American Football and the American Way of War: The Gridiron and the Battlefield

This book provides the reader with a history on the linkages between American Football and the American Way of War. It provides concise summaries of aspects of tactics, operations, and strategy, as well as international relations theory using football as a metaphor to simplify the concepts. International relations theory and military strategy tend to be complicated subjects often explained with jargon that puts the average reader to sleep. A book about war and foreign policy explained through football analogies and comparisons is designed to liven the topic and explain various military theories, strategies, and concepts. War and football tend to dominate national media. War is often a topic of debate from the highest levels of government to local bars and coffeehouses. Football is the monolith of sports that blankets sports television and radio throughout the year. This book provides the reader an understanding of how military professionals formulate and execute strategy in an easily understandable manner.

Daniel Sukman is Chief of the Joint Staff Strategy Development Division at the Pentagon, Washington DC.