List of military theorists and writers: Difference between revisions

This is a list of military theorists and writers. Its focus is on military theory (military science and military strategy) and military history from ancient times to the present.

Introduction

The list is broadly defined. It provides an alphabetical overview of important authors in the field of military science and military strategy, including military thinkers, military theorists, military authors, strategists, military historians, memorabilia writers, and others. The list does not claim to be complete or up-to-date. Various biographical details, major works, and other relevant information are provided.

Famous works include, for example, The Art of War by Sunzi (Sun Wu), The Art of War by Machiavelli, On War by Carl von Clausewitz, or Guerrilla Warfare (La guerra de guerrillas) by Ernesto Che Guevara.

List

A

• Donald Abenheim (born 1953), US military historian
• Youssef H. Aboul-Enein (born 1970), American military officer and military writer; Islamic Rulings on Warfare (with Sherifa Zuhur)
• Aelianus Tacticus (1st–2nd century), Greek military writer, Tactica
• Georg von Alten (1846–1912), general, military writer, editor of Handbuch für Heer und Flotte. Enzyklopädie der Kriegswissenschaften und verwandter Gebiete (Handbook for the Army and Navy. Encyclopaedia of Military Science and Related Fields)
• Aniceto Afonso (born 1942), Portuguese military historian, Guerra Colonial (with Carlos de Matos Gomes)
• Agathias (6th century), Eastern Roman historian, wrote about the wars of Justinian
• Aineas the Tactician (Aeneas Tacticus, first half of the 4th century BC), Greek strategist and military writer
• John R. Allen (born 1953), American military officer; Future War and the Defence of Europe (Oxford 2021, with Frederick B. Hodges and Julian Lindley-French)
• Ammianus Marcellinus (4th century), Roman historian
• Gerhard von Amyntor (1831–1910) (Dagobert von Gerhardt), military officer and writer; Der Antagonismus Frankreichs und Englands vom politisch-militairischen Standpunkte und die Wahrscheinlichkeit einer französischen Truppenlandung auf der englischen Südküste (1860)
• John Antal (born 1955), American author and US Army veteran, contributions to military anthologies such as Maneuver Warfare, Digital War and By Their Deeds Alone
• Appian, Roman historian, wrote about the Roman civil wars
• Arkolay (i.e., Johann Woldemar Streubel) (1827–1873, Illenau Asylum), Saxon military writer
• Armand von Ardenne (1848–1919), general, military writer
• John Arquilla (born 1954), American political scientist (Professor and Chair at the Department of Defense Analysis)
• Arrian (c. 85/90 – after 145/46), The Campaigns of Alexander on the campaigns of Alexander the Great
• Robert Asprey (1923–2009), US officer, military writer; War in the Shadows: The Guerrilla in History
• Edouard Edmond Aublet (1854-1895), French officer, military writer; La guerre au Dahomey, 1888-1893 : d’après les documents officiels
• Mariano d’Ayala (1808–1877), Italian military officer, politician, and writer
• Hyacinthe Aube (1826–1890), French admiral and Minister of the Navy, co-founder of the Jeune École

