Militant Tricks: Battlefield Ruses of the Islamic Insurgent
"[John] Poole ... is America's best writer on small unit tactics and techniques.... If the people at the top will give John Poole's work the attention it is rightly receiving at the battalion level and below, we would have a better chance of winning [wars]." --United Press International, 19 November 2005"Poole's book examines war at the tactical level, the level of small units and individuals, and tries to explain the insurgents' way of thinking and fighting." --North County Times (San Diego), 31 December 2005"[R]ead two excellent and relevant books by retired Marine H. John Poole. 'Tactics of the Crescent Moon' and 'Militant Tricks' would give all soldiers the knowledge base for defeating this enemy." --Stars and Stripes, 9 March 2006"[This] 412-page book features 45 illustrations and serves as both an intelligence reference manual and an in-depth solution to the enemy's formula." --Newport News Daily Press, 8 January 2006"'Militant Tricks' is a worthy supplement to John Poole's previous, excellent books on the Eastern way of war (father of 4th-Generation Warfare theory)." --William S. Lind, Fall 2005"The best book on how to fight militants, resistance fighters, insurgents, or what ever you want to call them, is 'Militant Tricks' .... Poole ... has a keen insight [in]to the Islamic [warriors'] combat tactics and how they wage jihad in all its forms." --Military.com, 21 December 2005"[This is] a detailed description of how our opponents in Iraq and Afghanistan fight.... [Poole] provides exactly the sort of material our soldiers and Marines need ... if they are to understand their enemies."--U.S. Marine Corps Center for Lessons Learned newsletter, March 2006"This book gauges America's progress in Iraq and Afghanistan from a unique perspective--that of East Asian battlefield trickery.... In combination, those [famous 36] stratagems ... [can] make a losing adversary think he is winning. They have done so to America before."--Mil. Officers of America Assn. (MOAA) Magazine, 2006"On the tactical level, Poole agrees with virtually every other expert on counter-insurgency that the key to success [in Iraq and Afghanistan] ... is a variant of the Vietnam war CAP [Combined Action Platoon] program, where the troops defended the local population instead of becoming it."--Washington Monthly, November 2005-January 2006"[F]or those who wish to better understand today's confused events, it [this book] is well worth reading (former head of History & Museums Division, HQMC)." --B.Gen. Edwin Howard Simmons USMC (Ret.), Fall 2005"Poole's books should be read by the Secretary of Defense on down to the grunt in the field and more ... outfits should go through his course.... [T]his particular book ... should be MANDATORY READING for every soldier, sailor, airman, or Marine deploying to Iraq or Afghanistan." --Baseops.net, October 2006"Our missions in Iraq and Afghanistan are simple. But, is it possible to win on all fronts?... This book is a must read for anyone who has a stake in the newest war and for every American who wants to see our values upheld." --Leatherneck Magazine, Fall 2005"While many speak and write about war at the strategic level and focus on the plans of senior headquarters, John Poole instinctively knows that battles are won at the tactical level by the actions of junior leaders and small units.... 'Militant Tricks' helps those who fight, to fight better and to fight smarter (former commander of 1st Marine Division)." --Maj.Gen. John H. Admire USMC (Ret.), Fall 2005"This book must be required reading at the War Colleges and ... by all our military leaders. It is based on meticulous ... research coupled with on-site experience. John Poole is a master of military history (frigate commander at the Battle of Leyte Gulf)." --Vice Adm. Thomas R. Sargent USCG (Ret.), Fall 2005"By changing our current dependence on firepower and mechanized warfare and adopting an almost decentralized approach, as found in Chapter 13,... we stand a chance of turning things around in both Iraq and Afghanistan (publisher emeritus of Presidio Press)." --Col. Robert V. Kane U.S. Army (Ret.), Fall 2005"John Poole has written another superb work on the nitty-gritty lessons to be drawn from the complex conflict our forces face today. He gives our troops a clear understanding of the nature of the enemy and the tactical lessons needed to defeat him (former Head of CENTCOM)." --Gen. Anthony C. Zinni USMC (Ret.), Fall 2005"John Poole's new book ... provides a detailed 'blueprint for victory' in not only Iraq, but also Afghanistan.... For all Americans who want to see ... [the Muslim militant's] so-far-successful method defeated, I can't recommend this book highly enough (former commander of Camp Lejeune)." --Maj.Gen. Ray L. Smith USMC (Ret.), Fall 2005