GENERAL MILITARY - NONFICTION
"Lifting the Fog of War" by
Admiral Bill Owens with Ed Offley 
With the fall of the Soviet Union, American military forces are currently beingreduced in size and misused, and the mission of our military is in confusion. How can we overcome this decline? Throughout history, confusion on the battlefield has always been a problem. As history has progressed, weapons and tactics have become more sophisticated and deadly, and confusion is still a major problem. The next Revolution in Military Affairs (RMA) can lift the fog of battlefield confusion and make our military stronger than ever with the limited resources we have. This new RMA is Information Technology. The U.S. has the capability to finally remove the confusion of war by employing multiple sensors and computers to give battlefield commanders, as well as individual soldiers, a clear real-time picture of what the enemy is doing. Admiral Turner states a clear case as to how to utilize this new information technology to our advantage. In the Gulf War, we saw a glimpse of what Information Technology can do, but we have a long way to go to fully take advantage of the technology available as well as emerging technologies. A fascinating read and I highly recommend this book for our government and military leaders. We have a golden opportunity to "Lift the Fog of War" and keep our military "Second to None".
Reviewed by Kenneth S. Smith, 30 November 2000
Farrar, Straus, and Giroux
19 Union Square West
New York, NY 10003