B

• William Balck (1858–1941), general, military writer
• Bardet de Villeneuve (18th century), military writer and theorist: Cours de la science militaire à l’usage de l’infanterie, de la cavalerie, de l’artillerie, du génie et de la marine
• Étienne Alexandre Bardin (1774–1841), French general, author of a Manuel d’infanterie  Digital copy (4th ed., Paris 1813) and the comprehensive Dictionnaire de l’armée de terre, ou Recherches historiques sur l’art et les usages militaires des anciens et des modernes. 17 vols., Paris: J. Corréard, 1841–1851 (Online excerpts: “Auteur militaire” & “Bibliothèque militaire“)
• Muhammad Ahmad Bashmil (محمد بن أحمد باشميل): The Great Battle of Badr
• Jacques Baud (born 1955), member of the Swiss strategic intelligence service, security expert, Eastern Europe specialist
• Floribert Baudet (born 1971), Dutch military historian
• Wolf Stefan Traugott Graf von Baudissin (1907–1993), German lieutenant general, military theorist and peace researcher
• Alberto Bayo (1892–1967), Latin American revolutionary, author of 150 preguntas a un guerrillero (150 Questions to a Guerrilla Fighter), a guerrilla warfare manual
• André Beaufre (1902–1975): French officer, military writer, An Introduction to Strategy; Strategy of Deterrence; Strategy of Action
• Ian Beckett, British military historian
• Walther Beckmann, officer, military writer
• Heinrich Beitzke (1798–1867), military writer
• Albert Benary (1881–1963), officer and military writer
• Georg Heinrich von Berenhorst (1733–1814), military writer
• Karl Gustav von Berneck, pseudonym: Bernd von Guseck (1805–1871), novelist and military writer
• Friedrich von Bernhardi (1849–1930), Prussian cavalry general and military historian; Deutschland und der nächste Krieg (Germany and the Next War)
• Keith Bickel, US military historian
• Eugen Bircher (1882–1956), Swiss officer, military writer and politician
• Andrew J. Birtle, US military historian
• Friedrich Wilhelm Graf von Bismarck (1783–1860), Württemberg lieutenant general, diplomat, military writer, responsible after the accession of William I for reorganizing the mounted forces, lifelong member of the chamber of Estates of Württemberg
• Geoffrey Blainey (born 1930), Australian historian: The Causes of War (1973)
• Daniel P. Bolger (born 1957), American military officer and military historian
• Viktor Nikolayevich Bondarev (born 1959), Russian colonel general, from August 2015 to September 2017 Commander of the Air and Space Forces; Грозное небо. Авиация в современных конфликтах / Thunder Sky: Aviation in Modern Conflicts (ed.)
• Honorat Bovet (14th century) (attributed): L’Arbre des batailles (Digital copy)
• John Boyd (1927–1997), military strategist, inventor of the OODA-Loop or decision cycle
• Horst-Heinrich Brauß (born 1953), German military officer
• Gary Brecher (born 1955), author of War Nerd (Warriors of War)
• Antony Brett-James (1920–1984), British military historian
• Henri Alexis Brialmont (1821–1903), Belgian general and military writer
• Bernard Brodie (1910–1978): War and Politics (1973); Strategy in the Missile Age (1959)
• Thomas Robert Bugeaud de la Piconnerie (1784–1849), Marshal of France, largely responsible for the conquest of Algeria: La guerre des rues et des maisons
• Adam Heinrich Dietrich von Bülow (1757–1807), military writer
• Valentin Busuioc (born 1965), Romanian poet and playwright

C

• James Cable (1920–2001), British diplomat and naval strategic thinker; Gunboat Diplomacy. Political Applications of Limited Naval Force (London 1971)
• António de Oliveira de Cadornega (1623–1690), Portuguese military officer and historian who lived in Angola, História geral das guerras angolanas (General History of the Angolan Wars)
• Gaius Iulius Caesar (100–44 BC), author of Gallic Wars (De bello Gallico) and Alexandrian War
• Charles E. Callwell (1859–1928), British officer, military writer; Small Wars. Their Principles & Practice (London 1906)
• Henri-Pierre Cathala, counterintelligence worker, author of Le temps de la désinformation (The Age of Disinformation)
• Chanakya (c. 350–c. 283 BC), minister and closest advisor to the first emperor of the Maurya-Reich Chandragupta Maurya, credited with the political treatise Arthashastra
• J. B. A. Charras (1810–1865), lieutenant colonel, French officer and military writer, exiled after the coup in 1851 in Brussels, died in Basel
• Bernhard Chiari (born 1965), officer, military historian

