Daniel P. Bolger Books in Order

Bolger follows an infantry battalion through simulated combat at the Army’s National Training Center in the Mojave Desert. The soldiers’ experience reveals how demanding exercises test preparation, leadership and the ability to function under battlefield pressure.

Bolger examines American military operations after Vietnam, tracing the emergence of limited engagements. His account considers tactics, planning and leadership alongside the political constraints that shaped how the United States used force during an uneasy period of peace.

Soviet paratrooper Dimitriy Donskov prepares to lead a reconnaissance mission deep into Afghanistan. Protecting his men requires confronting determined mujahidin fighters while navigating KGB treachery that threatens to make the dangers within his own side equally deadly.

Bolger examines American peacekeeping missions after the Cold War, when hopes of stability met conflict in Somalia, Haiti and the former Yugoslavia. He explores the political and military pressures behind intervention and the costs of a superpower’s responsibilities.

An infantry battalion confronts realistic combat exercises at the Joint Readiness Training Center. Bolger examines how the unit prepares for war through demanding simulated battles, where decisions, teamwork and leadership are tested before troops face an actual enemy.

Bolger traces the American infantry’s evolution from mass citizen armies to specialized professional forces. Case studies examine preparation and combat performance across different units, while questioning whether a smaller, highly trained infantry can endure the demands of prolonged war.

Drawing on his command experience in Iraq and Afghanistan, Bolger examines the decisions behind America’s wars after September 11. Battlefield accounts and high-level planning reveal failures of intelligence and understanding that, he argues, undermined the military’s efforts.

Chuck and Tom Hagel serve together in Vietnam during the upheaval of 1968, each saving the other under fire. Bolger follows their journey home, where shared combat experience leaves the brothers with sharply different views of the war.

Bolger follows General Maurice Rose and the 3rd Armored Division from Normandy into Germany. Rose’s tactics and habit of leading from the front shape an account of tank warfare, command decisions and the struggle to break German defenses.