The Commander Canadian Army Reading List 2025
December 9th, 2024
By 2030, the Canadian Army envisions itself as an interoperable, relevant, digitally transformed modern Army, capable of providing the Government of Canada with agile and scalable options for employment in Canada and around the world in competition, crisis, or conflict.
Professional development and continuous learning will be important for our One Army team to progress towards this vision. Reading exposes us to new ideas and perspectives that will ultimately enable, support, and reinforce our respective roles. This reading list is a great starting point for our professional development; these books explore topics as broad as our history, the future of warfare, the human aspects of soldiering, and ethical leadership. As members of the profession of arms I encourage you to read, discuss, and share your insights to invoke reflection, enable analysis, and inspire individual and team development.
Sharpening our minds and encouraging critical thinking is another way to ensure that the Canadian Army remains Strong, Proud, and Ready.
Register for a CAF Virtual Library OpenAthens account It is mandatory for users to complete an OpenAthens self-registration form to access library resources. More information can be found on the CAFVL OpenAthens information webpage at: https://www.cfc.forces.gc.ca/188/188-eng.html.
Lieutenant-General M.C. Wright,
CMM, MMV, MSM, CD
Clausewitz & Contemporary War
by Antulio Joseph Echevarria
This book clarifies Clausewitz’s purpose and methodology in writing On War, and uses this framework to explore his theories on the nature of war, the relationship between war and politics, and key strategic principles, highlighting their relevance to contemporary conflict and military education.
Conquest: How Societies Overwhelm Others
by David Day
Conquest, explores how dominant cultures have historically justified their territorial conquests through various strategies, such as rewriting history and legal arguments, highlighting the ongoing cycle of empire, expansion, and dispossession.
Canadian Title
Fighting Spirit
Fighting Spirit deepens our collective understanding of our profession and serves as a testament to a fighting spirit; the need for all military professionals to embody dedication and accountability in upholding the professional principles, values and expectations that make a highly effective and credible Profession of Arms.
Canadian Title
Advancing with Purpose:
The Canadian Army Modernization Strategy
Effective armies are dynamic in nature, constantly evolving and adapting to meet the demands posed by their adversaries and their operating context. History is replete with myriad examples of both successes and failures in this regard. We ignore the need to modernize at our peril.
The purpose of The Canadian Army Modernization Strategy is to ensure the Army is positioned to address the numerous challenges in our turbulent security environment.
Canadian Title
Canadian Armed Forces Ethos :
Trusted to Serve
The Canadian Armed Forces Ethos: Trusted to Serve is essential doctrine of the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF). It guides soldiers conduct and performance at all times, both on- and off-duty.
Canadian Title
The War That Ended Peace:
The Road To 1914
by Margaret MacMillan
Margaret MacMillan’s exploration reveals how Europe transitioned from a period of peace and prosperity to the catastrophic First World War due to political, technological, and human factors, culminating in the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand.
The Strategists
Churchill, Stalin, Roosevelt, Mussolini, and Hitler—How War Made Them and How They Made War
by Phillips Payson O'Brien
“The Strategists” argues that the WWI experiences of leaders like Churchill and Hitler shaped their WWII strategies and that understanding these influences is crucial for interpreting current conflicts, such as in Ukraine.
Helmet for My Pillow
From Parris Island to the Pacific
by Robert Leckie
In “Helmet for My Pillow,” Robert Leckie recounts his harrowing WWII experiences in the Pacific, detailing the brutal realities of war and the profound reflections it inspired.
Le Soldat oublié
by Guy Sajer
Guy Sajer, a young French-German soldier, recounts his harrowing experiences in the Wehrmacht during WWII, from enduring the brutal Russian winter to fighting on the Ukrainian front with the elite “Gross Deutschland” division, ultimately facing the horrors of war and captivity. His vivid, firsthand account captures the relentless cold, hunger, and fear of battle.
Canada's Army
Waging War and Keeping the Peace
by J.L. Granatstein
Granatstein explores the history of the Canadian military to the present in a scholarly, but thoroughly readable way.
Critical Thinking :
A Concise Guide
by Tracy Bowell, Gary Kemp
This guide provides students with concepts and techniques to identify, analysis and assess arguments in order to articulate reasons for believing on side or another.
Leading Change
Leading Change
by John Kotter
Presents an essential eight-step process for effective change management, offering practical guidance to navigate complex changes and achieve organizational goals.
The Warriors
Reflections on Men in Battle
by J. Glenn Gray, Hannah Arendt
J. Glenn Gray, a WWII counter-espionage officer, reflects on his wartime experiences in “The Warriors,” exploring the psychological and philosophical impacts of warfare and the reasons behind soldiers’ actions.
Ego is the Enemy
by Ryan Holiday
Argues that our greatest obstacle to success is our own ego, which hinders learning, blinds us to faults, and complicates recovery from failure, and it offers lessons from historical figures on overcoming ego to achieve greatness.
The Arms of the Future
Technology and Close Combat in the Twenty-First Century
Jack Watling
Drawing on extensive practical observation and experimentation, the book unpacks the operational challenges new weapons pose on the battlefield and how armies might be structured to overcome them.
Thinking, Fast and Slow
Daniel Kahneman
Explores the two systems of thought—fast, intuitive and slow, logical—revealing how they shape our judgments and decisions, and offering insights on leveraging slow thinking to overcome cognitive biases and improve decision-making in both personal and professional contexts.
Canadian Title
Out Standing in the Field:
A Memoir by Canada's First Female Infantry Officer
by Sandra Perron
Perron, Canada's first female infantry officer, describes a system of institutional sexism and her battle against it.