D

• Hans von Dach (1926–2003), Swiss officer, military writer, author of Total Resistance (Der totale Widerstand: Kleinkriegsanleitung für Jedermann)
• Gustav Däniker (1896–1947), Swiss staff officer and military writer
• Gustav Däniker Jr. (1928–2000), Swiss divisional general and military publicist
• Leo Daugherty (born 1956), US military historian; Counterinsurgency and the United States Marine Corps. The First Counterinsurgency Era, 1899-1945 (Jefferson, NC 2015)
• Denis Vasilyevich Davydov (1784–1839), Russian officer, writer and poet, author of a Theory of Partisan Warfare (1821)
• Carl von Decker (1784–1844), Prussian officer, military writer
• Hans Delbrück (1848–1929), German historian and politician; Geschichte der Kriegskunst im Rahmen der politischen Geschichte (History of the Art of War within the Framework of Political History)
• Isidor Didion (1798–1878), French general, author of classical writings on Ballistics
• Wilhelm Dilich (1571–1650), also military writer
• Dionysius of Halicarnassus (died after 7 BC), author of the Roman Antiquities
• Maximilian von Ditfurth (1806–1861), Electorate of Hesse officer and military historian
• Aubrey C. Dixon, British officer, military writer
• Ernst von Dohnányi, US military writer (pseudonym)
• Chris Donnelly (born 1946), British military scientist and intelligence officer working in NATO, author of Red Banner. Soviet Military System in Peace and War (1989)
• Giulio Douhet (1869–1930), Italian general and theorist of Air Warfare; treatise Luftherrschaft („Il Dominio dell’Aria“)
• Mikhail Ivanovich Dragomirov (1830–1905), the most famous military theorist in Russia
• M. A. Drobow, Soviet military writer; Малая война партизанство и диверсии / Malaja vojna partizanstvo i diversii (Small war, guerrilla warfare, and sabotage, Moscow 1931)
• Nikolai Dubrovin (1837–1904), Russian historian, academician and lieutenant general: History of the War and the Rule of the Russians in the Caucasus (6 vols., St. Petersburg 1871–1888), among others
• Guillaume Henri Dufour (1787–1875), general: Cours de Tactique (Paris, 1851)
• Pierre Dupont de l’Étang (1765–1840), French general during the French Revolution, under Napoleon and the restored monarchy, L’Art de la guerre, poème en dix chants. Paris, Firmin Didot Frères, 1838 (Digital copy)
• Louis Durat-Lasalle (capitaine (1813–1848), dates unknown) French military writer, author of Code de l’Officier

E

• Edward Mead Earle (1894–1954): Makers of Modern Strategy: Military Thought from Machiavelli to Hitler, ed. (1943) (Digital copy, 1952 edition)
• Henry E. Eccles (1898–1986): Military Concepts and Philosophy (1965)
• Franz Freiherr von Edelsheim (1868–?), officer, military writer
• Arthur Ehrhardt (1896–1971), officer, military writer; Der Kleinkrieg. Geschichtliche Erfahrungen und künftige Möglichkeiten. Potsdam 1935, 2nd ed., 1942, 3rd ed. 1944. American edition: Guerrilla Warfare. Lessons of the Past and Possibilities of the Future. Fort Leavenworth, KA 1936 (Command and General Staff School)
• Tom Engelhardt (born 1944), American critic of US security and military policy
• Friedrich Engels (1820–1895), socialist politician, military writer
• Enver Bey / Enver Pascha (1881–1922), Ottoman general, military writer
• Waldemar Erfurth (1879–1971), German military historian, strategist, and officer in three German armies; Die Überraschung im Kriege (Surprise in War; 1938)
• Ludwig von Eimannsberger (1878–1945), Austrian general; The Tank Warfare (Munich 1934)
• Ernst von Eisenhart-Rothe (1862–1947), German infantry general in World War I, Quartermaster General, 1917–1918 General Intendant of the Field Army, lieutenant general, military writer
• Alonso de Ercilla y Zúñiga (1533–1594), author of La Araucana
• Bernardino de Escalante (c. 1537–after 1605), Spanish military theorist, Diálogos del arte militar (Seville, 1583)
• Eutropius (4th century), Roman historian, Breviarium ab urbe condita

