Duty
by Robert M. Gates · first published 2014
8mentions
3recommended by
7HN commenters
2014–2022first – last mentioned
43% recommend57% neutral
The former Secretary of Defense offers a candid account of serving Presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama during the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
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…and fired the chief of staff of the Air Force Moseley and secretary Wynne. Since then we knew it was a mistake and tried to restart the F-22 line. It didn't make sense for cost. Gates has his own book Duty which references this quite a bit and is a great political read https://www.amazon.com/Duty-Memoirs-Secretary-at-War/dp/0307... And there is another book that argues it was a bad idea. https://www.amazon.com/Air-Power-Abandoned-Betrayal-Americas...…
on “Pentagon Puts F-35 Full-Rate Production Decision on Hold” ↗"Small Unit Leadership" is also excellent and also from the US Army. Good ones are also: "Duty" (Robert Gates) "Call Sign Chaos" (Mattis) "Extreme Ownership" The one about Mattis has a very long list of book recommendations at the end.
on “Ask HN: Best book / resources on leadership, especially for tech teams?” ↗…"One Bullet Away" by Nathaniel Fick or "Generation Kill" by Evan Wright which was turned into a mini-series on HBO). Field manuals can be interesting and you can learn a lot from them. Knot books. "Duty: Memoirs of a Secretary at War" by Robert Gates is interesting. "The Art of Intelligence", by Henry Crumpton. "Diplomacy" by Henry Kissinger is an interesting read. It starts with the balance of power…
on “Ask HN: Recommend books that give you insight into other professions” ↗…Nikil Saval 7. 'Deep Down Dark: The Untold Stories Of 33 Men Buried In A Chilean Mine, And The Miracle That Set Them Free' by Héctor Tobar 8. 'Demon Camp: A Soldier’s Exorcism' by Jennifer Percy 9. 'Duty: Memoirs Of A Secretary At War' by Robert M. Gates 10. 'Dying Every Day: Seneca At The Court Of Nero' by James Romm 11. 'Eichmann Before Jerusalem: The Unexamined Life Of A Mass Murderer' by Bettina…
on “Notable Books of 2014” ↗…political and its not really easy to "pull the plug" or not pay since many states will loose workforce. Robert Gates wrote a chapter in his book about it that was fascinating. http://www.amazon.com/Duty-Memoirs-Secretary-at-War/dp/03079...
on “The F-35’s Software Is So Buggy It Might Ground the Whole Fleet” ↗According to Robert Gates' book Duty, it seems that the Saudi government has strong relationships with folks in both political parties. This appears to ensure that they get the kid glove treatment regardless of what happens. Gates describes…
on “Saudi Arabia Warns of Economic Fallout If Congress Passes 9/11 Bill” ↗My insight into this was by reading (listening to) the very long book by Robert Gates called Duty. It described goings-on at the Department of Defense during his time there and showed that even for this slice of government, decisions were never clear cut, the factions many, and opinions numerous.…
on “The GovtOS Show” ↗…even Thomas Friedman thought extending NATO was a serious mistake. > Privately, though, a few more perceptive officials acknowledged that relations with Russia had not been handled well. In his memoir, Duty, Robert M. Gates, who served as secretary of defense in the administrations of both George W. Bush and Barack Obama, made some interesting admissions. “When I reported to the president my take on the…
on “Ukraine Conflict Live Map” ↗