Small Unit Leadership:
A Commonsense approach
by Dandridge M. Malone
Small Unit Leadership: A Commonsense Approach by Dandridge M. Malone is a practical guide for military leaders at the company and platoon levels, focusing on essential leadership skills and strategies to effectively prepare and lead small units in combat.
The Passion of Command:
The Moral Imperative of Leadership
by Col B.P. McCoy
The Passion of Command delves into the moral imperatives of leadership, emphasizing the emotional and psychological complexities of preparing Marines for the rigors of combat.
**Link to come**
Primal Leadership:
Unleashing the Power of Emotional Intelligence
by Daniel Goleman & Richard Boyatzis
A deep-dive into the concept of “emotional intelligence."
The Kill Chain
Defending America in the Future of High-Tech Warfare
by Christian Brose
Argues that America's military must build a battle network of systems for rapid recognition and elimination of threats. This process is known as "the kill chain."
War Transformed
The Future of Twenty-First-Century Great Power Competition and Conflict
by Mick Ryan
Explores the design of military strategy and critical challenges faced by nations in the rebirth of great power rivalry.
Likewar
The Weaponization of Social Media
by P. W. Singer & Emerson T. Brooking
A deep dive into the dark web to understand the impact of social media warriors with the intent of pursuing relentless infowars against the West, and what strategies could mitigate the threats.
Battle Studies
by Ardant du Picq
‘Battle Studies’ is a seminal work in military theory that analyzes the psychological and sociological aspects of warfare, emphasizing the importance of morale and the human element in combat, and its critical role in strategic planning and execution.
7 Deadly Scenarios:
A Military Futurist Explores the Changing Face of War in the 21st Century
by Andrew Krepinevich
Examines the ambitions of numerous groups – world powers, terrorist groups, and rogue states – and the expected actions and counteractions by enemies and allies alike can be expected to take, and what we must do to prepare before situations get out of hand.
2034:
A Novel of the Next World War
by Elliot Ackerman & Admiral James Stavridis, USN
A cautionary, fictional tale exploring a possible future that we must avoid at all costs.
Starship Troopers
The Controversial Classic of Military Adventure
by Robert A. Heinlein
A classic fiction novel with many insights into government, citizen and future warfare.
The Forever War:
Book #1 in series
by Joe Haldeman
The story of star soldiers fighting in future wars and their return to Earth only to discover a deep sense of alienation from their home planet.
Philosophy
Meditations
by Marcus Aurelius
A collection of personal reflections and philosophical musings on life, death, and virtue, offering insights into Stoic philosophy and guidance on living a meaningful and virtuous life.
Theory
On War
A Modern Military Classic
by Carl Von Clausewitz
The seminal work on military strategy and theory, exploring the complex nature of war and its profound impact on politics, society, and human behaviour.
Philosophy
The Book of Five Rings
by Miyamoto Musashi
Classic treatise on strategy and martial arts, offering profound insights into the principles of combat and the philosophy of the warrior’s way.
History
Defeat into Victory
by William Slim, Nigel Patterson
A reflective and self-critical memoir detailing the Burma Campaign during World War II, highlighting the strategic brilliance and determination that led to the Allied forces’ victory over the Japanese.
Canadian Title
History
War:
How Conflict Shaped Us
by Margaret MacMillan
Examines the profound impact of war on human history, society, and culture, exploring how conflict has shaped our world and our understanding of ourselves.
Canadian Title
Theory
True Reconciliation:
How to be a force for change
by Jody Wilson-Raybould
Explains what is required to advance true reconciliation, including the three core practices of Learn, Understand, and Act.
Theory
The Ones we let down:
Toxic leadership culture and gender integration in the Canadian Forces
by Charlotte Duval-Lantoine
This insightful book questions whether the right lessons were learned from the decade of darkness in the 1990s which provided the historical roots for the sexual misconduct of the 2020s.
Theory
The New Makers of Modern Strategy
by Edited By Hal Brands
A comprehensive anthology that explores the evolution of strategic thought from antiquity to the present, featuring insights from leading scholars on key figures and themes in military and political strategy, with a focus on the Cold War and post-9/11 eras.
Theory
The Culture of Military Organizations
by Peter R. Mansoor, Tom Parks
Explores how deeply ingrained cultural biases influence military effectiveness, strategy, and planning, using sixteen case studies from the Civil War to the Iraq War to illustrate the profound impact of culture on armed forces’ performance in war.
Theory
On Tactics:
A Theory of Victory in Battle
by B.A. Friedman
A fresh exploration of the meaning of tactics in relation to theory and to strategy.
Practice
The Future of Strategy
by Colin S. Gray
Gray explores the meaning of strategy and its central role in achieving desired outcomes in dynamic and challenging political and military environments.
Theory
The Future of Violence
by Benjamin Wittes, Gabriella Blum
Explores how emerging technologies like drones, biotechnology, and cyber capabilities are reshaping the landscape of security and threats, challenging traditional notions of state power and individual safety.
Theory
21 Lessons for the 21st Century
by Yuval Noah Harari
Examines the most pressing political, technological, and existential challenges of our time, offering insights and guidance on how to navigate the complexities of the modern world.
Fictional Intelligence
Fictional Intelligence
Deep Cuts
The Art of War
by Antoine-Henri Jomini
‘The Art of War’ by Antoine-Henri Jomini is a military treatise that outlines strategic principles and tactics for warfare, drawing on his extensive experience as a general in the Napoleonic Wars and his observations of military campaigns.
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