THE ACCIDENTAL ADMIRAL

A SAILOR TAKES COMMAND AT NATO

By ADM. JAMES STAVRIDIS, USN (RET.)

Advance Praise






















Admiral Jim Stavridis is one of the
most forward-thinking military officers
and enlightened leaders of his
generation. Afghanistan, Libya, the
Balkans, Syria, piracy and cyber threats
were just a few of the enormous
challenges he superbly handled as
Supreme Allied Commander at NATO.
The Accidental Admiral gives readers a
window into what it is like to wrestle
with the toughest 21st century problems
of strategy and diplomacy.
ROBERT M. GATES, Secretary of
Defense, 2008-11; author of Duty: Memoirs
of a Secretary at War

Jim Stavridis is a unique breed of leaderat once both
a seasoned practitioner, and a thoughtful, charismatic
intellectual. He embodies the very definition of a
renaissance man. Readers of The Accidental Admiral
will benefit from the insights of a proven leader's
reflections of a pivotal time in history.
GEN. STANLEY A. MCCHRYSTAL, USA (RET.),
Commander, U.S. Forces Afghanistan, 2009-10; co-founder
and partner of the McChrystal Group

Admiral James Stavridis is a military intellectual who
has written an engaging, deeply thoughtful book about
leadership in the crucible of great events. His defense of
Generals Stanley McChrystal, David Petraeus, and John
Allen is both poignant and necessary. This book should
be required reading for young officers.
ROBERT D. KAPLAN, best-selling author of Balkan
Ghosts: A Journey Through History and The Revenge of
Geography: What the Map Tells Us about Coming Conflicts
and the Battle against Fate

Admiral James Stavridis may be an accidental
admiral but he is no ordinary commander. He is equal
parts thinker and doer, asking hard questions and
continually challenging himself and the men and women
under his command. His tour of duty as Supreme Allied
Commander in Europe encompassed some of the most
trying and important issues of our time in Europe and
the Middle East. A rollicking and fun read.
ANNE-MARIE SLAUGHTER, President and CEO of The
New America Foundation; Director, Policy Planning Staff,
U.S. Department of State, 2009-11

A BOOK FOR REVI EW

NAVAL INSTITUTE PRESS BOOK NEWS





fter his selection as NATOs sixteenth Supreme Allied Commander, the New York Times
described Jim Stavridis as a Renaissance admiral. Since NATO had previously been led by
Army and Air Force generals, Stavridis viewed his assignment as the first naval officer to take
command as somewhat accidental. As the U.S. and NATO commander in Europe responsible for
120,000 coalition troops serving in fifty-one nations on three continents and at sea, he had come a
long way since almost leaving the Navy for law school five years after receiving his commission.
Known as an innovator and an early adopter of technology and social media, Stavridis
ability to think outside the box and sail in uncharted waters is unmatched. He shares his insights
on leadership, strategic communications, planning, and the convergence of threats that will confront
the United States and its allies in the near future. Stavridis is an advocate of the use of Smart
Power, which he defines as the balance of hard and soft power. He explains that building bridges
and interconnectivity among international, interagency, and public-private actors is critical to
achieving security in the twenty-first century.
The Accidental Admiral offers an intimate look at the challenges of directing NATO
operations in Afghanistan and military intervention in Libya, preparing for possible war in Syria,
countering cyberthreats, and confronting piracy, all while cutting NATO's operational staff by a
third due to budget reductions by the twenty-eight nations of the Alliance. More than just describing
the history of the times, Stavridis also shares his insights into the personalities of President Barack
Obama; Secretary of State Hillary Clinton; Secretaries of Defense Robert Gates, Leon Panetta, and
Chuck Hagel; Afghan president Hamid Karzai; Generals David Petraeus, Stanley McChrystal, and
John Allen; and many others.

ADM. JAMES STAVRIDIS, USN (RET.), is a 1976 distinguished graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy who
spent more than thirty-five years on active service in the Navy. He commanded destroyers and a carrier strike
group in combat and served for seven years as a four-star admiral, including four years as the first Navy
officer chosen to be Supreme Allied Commander for Global Operations at NATO. After retiring from the
Navy, he was named dean of The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University in 2013. In
addition, he currently serves as the U.S. Naval Institute's Chair of the Board of Directors. He has written
articles on global security issues for the New York Times, the Washington Post, The Atlantic, and
Proceedings and is the author or co-author of several books, including Command at Sea, 6th ed., and
Destroyer Captain.

THE ACCIDENTAL ADMIRAL: A Sailor Takes Command at NATO
by Adm. James Stavridis, USN (Ret.)
Publication date: 1 October 2014 288 pp., 32 illustrations, appendices, index.
Price: $32.95 / 22.95 Hardcover ISBN: 978-1-61251-704-9
Autobiography Naval eBook edition also available.
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