F

• Georg Rudolph Fäsch (1710–1787), Saxon military officer and war historian
• Erich von Falkenhayn (1861–1922), general
• Eugen Farrell, officer, military writer
• Dieter Farwick (born 1940), German brigadier general and military writer; Kleinkriege, die unterschätzte Kriegsform. Warum die Zukunft von Kriegen den Guerillas, Partisanen und Hackern gehört, Bad Schussenried (Gerhard Hess Verlag) o. J. (2016)
• Ildefonse Favé (1812–1894), military writer, former adjutant to Emperor Napoleon III and later brigadier general
• Hans von Felgenhauer (1863–1946), royal Prussian major general, military writer and poet
• David M. Finkelstein, American historian, specializing in China (uscc.gov)
• Flavius Vegetius Renatus (late 4th century), war theorist and author of a main work of ancient military science: Epitoma rei militaris
• Florus, Roman historian, author of a short history of Rome
• Ferdinand Foch (1851–1929): Les principes de la guerre („The Principles of War“, 1903)
• Jean-Charles Chevalier de Folard (1669–1752), French officer and military theorist, author of Commentaires sur l’Histoire de Polybe (Amsterdam 1735, 7 vols.)
• Theodor Fontane (1819–1898), also military writer
• Curt von Francois (1852–1931), officer, military writer
• Hans Frank (1939–2019), German vice admiral, president of the Federal Academy for Security Policy (Bundesakademie für Sicherheitspolitik, BAKS), military author
• Hugo von Freytag-Loringhoven (1855–1924), Prussian infantry general and military writer; Die Macht der Persönlichkeit im Kriege. Studien nach Clausewitz (The Power of Personality in War. Studies after Clausewitz, 1905)
• Frederick the Great (1712–1786), military theorist
• Eugen Friese, officer, military writer; Braucht Deutschland eine Colonial-Armee? Dresden o.J. [1887] (3rd ed. 1887).
• Leonhart Fronsperger (1520–1575): Von Kayserlichem Kriegßrechten (On Imperial War Rights). The most important German military writer of the 16th century, addressing warfare of his time
• Sextus Iulius Frontinus (≈35–103), author of Strategemata
• Mikhail Vasilyevich Frunze (1885–1925), Soviet army leader during the Russian Civil War
• J. F. C. Fuller (1878–1966), British general, military writer, theorist of Armored Warfare

G

• Joseph Gallieni (1849–1916), French general, governor of Madagascar and war minister: The Pacification of Madagascar
• Karl Galster (1851–1931), German vice admiral, critic of the Tirpitz naval buildup
• David Galula (1919–1966), French officer, military writer
• Joseph Gallieni (1849–1916), French general, military writer
• Daniele Ganser (born 1972), Swiss historian and publicist, publications on NATO secret armies in Europe and military actions of NATO states
• Makhmut Akhmetovich Gareyev (1923–2019), If War Comes Tomorrow? The Contours of Future Armed Conflict
• Azar Gat (born 1959), Israeli military historian and theorist
• Charles de Gaulle (1890–1970), French general and statesman (La France et son armée. 1938 – theory of armored warfare)
• Gazurelli, Italian officer, military writer
• Robert Ginsberg (born 1937): The Critique of War: Contemporary Philosophical Explorations (1969), ed.
• Colmar Freiherr von der Goltz (1843–1916), 19th century general and theorist of warfare
• Sergey Georgyevich Gorshkov (1910–1988), Soviet fleet admiral and naval strategist
• Lester W. Grau, American military historian, The Bear Went over the Mountain: Soviet Combat Tactics in Afghanistan (1996)
• Heinz Greiner (1895–1977), general, military writer
• Samuel B. Griffith (1906–1983), US Marine Corps brigadier general and military historian
• Grivas(-Dighenis), Georgios (1898–1974), Greek officer, military writer; Guerrilla Warfare and EOKA’s Struggle: A Politicomilitary Study
• Georg Dietrich von der Groeben (1725–1794), Prussian lieutenant general and military writer, Krieges-Bibliothek oder gesammlete Beyträge zur Krieges-Wissenschaft (War Library or Collected Contributions to the Science of War) and continuation Neue Kriegsbibliothek (New War Library)
• Erich Gröner (1901–1965), German naval author, author of standard works on German warships since 1815
• Otto Groos (1882–1970), German admiral, military historian, author and lecturer on naval warfare
• Heinz Guderian (1888–1954), German general, military writer, executor of the Blitzkrieg, author of Achtung – Panzer!
• Bruce I. Gudmundsson (born 1959), Danish-US-American military historian

