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PROFESSIONAL READING PROGRAM

These books have been selected by key leaders in the defense acquisition community to help inform and shape the strategic and critical thinking of our workforce. We encourage you to bring what you've learned from your readings into your defense acquisition experience.

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About the Professional Reading Program

Remarks from Senior Leadership

President James P. Woolsey profile picture

President James P. Woolsey
Defense Acquisition University

Defense acquisition has always been a dynamic process, and the Defense Acquisition Professional Reading Program is dynamic as well. The books in the program have been selected by key leaders in the defense acquisition community to help inform and shape the strategic and critical thinking of our workforce. We encourage you to bring what you have learned and recognized from your readings into your defense acquisition experience.

Reader's Suggestions

We encourage our readers to submit reviews of books they believe should be required reading for the defense acquisition professional. Your recommended books should be of general interest to the defense acquisition community and not specific to any one service. It should provide context and insight in order to develop critical and strategic viewpoints, and not be prescriptive in nature ("follow these steps and you/your office/program will succeed"). Your review should be 500 words or fewer, describe the book and its major ideas, and explain why it is relevant to defense acquisition. Please include links to related multimedia, if possible. Please send your reviews to the managing editor, Defense Acquisition Research Journal ([email protected]).

How to Access the Books in the Defense Acquisition Professional Reading Program

Many of the books in this program may be available, in electronic version at no cost, to defense acquisition workforce members via DoD websites. Their links provide electronic access directly to the book.

If electronic access is not available, most of the books in this program are available to check out, free of charge, at your local public or academic library. In some cases, your local branch may not have the book on the shelf; in that case, every library participates in an Interlibrary Loan (ILL) program which can get you the book you want for free or with a minimal fee. The WorldCat book links provide access to the names of libraries that have a particular book.

Suggested Sources for Accessing Electronic Books Outside the Defense Acquisition Professional Reading Program

DoD MWR Libraries: https://militaryonesourceva.rbdigital.com/

Air Force Libraries: http://www.myairforcelife.com/libraries/

Army Libraries: http://mylibraryus.armybiznet.com/search

Navy Libraries: https://www.navymwr.org/programs/libraries

The Defense Acquisition Professional Reading Program is maintained by the Defense Acquisition University. The appearance of a title on this reading list does not imply that any part of the Department of Defense endorses the author's or reviewer's views or interpretations.

Professional Reading Program

Books By Topic Area
"The Political Economy of American Warfare, Vols. 1-5"
"The Political Economy of American Warfare, Vols. 1-5"
By: Paul A. C. Koistinen
This five volume work reviews the economy, politics and government, military and civil-military relations, and weapons technology of America's wars from the colonial period to 2011.
Cover of The Quest for Ascendant Quality: An Introduction to Contemporary Philosophy and Methods for Strategically Orchestrating the Transformation Towards & Beyond Quality Excellence in Everything You Do. Light orange background with flowchart below title
The Quest for Ascendant Quality: An Introduction to Contemporary Philosophy and Methods for Strategically Orchestrating the Transformation Towards & Beyond Quality Excellence in Everything You Do
By: Victor A. Elias
The Quest for Ascendant Quality is a good action story about how human aspiration, strategy, quality, and risk interrelate, in a conceptual system. Quality's conceptual system is the context for new definitions, principles, and practices for…
Call Sign Chaos: Learning to Lead. Beige cover, man with blue eyes mid-speech on black background in the middle.
Call Sign Chaos: Learning to Lead
By: James Mattis; Bing West
Call Sign Chaos’ central theme is the primary author’s pursuit of leadership and his maturation as a leader. Unlike many leadership books where personal stories are used to reinforce foundational leadership principles, former Secretary of Defense…
Army of None: Autonomous Weapons and the Future of War
Army of None: Autonomous Weapons and the Future of War
By: Paul Scharre
In this book author Paul Scharre draws on deep research and firsthand experience to explore how next-generation weapons are changing warfare.
How Everything Became War and the Military Became Everything: Tales from the Pentagon
How Everything Became War and the Military Became Everything: Tales from the Pentagon
By: Rosa Brooks
​This book reviews the evolution of American warfare from the perspectives of history, politics, and law.