Book Review: Winning Without Fighting: Irregular Warfare and Strategic Competition in the 21st Century

Description

Authors: Rebecca Patterson, Susan Bryant, Ken Gleiman of Small Wars Journal, and Mark Troutman

Reviewed by: John A. Nagl, General John J. Pershing Professor of Warfighting Studies, Department of Military Strategy, Planning, and Operations, US Army War College

Winning Without Fighting offers recommendations for the United States’ response to attacks on the rules-based international order. The four authors propose “nothing less than a new grand strategy for America.” The reviewer agrees with some of the authors’ recommendations, while he strongly disagrees with their suggestions on investments.

©2026 John A. Nagl

Read the review here.

“The United States and its allies have struggled to mount a comprehensive response to these assaults on the rules-based international order (RBIO). Fortunately, four retired Army officers—three of whom hold graduate degrees from Georgetown University and all of whom are respected national security practitioners and thinkers—have stepped into the breach with a book that systematically addresses this challenge. Their book, Winning Without Fighting: Irregular Warfare and Strategic Competition in the 21st Century, proposes nothing less than a new grand strategy for America in the wake of the two decades of counterinsurgency campaigns. I would say so even if I were not personally acquainted with all four authors and a former close colleague of two.”

Publication Date

3-18-2026

Keywords

irregular warfare, grand strategy, resilience, gray zone, hard power

Disciplines

Defense and Security Studies

Recommended Citation

John A. Nagl, Book Review: Winning Without Fighting: Irregular Warfare and Strategic Competition in the 21st Century ( US Army War College Press, 2026),
https://press.armywarcollege.edu/parameters_bookshelf/140