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This book has a lot of good advice. Many of the lessons are things you would only otherwise learn after many years in the profession. The only thing that I think is missing is a bit more nuance to the discussions. Some advice is good, but limited by company policies, for example.

An impressive, comprehensive review of an expansive and frankly weird story.

There are a lot of lessons to be taken from this book, many of which should have been learned after Vietnam which shares many of the same characteristics as the war in Afghanistan. The fact that so many generals and lawmakers were ignorant (willfully or not) of the many similarities and the inevitable outcomes is both depressing and infuriating. The same hubris, ignorance, and wishful thinking that ran through both conflicts resulted in billions of dollars and thousands of lives wasted.

The strategies and tactics that the book espouses are all well and good, but there's no depth to the suggestions and writing style leaves a lot to be desired. It feels like a series of academic blog posts about survey results instead of a technical manual for how to implement the changes that it wants you to make. As of 2024, it also feels a bit dated; only the most conservative, dysfunctional organizations aren't doing the basic things that the book suggests.