53 thinkers, books, and ideas connected to this field.
Athenian statesman and general — the most brilliant and disastrous figure of his generation — who was Socrates's student/admirer, led Athens into the disastrous Sicilian Expedition, defected to Sparta, became a Persian ally, and returned to Athens before being murdered — making him for René Girard the supreme case of mimetic desire's destructiveness.
Caribbean-born American founding father — Washington's aide-de-camp, first Secretary of the Treasury — who created the US financial system (national bank, assumption of state debts, Report on Manufactures), co-authored The Federalist Papers, and was killed in a duel with Aaron Burr.
King of Macedon — who conquered Persia, Egypt, and the borders of India in 13 years before his death at 32 — creating the largest empire the ancient world had seen — whose conquests spread Greek culture (Hellenism) across three continents.
Florentine commander who led Florentine forces and was known for his austerity and self-denial — mentioned by Machiavelli as an example of a civic-minded military leader in contrast to mercenary captains.
Germanic chieftain of the Cherusci tribe — who, despite having served in the Roman auxiliary forces, organized and led the Germanic tribes to destroy three Roman legions (20,000 men) at the Battle of the Teutoburg Forest in 9 AD — ending Roman expansion east of the Rhine.
Robert Coram's 2002 biography of Colonel John Boyd — who revolutionized fighter jet design, created the OODA loop, and transformed American military strategy — the most widely read military biography of the contemporary era.
David Goggins's 2018 memoir — recounting his transformation from abused, overweight underachiever to Navy SEAL, ultramarathon runner, and world record holder — built around the concept that most people operate at 40% capacity and mental toughness is built through deliberate suffering.
Roman senator Gaius Cassius Longinus — the primary organizer of the conspiracy to assassinate Julius Caesar — who is in Shakespeare's Julius Caesar the lean and hungry pragmatist who envies Caesar's greatness and recruits the idealistic Brutus to give the conspiracy moral legitimacy.
Italian nobleman — son of Pope Alexander VI — who carved out a principality in central Italy through a combination of military force, cunning, and ruthless elimination of opponents, and whom Machiavelli held up as the model of the new prince in The Prince.
King of the Franks and first Holy Roman Emperor (800 AD) — who unified most of Western Europe through conquest and Christian conversion, standardized weights and measures and coinage, promoted literacy and learning (Carolingian Renaissance), and whose kingdom became the predecessor to both France and Germany.
American test pilot and World War II flying ace who became the first person to officially break the sound barrier in 1947 — and whose combination of extraordinary skill, rural West Virginia origins, and studied cool under pressure made him the archetypal American test pilot.
American statesman and general who served as National Security Advisor, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff during the Gulf War, and 65th Secretary of State — the first Black American to hold the top three civilian national security positions — known for the Powell Doctrine.
Roman Emperor (306–337 AD) — who reunited the Roman Empire after civil wars, issued the Edict of Milan (313 AD) legalizing Christianity, moved the capital to Constantinople, and presided over the Council of Nicaea (325 AD) — the most consequential patron of Christianity in history.
American retired Navy SEAL — ultramarathon runner — author of Can't Hurt Me — who completed Army Ranger School, Army Airborne School, and Navy SEAL training, and holds the Guinness World Record for most pull-ups in 24 hours — whose philosophy of 'callousing the mind' is the most extreme version of mental toughness advocacy.
Founder and Great Khan of the Mongol Empire — who unified the Mongol tribes, conquered China, Central Asia, Persia, and Russia, creating the largest contiguous land empire in history — whose descendants ruled from the Pacific to Eastern Europe.
First President of the United States — Commander in Chief of the Continental Army — who won independence from Britain, presided over the Constitutional Convention, served two presidential terms, and voluntarily surrendered power — whose Farewell Address warned against partisan factions and foreign entanglements.
P.W. Singer and August Cole's 2015 near-future novel about a war between the US, China, and Russia — notable for its meticulous research (over 400 footnotes) and its influence on actual US military thinking about future warfare.
Italian general and politician who was the military hero of Italian unification — conquering Sicily and Naples with his Thousand in 1860 — and whose romantic heroism made him the most celebrated figure of 19th century European nationalism.
American Army General (retired) — National Security Advisor under Trump (2017–18) — author of Dereliction of Duty (the most important critique of Vietnam-era military leadership) and Battlegrounds — PhD historian — who won the Battle of 73 Easting.
Carthaginian general — who crossed the Alps with war elephants, invaded Italy, and inflicted the worst defeats in Roman history (Trebia, Lake Trasimene, Cannae — 70,000 Romans killed at Cannae alone) — yet ultimately failed to conquer Rome and was defeated by Scipio Africanus at Zama.
British admiral — who won the Battle of the Nile (1798), the Battle of Copenhagen (1801), and the Battle of Trafalgar (1805 — where he was killed) — preventing Napoleon's naval dominance and protecting Britain from invasion — the greatest naval commander in history.
Retired US Army General (4-star) — former Vice Chief of Staff of the Army — who was the key external advocate for the 2007 Iraq surge strategy — regular Fox News contributor on national security.
American naval officer who was shot down over Vietnam in 1965 and spent 7 years as the highest-ranking US prisoner of war — sustaining himself through Epictetus's Stoicism — becoming the defining real-world test case of Stoic philosophy's practical value.
American entrepreneur — founder of Spirit of America, a nonprofit that delivers goods and services to deployed US military units to help them win local support — who created a unique model of private sector support for US military operations.