H

• Robert Habermaas (Asperg-Hohenasperg 1856 – Stuttgart 1921), major general and military writer
• Hans von Haeften (1870–1937), general, military writer
• Werner Hahlweg (1912–1989), military historian
• Morton Halperin (born 1938): Contemporary Military Strategy (1967)
• Muhammad Hamidullah (1908–2002): The Battlefields of Prophet Muhammad (Woking, England, 1953)
• Samuel M. Harrington (1882–1948), officer of the United States Marine Corps with the rank of brigadier general, The Strategy and Tactics of Small Wars (1921)
• Georg Hartmann, military writer
• Karl Haushofer (1869–1946), officer, university lecturer, military writer
• Otto Heilbrunn (1906–1969), German-British lawyer, military writer
• Herodian (died c. 250), author of History of the Empire after Marcus Aurelius
• Herodot (died c. 430/20 BC), ancient Greek historian, author of the Histories
• Hellmuth Heye (1895–1970), German vice admiral, Ombudsman for the Military (Wehrbeauftragter), and military writer
• Friedrich Alexander Freiherr von der Heydte (1907–1994), officer, military writer
• Franz Hinterstoisser (1863–1933), Austrian aeronaut and military writer
• Jaromir Hirtenfeld, originally Csikos (1816–1872), Austro-Hungarian military writer, owner and editor-in-chief of the Militär-Zeitung
• Hồ Chí Minh (1890–1969), Vietnamese revolutionary and communist politician (The Armed Uprising, etc.)
• Frederick Benjamin „Ben“ Hodges (born 1958), US military officer (Center for European Policy Analysis)
• Franz Conrad von Hötzendorf (1852–1925), Chief of the General Staff of the entire armed forces of Austria-Hungary at the start of World War I, Field Marshal since 1916
• Kraft zu Hohenlohe-Ingelfingen (1827–1892), prince, general of artillery and military writer, Pour le Mérite; Strategische Briefe (Strategic Letters)
• Albert von Holleben (1835–1906), Prussian infantry general and military writer, appointed Governor of Mainz in 1893
• Albert Hopman (1865–1942), German vice admiral and military writer
• Walter Hülsen (1863–1947), general, military writer
• Abel Hugo (1798–1855), France militaire: histoire des armées françaises de terre et de mer de 1792 à 1837. 1838 (5 vols.)

I

J

• Max Jähns (1837–1900), Prussian officer and military writer
• Rudolf August von Janson (1844–1917), Prussian officer, infantry general and military writer
• John VII the Middle of Nassau-Siegen (1561–1623), military career, Verteidigungsbuch für die Grafschaft Nassau (Defense Book for the County of Nassau)
• Michael Johns (born 1964), writer, foreign policy and security expert
• Antoine-Henri Jomini (1779–1869), baron, Swiss officer and military theorist, author of works on the Napoleonic Wars, including Précis de l’Art de la Guerre (Summary of the Art of War) and Traité des grandes opérations militaires (Treatise on Major Military Operations)
• Wolfgang Jung (de) (1938–2024), German peace activist, publications on drone strikes controlled via Ramstein Air Base (www.luftpost-kl.de)
• Justinus (Justin), Roman historian

K

• Hugo Kerchnawe (1872–1949), Austrian general, military writer
• Kimberly Ellen Kagan (born 1972), American military historian, heads the Institute for the Study of War
• Archduke Karl (1771–1847), Austrian commander and author of military writings
• Nikolai Wassiljewitsch von Kaulbars, Baron (1842–1905), general of the Russian army and military writer
• Franz Georg Friedrich von Kausler (1794–1848): Napoleon’s Principles, Views and Statements on the Art of War, Military History and Warfare. Compiled from his Works and Correspondence. Leipzig, Baumgärtner 1827. Influential military writer for officer training of his time. Appointed member of the Royal Swedish Military Academy in Stockholm.
• Hugo Kerchnawe (1872–1949), Austrian general and military writer
• John Keegan (1934–2012), military historian
• Henry Kissinger (1923–2023), US Secretary of State, nuclear war theorist; Necessity for Choice
• Johan Harmen Rudolf Köhler (1818–1873), Dutch officer, military writer
• Harald Kujat (born 1942), German general (Europa bewahren (Preserving Europe), etc.)
• Konrad Kyeser (1366–after 1405), Bellifortis

