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Type of bind: Hardcover
Dewey Decimal Number: 355.033573
EAN num: 9781400061334
ISBN number: 1400061334
Label: Random House
Manufacturer: Random House
Quantity: 1
Page Count: 448
Printing Date: September 04, 2007
Publishing house: Random House
Release Date: September 04, 2007
Sale Popularity Level: 75385
Studio: Random House
Editor's Notes and Comments:
Product Description:
In this extraordinary book, Robert D. Kaplan lets readers experience up close the American military worldwide in the air, at sea, and on the ground: flying in a B-2 bomber, living on a nuclear submarine, and traveling with a Stryker brigade on missions around the world. Provided unprecedented access, Kaplan moves from destroyers off the coast of Indonesia to submarines in the central Pacific, from simulated Iraqi training grounds in Alaska to technology bases in Las Vegas, from army and marine land forces in the heart of the Sahara Desert, to air bases in Guam and Thailand and beyond.
Hog Pilots, Blue Water Grunts provides not only a riveting ground-level portrait of the Global War on Terrorism on several continents, but also a gritty firsthand account of how U.S. soldiers, sailors, marines, and airmen are protecting sea-lanes, providing disaster relief, contending with the military rise of China, fighting the war in Iraq, and crafting contingency plans for war with North Korea and Iran.
Expanding on Kaplan’s acclaimed Imperial Grunts, the very first volume of his exploration of the American military, which “offers the reader an enlightened way to understand what is happening in the world” (San Francisco Chronicle), Hog Pilots, Blue Water Grunts shifts focus to the Pacific, where emerging Asian powers present vexing diplomatic and strategic challenges to U.S. influence. In this volume, Kaplan completes his analysis of army Special Forces and the marines, while also taking readers into the heart of the myriad tribal cultures of the air force, surface and subsurface navies, and the regular army’s Stryker
brigades. Kaplan goes deep into their highly technical and exotic worlds, and he tells this story through the words and perspectives of the enlisted personnel and junior officers themselves–men and women who, as he writes, have “had their national identities as Americans engraved in sharp bas-relief.”
This provocative and illuminating book, like Imperial Grunts before it, not only conveys the vast scope of America’s military commitments, which rarely make it into the news, but also shows us astonishing and vital operations right as they unfold–from the point of view of the troops themselves.
User popularity level:
Rated by buyers 
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Compared to his earlier book, The Imperial Grunts, this one is not as good but it enhanced my view of the US Military much more than the "Imperial Grunts" since that book was mostly written about the ground forces deployed around the world. This one is about the naval, air forces and ground forces altogether but its emphasis is more on Air Force and Navy. It's a very informative book on the status of the US military and its future. Robert D. Kaplan is an able author with tons of knowledge about the past and he wonderfully mixes the past with present and then predicts the future to the best of his ability. I recommend his books to the military and political enthusiasts.
Rated by buyers 
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This is a really bad book. Kaplan plays toy soldier, hangs out with military units all over the world and comes back with no particular insight and nothing to say. Its the adventures of a military groopie or wannabe who gets to play without paying.
In as much as there is an argument, its the same one from Imperial grunts. We don't need a fighting army anymore and the special forces can do everything. And Kaplan still doesn't understand that special forces are special because they are small and that the concept can't be scaled up to infinity.
He talks about covering Africa with A-teams. But he doesn't understand that 95% of the people in the military are not suitable for A-teams and that cost is not what determines how many A-teams you have.
His evaluations of the military come across as nothing more than blind admiration. Elite is the most commonly used word in the book and its applied to almost everyone serving to the point where it loses all meaning. Same with special forces. He applies the terms to regular military units which are in no way special forces. And Kaplan is in love with every weapons system as well. I'm sorry but navy submarines are not special forces teams on the cutting edge of intelligence gathering. They are the "big force" army Kaplan used to be critical of.
This is by far the worst book Kaplan has ever written (not politically but as a matter of writing craft). If your looking for a feel-good book about the US military and those who serve in it, you will probably like the book. Its a good book for amature military buffs. But for anyone looking for depth or useful content, don't bother.
Rated by buyers 
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With apparently unequaled acess to all the branches of the U.S. Armed Services Robert Kaplan was unable to string his experiences together into readable form. I couldn't finish this book, and I hate not finishing books. The only reason I gave it two stars was because of the chapter on the A-10 pilots. hopefully my recycling this book will somewhat negate the damage done to the environment by publishing it. Sadly, the damage done to my wallet and my time will remain. If you really want to read this book I'll gladly sell you my copy.
Rated by buyers -
The book which preceded Hog Pilots, Blue Water Grunts (Imperial Grunts) was an informative and touching collection of snapshots of service men and women stationed on the edges of America's military map. As of this writing, I haven't finished Hog Pilots, but it's clearly cut from the same cloth. I'm profoundly grateful for the specific individuals mentioned in these books as well as their un-named brothers and sisters - all of whom faithfully serve us with ingenuity and determination. I'm also grateful that Robert Kaplan is willing to drag his 50-something bones out to these remote and dangerous places to bring these stories back to us.
Rated by buyers -
'Hog Pilots, Blue Water Grunts' by Robert D. Kaplan
Kaplan's most recent work is an extremely well written military travelogue in the style of his previously released, 'Imperial Grunts'. 'Hog Pilots' takes the author into other far flung spots of the globe, both in the news & out, to demonstrate the US Military's ability to provide civilian aid and training to countries requiring our assistance. A major theme examined in this book is the rise of China as a superpower and how our armed services have tailored their exercises to meet this global paradigm shift. Additionally, the inter-military nature of the services we provide countries around the globe is a recurring topic - the "purple" or cross service nature of deployments illustrate just how effective our military branches have become working cooperatively & efficiently. Mr. Kaplan's fine writing style never disappoints and readers with any level of interest in the military and it's inner workings will thoroughly enjoy 'Hog Pilots'.
- JC
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