It is exceedingly difficult to write a great big book of war. No book I've read on the subject comes even close to approximating the type of mentality that is necessary for war-fighting. As such I won't be rating books on how well they explain the art of war per se, as that is such a fugacious field that any attempt at boxing it in is sure to end in failure.
This tome goes into the nature of conflict in the age of 4th generation warfare, though not to the extent that certain other books have. It's always great to hear about the high-flying ideals of the military establishment and how thoroughly they crashed into the side of a mountain in retrospect.
Subjects analyzed include the Boyd Loop, one of my favourite terms in organizational thinking, as well as the concept of friction and fog-of-war. These two inter-operate in a fascinating way that is obvious to all even in the business and relationship space, let alone warfare. The key is to keep your eyes open and be proactive rather than responsive.
I think this book is a very good introduction to military-style thinking for anybody, and even though it's not a mind-moving piece, it's a very enjoyable and informative read.
7/10