Military Review English Edition November December 2016 | Page 131

BOOK REVIEWS

the more well-known maritime theorist and historian
Adm. Alfred Thayer Mahan, 21st Century Sims is an edited
work that combines selected works by a naval theorist—
Sims in this case—with commentary and analysis written
by Armstrong. A part of the U.S. Naval Institute’s 21st
Century Foundations series, the purpose of this book is to
stir professional discourse
on theorists of the past and
how their thoughts apply to
the present and future.
21st Century Sims reveals
how Sims’s value transcends
the Navy as an exemplar
for successfully meeting the
future through innovation,
education, and leadership.
The main six chapters of
the book all address topics
along these lines; however,
all point back to innovation. Armstrong writes, “As one
of the U.S. Navy’s greatest innovators, and as a man who
is not afraid to challenge the system, he offers an example
that many of us can learn from today.” This is a great point
and needs to be emphasized, but Armstrong could have
discussed Sims’s pro-British views in more detail. While
fighting against military conservatism is indeed a worthy
and necessary endeavor, Sims perhaps went too far on
occasion, straying too far into policy matters. In fact, his
efforts earned him a reprimand from President William
Taft and later caused friction with Adm. William S.
Benson, the chief of naval operations. Perhaps, like J.F.C.
Fuller, Adm. Hyman Rickover, and other innovators,
friction is required—the question is balance.
After the main chapters of the book, Armstrong has a
thought-provoking and innovative approach to the conclusion. Rather than including and analyzing another of
Sims’s articles, Armstrong includes a piece by Capt. Harry
Baldrige. The reason this unusual approach works so well
is the relationship between Sims and Baldridge. Baldridge’s
piece, essentially a eulogy to a shipmate and mentor, acts
as a superb conclusion to the book, and it emphasizes the
importance of mentorship.
Like the other books in the 21st Century Foundations
series, this book is worth reading for naval and military
audiences, as well as for those who are interested in innovation, especially innovation driven from within a large,
established organization. Perhaps one of Armstrong’s most
MILITARY REVIEW  November-December 2016

salient points on Sims is that “true innovation and reform
are about ideas and people. Reading and learning from
past innovation and from reform leaders like Sims can
provide both inspiration and important lessons learned for
today’s officers.” Armstrong effectively combines a great
selection of Sims’s works, contextualizes these works well,
and provides insightful commentary.

Lt. Col. Jonathan Klug, U.S. Army,
Fort Leavenworth, Kansas

HAMMERHEAD SIX

How Green Berets Waged an
Unconventional War Against the Taliban to
Win in Afghanistan’s Deadly Pech Valley
Capt. Ronald Fry with Tad Tuleja, Hachette Books,
New York, 2016, 400 Pages

R

onald Fry is a former U.S. Army Special Forces
officer who commanded an operational detachment alpha (ODA) code-named “Hammerhead
Six” in the Pech Valley of northeastern Afghanistan’s
Kunar Province in 2003 and 2004. In Hammerhead Six:
How Green Berets Waged an Unconventional War Against
the Taliban to Win in Afghanistan’s Deadly Pech Valley, Fry
chronicles the challenges
he and his highly trained
twelve-man team encountered during the early
stages of what has become
our nation’s longest war.
Fry provides an
entertaining yet relevant
account of his team’s exploits while undertaking a
“struggle against Al Qaeda
and the Taliban for the
hearts and minds of the
people.” He provides an interesting perspective for those unfamiliar with unconventional warfare. Hammerhead Six internalized the Special
Forces motto, De Oppresso Liber (To Free the Oppressed).
Fry describes his team’s effort to build bonds of friendship
and mutual respect with the indigenous people of the
Pech Valley. He asserts that unconventional warfare is “an
emotional as well as a military investment.”
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