L

• Jean-Gérard Lacuée, count of Cessac (1752–1841), French general, minister of war and governor of the École polytechnique
• Andrew Lambert (born 1956), British naval historian
• Landry (14th century), French author: Le chevalier de La Tour et le Guidon des guerres
• Alfred Langer (collective pseudonym; Tuure Lehén (1893–1976)): Der Weg zum Sieg. Die Kunst des bewaffneten Aufstandes (Berlin 1928)
• La Roche-Aymon (1772–1849), Prussian-French general
• Jean Lartéguy (1920–2011), French officer, writer
• Thomas Edward Lawrence, aka Lawrence of Arabia (1888–1935), British officer, archaeologist, intelligence agent, and writer
• Guillaume Le Blond (1704–1781), mathematician and military theorist, also worked on fortifications
• Frank Ledwidge, British lawyer, military historian
• Robert E. Lee (1807–1870), US officer, Confederate general
• Wilhelm Ritter von Leeb (1876–1956), Die Abwehr (1938)
• Heinrich Antonowitsch Leer (1829–1904), Russian military scientist and general, editor of Encyclopedia of Military and Naval Sciences
• Bernd Lemke (born 1965), military historian
• Leo VI (866–912), Byzantine emperor; Summary Treatise on the Art of War
• Robert R. Leonhard, military theorist; The Art of Maneuver: Maneuver Warfare Theory and Airland Battle
• Hans Oskar von Lettow-Vorbeck (1839–1904), Leitfaden für den Unterricht in der Taktik an den Königlichen Kriegsschulen. Auf Befehl der General-Inspektion des Militär-Erziehungs- und Bildungs-Wesens ausgearbeitet von von Lettow-Vorbeck Guide for Tactical Instruction at Royal War Schools, Berlin, 1888)
• Paul von Lettow-Vorbeck (1870–1964), general, military writer
• Martin Lezius (1884–1941), German military writer, editor of Zeitschrift für Heereskunde
• Lee Yu-Ri (1908–1955), Chinese military scientist and writer, editor of Zhongguo bingxue daxi 中國兵學大系
• Basil H. Liddell Hart (1895–1970), British officer, military writer; proponent of the indirect approach; Strategy: The Indirect Approach
• Peter Lieb (born 1974), military historian
• Hermann von der Lieth-Thomsen (1867–1942), German general and air warfare expert
• Johann Jakob Otto August Rühle von Lilienstern (1780–1847), Prussian lieutenant general and military writer
• Otto Liman, officer, military writer
• Lin Xunnan 林薰南 (1890–1982), Chinese general and military writer, editor of Bingxue luncong (1943)
• Julian Lindley-French (born 1958), British military historian
• Justus Lipsius (1547–1606), Flemish scholar, military writings
• Liu Lumin (born 1920), former deputy chief of logistics of the PLA, editor of Zhongguo bingshu jicheng 中国兵书集成
• Henry Lloyd (d. 1783), Welsh officer and military writer, Military Memoirs
• Robert Lo-Looz (1728–1786), French officer and tactician
• Max Looff (1874–1954), German admiral and military writer
• J. C. F. Lossau (1767–1848), Prussian general and war theorist; Der Krieg. Für wahre Krieger (1815)
• Woldemar Hermann von Löwenstern (1776–1858), Baltic officer in Russian service
• Louis Loyzeau de Grandmaison (1861–1915), French military theorist
• Ludwig XI. (attributed), Le Rosier des guerres
• Edward Luttwak (born 1942), theorist of the “dynamic paradox” of military strategy
• Jay Luvaas (1927–2009), US military historian, American Civil War expert
• Hubert Lyautey (1854–1934), Marshal of France, L’Action coloniale 1900–1914

M

• Niccolò Machiavelli (1469–1527), political thinker, author of The Prince and The Art of War
• Alfred Thayer Mahan (1840–1914), maritime strategy, The Influence of Sea Power upon History
• Paul-Gédéon Joly de Maïzeroy (1719–1780), French officer and military theorist
• Curt von Maltzahn (1849–1930), German vice admiral and naval historian
• Mao Zedong (1893–1976), Chinese revolutionary leader, guerrilla theorist; Selected Military Writings
• Carlos Marighela (1911–1969), Brazilian urban guerrilla theorist; Minimanual of the Urban Guerrilla
• S. L. A. Marshall (1900–1977), US officer and military historian; Pork Chop Hill
• Marshall, George C. (1880–1959), US general, military writer
• Tyrone G. Martin (born 1930), American constitutional scholar
• Karl Wilhelm Ritter von Martini (1821–1885), Austrian officer, military writer
• Christian von Massenbach (1758–1827), military theorist
• Jason Matheny, president and CEO of RAND Corporation
• Flavius Mauritius Tiberius (539–602), Byzantine emperor, author of Strategikon
• Friedrich Wilhelm von Mauvillon (1774–1851), Prussian colonel
• Jakob Mauvillon (1743–1794), political economist and historian
• Nikolai von Medem (1795–1870), German-Baltic Russian general and professor
• Bernardino de Mendoza (1540–1604), Spanish diplomat, military theorist; Theorica y Practica de Guerra
• Emanuel von Merta (1836–1899), Austrian general, military theorist
• H. F. Meijer (1832–1895), Dutch officer, military writer
• Charles D. Melson, US military historian; chief historian of the Marine Corps; editor of Kleinkrieg. The German Experience with Guerrilla Warfare, from Clausewitz to Hitler (Haverton, PA 2016)
• Albert Merglen (1915–2012), French general, military writer
• François-Jean de Mesnil-Durand (1736–1799), French tactician
• Manus I. Midlarsky, On War: Political Violence in the International System (1975)
• Billy Mitchell (1879–1936), US general; Winged Defense
• Helmuth Karl Bernhard von Moltke (1800–1891), Prussian field marshal, military writer
• Blaise de Monluc (1502–1577), French colonel general and marshal, author of Commentaires
• Arthur F. Montanaro (1862–1914), British officer, military writer
• Raimondo Montecuccoli (1609–1680), Austrian general and military theorist; Aforismi dell’Arte Bellica
• Robin Moore (1925–2008), The Hunt for Bin Laden: Task Force Dagger
• Henri Mordacq (1868–1943), French general, military writer
• Joseph Jean Marie Mordrelle (1863–1942), French officer, military writer
• Patrick M. Morgan, Deterrence: A Conceptual Analysis (1977)
• Moritz Graf von Sachsen (1696–1750), Marshal of France and military theorist
• Moritz von Oranien (1567–1625), Prince of Orange
• Oleg Borissowitsch Mosochin (born 1956), Russian military historian, professor
• Karl von Müffling genannt Weiß (1775–1851), Prussian field marshal and military writer
• James C. Mulvenon (born 1970), US political scientist, Chinese military expert
• Miyamoto Musashi (1584–1645), Japanese samurai, author of Gorin no Sho

N

• John Nagl (born 1966), US officer, military writer
• Napoleon, Military Maxims
• Abdul Haris Nasution (1918–2000), Indonesian general; , military writer; Guerilla Warfare
• Sönke Neitzel (born 1968), German historian, military history
• A. Neuberg (collective pseudonym, etc. of Mikhail Nikolayevich Tukhachevsky, Ho Chi Minh und Hans Kippenberger): Der bewaffnete Aufstand. Versuch einer theoretischen Darstellung (Zürich 1928; English version: Armed insurrection (London 1970)
• Virgil Ney (1905–1979), US military historian; Notes on Guerrilla War
• Ernst Nigmann (1867–1923), officer, military writer
• Kwame Nkrumah (1909–1972), Ghanaian politician; Handbook of Revolutionary Warfare (Digital copy)
• Wilhelm du Nord (1836–1909), Austrian officer and military writer
• Lon O. Nordeen, Air Warfare in the Missile Age
• Nugroho Notosusanto (1930–1985), Indonesian military historian
• Roger H. Nye (1924–1996), US soldier and military writer

O

• Adam Ludwig Baron von Ochs (1759–1823), Hessian general, Betrachtungen über die neuere Kriegskunst über ihre Fortschritte und Veränderungen: und über die wahrscheinlichen Folgen welche für die Zukunft daraus entstehen werden (short: Considerations on Modern Warfare, Kassel 1817)
• