FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Jacqline Barnes, (410) 295-1028, jbarnes@usni.org

LEARNING WAR
THE EVOLUTION OF FIGHTING DOCTINE IN THE U.S. NAVY, 1898-1945

“In Learning War: The Evolution of Fighting Doctrine in the U.S. Navy, 1898-1945, Trent Hone’s
primary focus is surface warfare, the way the navy’s battleships, cruisers and destroyers fought the Pacific
War. Yet he also offers a sophisticated, multi-level analysis of just how the modern navy functioned as an
institution and how its leaders learned to think, innovate and command. Highly recommended.”
—John B. Lundstrom, author of Black Shoe Carrier Admiral

“I loved this book! Hone brings a unique perspective to the study of the U.S. Navy’s triumph in WWII,
exploring how sound decisions taken decades beforehand allowed the Navy to ferociously adapt itself to
the crucible of mortal combat. This is a thorough, illuminating, yet engagingly written work—an
impressive addition to the scholarship on the Pacific War.”
—Jonathan Parshall, co-author, Shattered Sword: The Untold Story of the Battle of Midway

Learning War examines the U.S. Navy’s doctrinal development from

1898–1945 and explains why the Navy in that era was so successful
as an organization at fostering innovation. A revolutionary study of
one of history’s greatest success stories, this book draws profoundly
important conclusions that give new insight, not only into how the
Navy succeeded in becoming the best naval force in the world, but
also into how modern organizations can exploit today’s rapid
technological and social changes in their pursuit of success.

Trent Hone argues that the Navy created a sophisticated learning

system in the early years of the twentieth century that led to repeated
innovations in the development of surface warfare tactics and
doctrine. The conditions that allowed these innovations to emerge are
analyzed through a consideration of the Navy as a complex adaptive
system. Learning War is the first major work to apply this complex
learning approach to military history. This approach permits a richer
understanding of the mechanisms that enable human organizations to
evolve, innovate, and learn, and it offers new insights into the history
of the United States Navy.

Trent Hone is an authority on the U.S. Navy of the early twentieth century and a leader in the application
of complexity science to organizational design. He studied religion and archaeology at Carleton College in
Northfield, Minnesota. He works as a consultant in Arlington, Virginia, helping a variety of organizations

NAVAL INSTITUTE PRESS

Publication date: 15 June 2018
U.S. Navy | 432 pp.
Hardcover & eBook: $34.95
ISBN: 978-1-68247-293-4
www.usni.org
improve their processes and techniques. Mr. Hone writes and speaks about tactical doctrine, organizational
learning, and complexity.