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To Dare Mighty Things

U.S. Defense Strategy Since the Revolution

Michael E. O’Hanlon
Release Date: January 13, 2026

The definitive history of U.S. defense strategy
 
Much of the history of U.S. defense over the course of 250 years has been a story of success. Insulated by two oceans and mostly friendly neighbors, but constantly ambitious abroad, America has dared mighty things and often achieved them, argues defense analyst Michael O’Hanlon. After growing into a continental power, largely through force of arms, during the first half of its history, it then led the way to coalition victories in two world wars, pursued peace in the Cold War, and has contributed to the most democratic period in human history. But it is a more “dangerous nation” than most citizens appreciate, given that its leaders, as well its people, are highly self-confident and activist. O’Hanlon claims that only by understanding this “national DNA” can we hope to steer safely through the twenty-first century. He further argues that, in contrast to its consistently assertive grand strategy, there has been no single defining American “way of war” since 1775—a good thing, since what often worked for the country in the past may be of less relevance for the modern age.

Author

Michael O'Hanlon
Michael E. O’Hanlon Director of Research - Foreign Policy, Director - Strobe Talbott Center for Security, Strategy, and Technology, Co-Director - Africa Security Initiative, Senior Fellow - Foreign Policy, Strobe Talbott Center for Security, Strategy, and Technology, Philip H. Knight Chair in Defense and Strategy

Reviews
To Dare Mighty Things is essential reading for all Americans seeking to ‘know themselves’ as a global military power, and for international players seeking to understand us. In clear, elegant prose, O’Hanlon traces America’s security journey from its founding to superpower status, shedding greater light on both the nation’s successes and its failures to use its power wisely.
Robert Kagan, author of "The Ghost at the Feast," "The World America Made," and "Dangerous Nation"
This excellent book clarifying the often complex ways America has fought its wars and maintained the peace is a must-read, filled with valuable insights for anyone serious about understanding U.S. defense strategy and its relationship to broader U.S. grand strategy throughout our history and today.
Lt. Colonel Amy McGrath, USMC (ret.)
A truly masterful overview of America’s Grand Strategies and Defense Strategies over the history of our Republic. Brookings’ Scholar Dr. Mike O’Hanlon vividly describes America’s ways of war (and peace) over the centuries, recounting determined counterpunching in the American Revolution, the conduct of slugfests in the Civil War and the two world wars, the employment of overwhelming force in Operation Desert Storm and of precision airpower in Kosovo, and the demonstration of joint-force brilliance in the overthrows of the Taliban and Saddam Hussein regimes (though not in all that followed), as well as the conduct of impressive civil-military counterinsurgency campaigns during the Surge in Iraq and the height of the war in Afghanistan, both of which I was privileged to command and that demonstrated how America’s men and women can be true ‘decathletes’ on the battlefield when needed.
General David Petraeus, US Army (ret.), former director of the CIA, and coauthor of "Conflict: The Evolution of Warfare from 1945 to Gaza"
This page-turning, myth-busting analysis of America’s often very assertive defense strategies since the Revolution is essential reading for anyone seeking to understand the application of U.S. military power in the twenty-first century.
Caitlin Talmadge, author of "The Dictator’s Army: Battlefield Effectiveness in Authoritarian Regimes"
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