Harry G. Summers Jr. (May 6, 1932 – November 14, 1999) is best known as the author of an analysis of the

Vietnam War The Vietnam War (1 November 1955 – 30 April 1975) was an armed conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia fought between North Vietnam (Democratic Republic of Vietnam) and South Vietnam (Republic of Vietnam) and their allies. North Vietnam w ...

, ''On Strategy: A Critical Analysis of the Vietnam War'' (1982). An

infantry Infantry, or infantryman are a type of soldier who specialize in ground combat, typically fighting dismounted. Historically the term was used to describe foot soldiers, i.e. those who march and fight on foot. In modern usage, the term broadl ...

colonel Colonel ( ; abbreviated as Col., Col, or COL) is a senior military Officer (armed forces), officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries, a colon ...

in the

US Army The United States Army (USA) is the primary land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of the United Stat ...

, he had served as a squad leader in the

Korean War The Korean War (25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953) was an armed conflict on the Korean Peninsula fought between North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea; DPRK) and South Korea (Republic of Korea; ROK) and their allies. North Korea was s ...

and as a

battalion A battalion is a military unit, typically consisting of up to one thousand soldiers. A battalion is commanded by a lieutenant colonel and subdivided into several Company (military unit), companies, each typically commanded by a Major (rank), ...

and

corps Corps (; plural ''corps'' ; from French , from the Latin "body") is a term used for several different kinds of organization. A military innovation by Napoleon I, the formation was formally introduced March 1, 1800, when Napoleon ordered Gener ...

operations officer in the Vietnam War. Summers was also an instructor and Distinguished Fellow at the

Strategic Studies Institute The Strategic Studies Institute (SSI) is the U.S. Army's institute for strategic and national security research and analysis. It is part of the U.S. Army War College The United States Army War College (USAWC) is a United States Army, U.S. ...

at the US Army War College in

Carlisle, Pennsylvania Carlisle is a Borough (Pennsylvania), borough in and the county seat of Cumberland County, Pennsylvania, United States. Carlisle is located within the Cumberland Valley, a highly productive agricultural region. As of the 2020 United States census ...

, and served on the negotiation team for the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

at the end of the Vietnam War. Aside from his books, Summers wrote a syndicated national newspaper column on

national security National security, or national defence (national defense in American English), is the security and Defence (military), defence of a sovereign state, including its Citizenship, citizens, economy, and institutions, which is regarded as a duty of ...

affairs for the ''

Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' is an American Newspaper#Daily, daily newspaper that began publishing in Los Angeles, California, in 1881. Based in the Greater Los Angeles city of El Segundo, California, El Segundo since 2018, it is the List of new ...

'' and was the editor of ''

Vietnam Magazine ''Vietnam Magazine'' was an American full-color history magazine published bi-monthly which covers the Vietnam War. It was founded in 1988 by the late Colonel Harry G. Summers, Jr. Colonel Summers served in the U.S. Army in both Korea and Vietnam, ...

''. He was also a frequent speaker at colleges, lectures, and debates. During

Operation Desert Storm Operation or Operations may refer to: Arts, entertainment and media * ''Operation'' (game), a battery-operated board game that challenges dexterity * Operation (music), a term used in musical set theory * ''Operations'' (magazine), Multi-Man ...

, Summers served as a

color commentator A color commentator or expert commentator is a sports commentator who assists the main (play-by-play) commentator, typically by filling in when play is not in progress. The person may also be referred to as a summariser (outside North America) ...

and analyst on the ongoing live network news broadcasts and for a time became a familiar face to the television viewers. In 1992, he wrote a book on the

Gulf War , combatant2 = , commander1 = , commander2 = , strength1 = Over 950,000 soldiers3,113 tanks1,800 aircraft2,200 artillery systems , page = https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GAOREPORTS-PEMD-96- ...

, ''On Strategy II: A Critical Analysis of the Gulf War''.

Selected bibliography

Books

*'' On Strategy: A Critical Analysis of the Vietnam War, Harry G. Summers, Jr. , Presidio press, 1982, , (225 pages)
''On Strategy II: A Critical Analysis of the Gulf War''
Harry G. Summers, Dell, 1992, , (302 pages)
''Historical Atlas of the Vietnam War''
Harry G Summers, Stanley Karnow, Houghton Mifflin Co, 1995 , (224 pages)
''The New World Strategy: A Military Policy for America's Future''
Harry G. Summers, Simon & Schuster, 1995, , (270 pages)
''Persian Gulf War Almanac''
Harry G. Summers, Facts on File, 1995, , (301 pages)
''The Vietnam War Almanac''
Harry G. Summers, Presidio/Ballantine Books, 1999, , (432 pages)
''Korean War Almanac''
Harry G. Summers Jr., Replica Books, 1999, , (348 pages)
''On Strategy: The Vietnam War in Context''
Harry G Summers Jr., Lightning Source Inc, 2002, , (152 pages)

Book contributions

''Desert Storm''
edited by Military History Magazine, with Foreword By Harry Summers Jr., Howell Press, 1991, , (176 pages)
''Phoenix and the Birds of prey: Counterinsurgency and Counterterrorism in Vietnam''
Mark Moyar, Contributor Harry G. Summers Jr., Published by U of Nebraska Press, 2007 , (496 pages)

Other

''Principles of War: The American Genesis''
Reprint of Major (later Colonel) Edward S. Johnston's 1934 article, ''The Science of War'' with introduction and commentary by Colonel Wallace P. Franz, Infantry and Colonel Harry G. Summers Jr., Infantry.

External links

*

* (archived from ttps://web.archive.org/web/19991009051205/http://web.nps.navy.mil/FutureWarrior/Remarks/Pang-Sum.html the originalon 2006-12-12)
Small Wars Journal review of On Strategy
{{DEFAULTSORT:Summers, Harry G. Jr. 1932 births 1999 deaths American military writers United States Army officers United States Army personnel of the Korean War United States Army personnel of the Vietnam War United States Army War College faculty 20th-century American non-fiction writers