CNAS Book Launch: The Fourth Star

The Fourth Star:
Four Generals and the Epic Struggle for the Future of the United States Army

By David Cloud and Greg Jaffe

WATCH THE VIDEO FROM THE EVENT HERE.

The Center for a New American Security (CNAS) held a book launch on Tuesday, October 13, from 6:00p.m. to 9:00p.m. in the Willard InterContinental Hotel's Grand Ballroom for the first look at THE FOURTH STAR, David Cloud and Greg Jaffe's gripping account of four of the most influential generals of our time - Generals John Abizaid, George Casey Jr., Peter Chiarelli, and David Petraeus. 

The book profiles these four generals at a critical time in modern history and depicts how they challenged prevailing military orthodoxy to engage a new type of enemy in Iraq and, in doing so, arguably redefined the American way of war. There to host the discussion will be Dana Priest, two-time Pulitzer prize winning investigative reporter for The Washington Post.

CNAS CEO Nathaniel Fick said this about THE FOURTH STAR, "Only two organizations in American life grow their senior leaders solely from within: the Church and the military. Jaffe and Cloud draw intimate portraits of four members of the Army's high priesthood, and the implication is clear: the future of the Army is up for grabs. In THE FOURTH STAR, America's wars from Vietnam to Iraq provide a backdrop for the high-stakes battle for the U.S. Army itself. If you care about winning tomorrow's wars, then read this book."

About the authors:

Greg Jaffe covers the U.S. military for The Washington Post. He has made countless trips to Iraq and Afghanistan covering the U.S. military's involvement in the ongoing wars since 2001.  Previously, he was a reporter for The Wall Street Journal, where he had covered the Pentagon since January 2000. He has made 10 trips to Iraq since 2003 and has been embedded with troops at all levels throughout the country.

David Cloud was the Pentagon Correspondent for The New York Times from 2005 to 2007 and previously was a national security reporter with The Wall Street Journal. He has focused since 2001 on the United States military involvement in Afghanistan and Iraq and has reported from both countries numerous times. He is now working at the U.S. Embassy in Afghanistan as a special assistant to Ambassador Eikenberry.