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.

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.

With apparently unequaled access 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.

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.

'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

This book is not as good as Imperial Grunts; however, few books are. In my opinion, Imperial Grunts was a masterpiece, a perfect book, so expecting Hog Pilots to be just as good, probably is a little unfair to Kaplan. There is a lot of valuable, interesting and fascinating information in this book, but it seems like it was written in a hurry. I've read numerous books by Kaplan and this one by far is the most choppy and disconnected of them all. That said, there is much to learn in this book and it's probably better than 90% of the books out there today that relate to current affairs/US military. Kaplan's books are consitently great, consistently at the top, this one unfortunately falls a little short.

I was excited to receive this book and pleasantly surprised to read about his ride aboard my old submarine; the USS Houston. But after the first few chapters, I noticed a nagging feeling that something wasn't quite right. Then it hit me: it is very much written in the vein of "Oh, daddy! Look at the funny man!"

The respect Robert Kaplan has for the military is readily apparent; however, this book is not targeted for those in the service. It is written for those who have not served and don't quite get those who do. That said, it tends to repeat and reinforce the negative stereotypes that those who haven't served may hold towards those who have.

The chapter in which Kaplan recounts his passage aboard the USS Benfold has a disturbing dichotomy: in one paragraph a sailor who attempted suicide is held in contempt by the crew, while in the next sailors are anticipating the low HIV rate rumored to exist in the bars and whorehouses in the ship's next port of call. Unfeeling military automatons who only fight and f***, anyone?

In neither episode does Kaplan truly explore the context of the situation. To actually try suicide, a sailor has to ignore many levels of assistance from the command structure and more personal levels of help from shipmates. An attempt is a betrayal and anger is a normal reaction in any population, not just the military.

And if sailors looking to have sex in port after a period of enforced abstinence are considered outside the norm, than Kaplan has not spent time on a college campus lately. Sailors, in my experience, are more careful in the opportunities which present themselves than those in a typical college weekend hook-up. Kaplan gives the impression that all sailors are engaged in such activities when in reality many go through great lengths to not betray marriage vows, girlfriends back home, or personal beliefs.

Putting these two events together does a disservice to those in the service, and unfortunately, there are several of these seedy types of voyeuristic events in this book.

This book underscores the bravery and dedication of those in the Armed Services. In the end, though, it serves to set members of the military as outside the mainstream of American society and so it fails me on this level.

Mr Kaplan pulls off a rather amazing feat here, he goes beyond the headlines and shows the real war on terror and how all the negative press has not permeated into the professionalism of the US military. Of greater value is that Kaplan focuses as much on the average enlisted personnel as he does on the commanding officers and academy graduates.

While one could argue that Kaplan is too much of a cheerleader, he really should be with the people he is dealing with. He makes no secret of his admiration of these volunteers who are highly skilled and well trained. This differs greatly with so called "impartial" media outlets who only demonstrate the negative and ignore the good news. So enjoy a rare upbeat profile of America's fighting men and women.

if you liked Imperial Grunts, his previous book, you will love this book. Great chapters on surface navy, submarines, and believe or not the Air Force, as well as Army and Marines. You actually get to feel how officers and enlisted live and work and their concerns.

This is an interesting hodgepodge of experiences which Robert Kaplan had while embedded with various services of the U.S. Military. While providing an examination of lives and missions of various service members, it also presents an analysis of military and diplomatic strategy currently employed around the world. One of the most interesting sections of the book is an analysis of strategy in the Korean peninsula. Interestingly, Kaplan very accurately compares and contrasts the services. For those not familiar with the military it is a great wealth of knowledge.

While it does contain its share of clichés and generalities it is a well written book. In some areas Kaplan explains some things in great detail while others he simply skims over, and in yet others offers misleading information. For example he accurately describes how senior navy NCOs are less apt to not pursue avenues to commission, but then describes the P-3 Orion anti-submarine aircraft as an old cargo plane, when cargo was never a role it fulfilled.

The publisher did an excellent job including maps of the different regions described throughout the book. Although a map of Colombia should be included. Also an interesting addition in this book is a vast incorporation of footnotes. These at first appear to indicate a lack of research, but as one goes on it provides a bounty of further reading.

This is a very good read, and even with its failings, it is worth ones time.

Mr Kaplan does another fine job of writing about the modern US military in the "War on Terror". His writing is not limited to just covering Marines and Soldiers in Iraq, like "Imperial Grunts". That's a shame because the stories could have been written to some overall meaning. "Grunts" is a five star book that has just as much meaning for today's reader as it did in 2003 when the stories were first being collected for "The Atlantic Monthly".

