress of the U.S. war effort in Vietnam...No Sure Victoryis a must read for anyone interested in avoiding the blatant mistakes of Vietnam." --ON POINT