Harry G. Summers, Jr.

Who was Harry G. Summers, Jr.?

Harry G. Summers, Jr. is best known as the author of the neo-Clausewitzean analysis of the Vietnam War titled, On Strategy: A Critical Analysis of the Vietnam War. Summers was an infantry colonel in the United States Army, and had served as a squad leader in the Korean War and as a battalion and corps operations officer in the Vietnam War. Colonel Summers was also an instructor and Distinguished Fellow at the Strategic Studies Institute at the U.S. Army War College in Carlisle, Pennsylvania., and served on the negotiation team for the United States at the end of the Vietnam War.

Aside from his books, Summers wrote a syndicated national newspaper column on national security affairs for the Los Angeles Times, and was the editor of Vietnam Magazine. He was also a frequent speaker at colleges, lectures, and debates.

During Operation Desert Storm, Summers served as a color analyst and commentator on the live, ongoing network news broadcasts and became a familiar face to the television viewers for a time. In 1992 he wrote a book on that war, predictably titled, On Strategy II: A Critical Analysis of the Gulf War.