Kaplan writes as a pure observer, a good journalist. His eye for detail is never ending. His talk with A-10 pilots is honest. His observations of the interaction between enlisted and officers in the US Army, Marines, USAF, and USN are quite good.

But all the stories are stand alone stories. As individual snap shots of the military they are great. However, these individual stories are not part of a greater overall picture. "Imperial Grunts" was just better at this than "Blue Water". All of the stories in "Grunts" gave a picture of the military's overall war on terror or it's post 9-11 operations. The stand alone stories in "Blue Water" are good. However, it just does not have the impact of "Grunts". Honestly, the day to day cleaning story of removing the grime on a Navy attack submarine just isn't the same as hearing about the ammo supply problems a squad of Marines have in the streets of Iraq. In "Grunts" you're part of the action and the issue is in doubt. In "Blue Water" you're part of the crew and it's just work. The impact isn't the same.

But I liked this book. It gets a "C" grade. Why? Largely it's a sequel of "Imperial Grunts" and if the book had been more original then it would have received a much higher grade.

Still, any fan of Kaplan will like his book. The trouble is there are so many books to read it had a hard time cutting ahead of "Stalingrad" or so many of my other books. "Blue Water" was not a great book and I expect great from Kaplan. "Blue Water" is good and for Kaplan that's only a "C" grade.

Three stars.

In this work as well as the book that preceded it (Imperial Grunts: On the Ground with the American Military, from Mongolia to the Philippines to Iraq and Beyond, Robert Kaplan attempts to tell the story of young men and women that serve in the armed forces abroad. Most of the stories we hear from the media - those that are considered newsworthy - are usually about some malfeasance or something out of the ordinary. When a massacre takes place or an operation is botched, for example, it makes the news. Journalists look for these kinds of stories and readers buy them, but when it is the only story that is being told then it is unfair. Kaplan tells the other side of the story, ordinary people doing extraordinary service that usually goes unrecognized.

Kaplan spent two years embedding with units from all four services, stationed in far-flung places around the globe. He is best known for his travel writing with such works as Balkan Ghosts: A Journey Through History which has become required reading for military personnel serving in the Balkans. This new work also reads like a travel journal. It deals mainly with American soldiers, airmen, sailors, and Marines in locations such as Africa, South America, and Asia. He has been accussed of being a cheerleader, of whitewashing the truth, but he claims his motives are pure. He states that he wishes only to reveal these troops to the public as they reveal themselves to him.

The units that Kaplan embeds with are all elite (a word he uses often). Given the complex technological nature of today's military, it is no surprise that much of the military abroad is elite. And given the amount of time and money invested in each soldier, sailor, and airman, it is also obvious why we want an all volunteer military. These dedicated individuals are worlds apart from the apathetic draftees of previous generations. As an indication of how motivated they are, there are volunteer services within this voluteer service. Those with the highest test scores and so forth can volunteer for super elite service such as serving on a nuclear powered submarine. In this environment the cream of the crop can go on to challenge each other even more.

That being said, one gets the impression that Kaplan's troops are smarter, know more languages, more science and are culturally and politically more aware than any previous generation of soldier. Somehow these portraits do not mesh with Kaplan's portrayal of soldiers as humble folk issuing from rural America. Kaplan considers them the soul of the military. These people are consevative, Christian, plain spoken, with little need for intellectual niceties. They may have a fierce sense of loyalty and a willingness to die for their country, but it is difficult to see how they came to mix so seemlessly in foreign cultures, as Kaplan describes.

To speak well of these highly trained and dedicated men and women is an easy thing to do, to speak highly of their mission is quite another. Kaplan sees these elite units as performing imperial duty. (If one understands imperial loosely to mean projecting power beyond one's borders.) He envisions the American Empire in the 21st century as having a small or light footprint. The American military will be performing global security services in a quiet, behind-the-scenes fashion.

By sending in highly trained, culturally sensitive units to foreign trouble spots, one can, according to Kaplan, provide security for the entire continent of Africa for the price of a B-2 bomber. Arguably a bargain. The question is what kind of regimes will we be supporting? Kaplan says Congress will make sure they are only the good regimes. However, more often than not the criteria is whether they are friendly regimes, whether it serves American interests. One needs only to look at the Central Asian republics. The imperial grunts are outstanding, but the imperial mission will be morally hazardous.

I am currently a Second Lieutenant in the United States Marine Corps with an extensive military family background. I have read Robert Kaplan extensively and have enjoyed everything he has written and this is no exception. I consider myself a political moderate. Kaplan does an expert job of getting down and dirty with troops in far flung regions and applies their strategic importance to the current political situation. Anyone who has read Kaplan before will not be disappointed. On the contrary, this has only served to further whet my appetite for his writing. If you are looking to inform yourself on military affairs and how they relate to international affairs, BUY THIS BOOK ALONG WITH IMPERIAL GRUNTS!

Robert Kaplan's sequel to his in-depth study of American troops stationed in varied Third World nations, "Imperial Grunts" has just been published.

"Hog Pilots, Blue Water Grunts" details the lives of Navy and Air Force noncoms in the same clear, detailed, engaging way. I've just begun reading it, and am enjoying it enormously.

His description of the "rendezvous" of a tanker and supply ship with the USS Benfold, a guided-missile destroyer, is worth the price of the book. The precision of the action is emphasized by Kaplan when he points out that few other navies can pull off an "Un-Rep" (an underway replenishment) under full steam. He compared it to a docking in space. And the tale takes only a few pages near the front. I read with gratification how Marines are training troops in Niger to oppose encroaching Islamofascist terrorists, and how highly (it was obvious) the Nigerans regarded their American trainers in the chapter, "America's African Rifles.".

If, like me, you've never been in the military, you'll learn things about the military here you could never learn elsewhere. If you've been in the military, Kaplan will introduce you to branches of the service even you know nothing about. There is simply no other way to learn so much about our world-girdling American imperial grunts than by accompanying a talented, inquisitive writer on his world-hopping tour of the our military via his books.

Warmly recommended.

I was quite disappointed in this book. I have not read Imperial Grunts but the B2 article in the Atlantic was fascinating. However this book is not on par with what I just previously read. Kaplan skips from here to there just scratching the surface in most places. I had to force myself to finish the book.

There is no real flow to the book. On minute you are in a sub and the next you're in the deserts of Niger or Algeria. Jarring and just not enjoyable. Plus Kaplan isn't in the story. Well his is and does write about what he sees and does but.... He is like a silent observer watching from a discreet distance. Hard to explain. It's a disconnect that you notice and can't ignore.

The book is somewhat informative, but there has to be better books than this one.

Kaplan travels all over the world but essentially covers the same ground as in his previous (and better) work, Imperial Grunts. In fact, if you're a regular reader of the Atlantic, you've probably already read several of the better chapters of Hog Pilots, as the magazine has published some excerpts. Kaplan's travelogues like Balkan Ghosts and Eastward to Tartary are far superior. Hog Pilots will hopefully provide one useful service, which is to acquaint civilians with a military culture of which most are completely ignorant, which is not a healthy thing in a democracy.

"Hog Pilots, Blue Water Grunts" is the second book in Robert Kaplan's series on the American military. Kaplan's purpose in writing these books is to inform the general reading public about the current state of the United States military. What distinguishes this book from "Imperial Grunts" is that Kaplan leaves his usual reporting beat with the Marines and Army Special Forces and spends time with Naval and Air Force units.

Robert Kaplan is a magazine writer who has spent many decades living and working in the Third World. Since September 11th, he has spent many months embedded with small, elite military units. His travels have sent him to such off the beaten track places as Colombia, Mali, Niger, Guam and the Phillipines. Kaplan genuinely likes and respects the service people he spends time with. In his affection for the common soldier, he reminds me a lot of the great journalist Ernie Pyle of the Second World War. This book is at its very best in describing training missions that Marines and Special Forces carry out in the far fringes of the devloping world. Kaplan goes places and reports things that ordinary journalists never experience.

As with "Imperial Grunts", Kaplan dances around with this idea that the United States is an Imperial power and that our military is an Imperial force. I am not sure that I agree with his thesis but I wish Kaplan would be more forthright in stating his argument and backing it up with hard evidence. It seems that the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq are the perfect laboratory for analyzing his thesis. Did we invade these countries as acts of self defense as President Bush and most of the United States military would argue? Or are these "Imperial" wars as President Bush's most vocal critics would argue? It surprised me that in this book, Kaplan is silent on this question.

In this book, Robert Kaplan makes a convincing argument that the United States military is the best trained, best lead and most motivated military this country has ever fielded. Kaplan has spent the last five years doing a lot of travelling and asking a lot of hard questions. Yet, I feel as though he has not asked some of the very big questions. Why has it taken nearly five years to finally mount a coherent counter-insurgency in Iraq? Why haven't our much vaunted Special Forces been able to kill or capture Osama Bin Laden? It is easy to blame the politicians and liberal media for these failures but there are also problems in the way the United States wages war.

Robert Kaplan has probably the most access to the United States military of any journalist working. I hope that in his next book, he spends time with the regular, non-elite units doing the fighting and dying in Iraq and Afghanistan. He would be doing this country a service by digging deeper into what has been working and what has been failing at the sharp end of the stick.