French peasant girl who claimed divine visions, convinced the Dauphin to give her command of French forces, led the relief of Orléans (turning the Hundred Years' War), saw the Dauphin crowned Charles VII, was captured by the English, tried for heresy, and burned at the stake at age 19.
Biblical military leader who led the Israelite conquest of Canaan following Moses's death — the book of Joshua depicts the systematic conquest of the Promised Land, the division of the land among the twelve tribes, and the renewal of the covenant at Shechem.
Roman general, statesman, and dictator — who conquered Gaul, crossed the Rubicon, became dictator of Rome, and was assassinated on the Ides of March 44 BC — whose writings (Gallic Wars, Civil War) are the most important first-person military accounts from antiquity.
American foreign policy analyst at American Enterprise Institute — former NSC and State Department official — the leading analyst of US alliances and NATO from a center-right perspective.
Marcus Luttrell's account of Operation Red Wings in Afghanistan — the 2005 mission in which three of his four-man SEAL team were killed, and his survival over days of evading the Taliban.
Roman general and dictator — who marched on Rome twice (88 BC and 83 BC) — first general in Roman history to use his army against Rome itself — whose dictatorship (82–79 BC) featured systematic political purges (proscriptions) but ended with his voluntary resignation of absolute power.
Roman Emperor (161–180 CE) and Stoic philosopher — the last of the Five Good Emperors — author of Meditations — the only philosopher-king in major Western history — whose private journals became the most widely read Stoic text.
Roman general and politician who was Caesar's lieutenant, delivered the famous funeral oration that turned Rome against the conspirators, formed the Second Triumvirate, and died with Cleopatra after defeat by Octavian — and whose 'Friends, Romans, countrymen' speech in Shakespeare's Julius Caesar is the supreme example of rhetorical manipulation.
National Security Advisor under Trump (2025) — former Republican congressman from Florida — Green Beret — the first Green Beret elected to Congress — author of Warrior Diplomat.
Former Republican congressman from Wisconsin (2017–2024) — Marine intelligence officer and Arabic linguist — former chair of the House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party — one of the most intellectually serious voices on China threat assessment.
Colin Powell's 1995 autobiography — from his childhood in the South Bronx through Vietnam, the Reagan White House, the Gulf War as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs, and his principles of leadership.
Corsican-born French military commander and Emperor (1804–1814, 1815) — who conquered most of Europe, codified French law (Napoleonic Code), reorganized government and education, and was ultimately defeated at Waterloo and exiled to St. Helena — the most militarily gifted commander since Caesar.
Gaius Vibius Pansa Caetronianus — Roman consul in 43 BCE who died in battle against Mark Antony's forces at Mutina — and whose death Cicero mentions in the Philippics as part of the crisis that followed Caesar's assassination.
King of Macedon — who transformed Macedon from a peripheral semi-barbaric kingdom into the dominant power in Greece — inventor of the Macedonian phalanx (sarissa pike formation), the combined arms system — and father of Alexander the Great, who inherited his military machine.
Last principal chief of the Quahadi Comanche — son of war chief Peta Nocona and white captive Cynthia Ann Parker — who led Comanche resistance, survived defeat, and then navigated reservation life with remarkable political skill — becoming a successful rancher and advocate for his people.
American journalist and author — author of Boyd and American Patriot — who wrote the definitive biography of John Boyd and John Glenn.
Roman general who defeated Hannibal at the Battle of Zama (202 BC) — ending the Second Punic War and making Rome the undisputed master of the Mediterranean — arguably the greatest Roman general before Caesar.
B.H. Liddell Hart's 1929 biography of General William T. Sherman — arguing that Sherman's indirect strategy (March to the Sea) was more decisive than Grant's direct approach — the most influential military biography of the 20th century.
Ancient Chinese military general and strategist — attributed author of The Art of War — whose identity is debated — the most influential military strategist in East Asian history and the most globally applied ancient thinker.
American military historian and Texas historian who wrote Lone Star: A History of Texas and Texans and This Kind of War (Korean War history) — considered the definitive popular historian of Texas.
26th American President whose Square Deal domestic program, Panama Canal construction, conservation of 230M acres, and antitrust prosecutions (including Standard Oil) made him the defining active-state president of the Progressive Era.
Sun Tzu's 5th-century BCE military treatise — 13 chapters on strategy, deception, and the relationship between victory and avoiding battle — the most widely read military strategy text in history and the most applied ancient text in contemporary business.
John Keegan's 1989 single-volume history of the Second World War — providing the most accessible and comprehensive narrative account of the entire global conflict — written from the perspective of the military historian who understood war as a human experience, not just a strategic problem.
Republican Senator from Arkansas (2015–) — Harvard Law graduate — Army Ranger (Iraq, Afghanistan) — one of the most hawkish and intellectually serious Republican senators on national security.
The United States Army — which, alongside the CIA and DIA, funded the government's remote viewing research programs (Grill Flame, Center Lane, Stargate) — making it one of the three institutional clients for SRI's parapsychology research.
Prince of Wallachia (three reigns: 1448, 1456–62, 1476–77) — famous for impaling his enemies (reportedly 20,000–100,000 people, including Ottoman forces) — whose terror tactics against Ottoman invaders made him a national hero in Romania and the inspiration for Dracula.
Roman general and statesman whose extraordinary military career (clearing the Mediterranean of pirates in 90 days, conquering the East) was eclipsed by Caesar — defeated at Pharsalus and assassinated in Egypt.
British military commander who defeated Napoleon at Waterloo (1815) — and subsequently served as Prime Minister — the most successful British general of the Napoleonic era.
American general whose aggressive, fast-moving command of the Third Army in WWII represents one of history's most effective examples of armored warfare.