Military Communications: A Test for Technology; United States Army in Vietnam

Washington DC: United States Army, Center of Military History, 1986. First Printing [Stated]. Hardcover. Very good/Good. xix, [1], 515, [1] pages. Illustrations. Diagram. Maps. Footnotes. Bibliographic Notes. Glossary. Index. DJ has some wear and soiling. Fep has light crease. John Donald Bergen is now an American Communications and public affairs executive. He was named Outstanding Young American, Junior Chamber of Commerce, 1973. He is a member West Point Society and the American Management Association. Commissioned Second lieutenant United States Army, 1964, advanced through grades to lieutenant colonel. He was a
Professor United States Military Academy, West Point, New York, 1971-1974; Strategic planner United States Department Defense, Washington, 1976-1981; and director speechwriting & issue management, 1981-1984. After he left the service he had a highly successful in the private sector. In Military Communications: A Test for Technology, John D. Bergen develops the thesis that burgeoning technology in communications faced a severe test in Vietnam. He analyzes the advantages and drawbacks of new communications systems and the effects these systems had on decision making and on command. In doing so, he describes the difficulties that communications systems had in keeping pace with the information explosion and shows that command and control do not necessarily improve with enhanced communications. The book illustrates that the communicator's missions of "getting the message through" was not only critical to the success of combat operations, but also as challenging as combat itself. Bergen's clear understanding and description of these issues make this a valuable work for those responsible for the future success of command, control, communications, and intelligence.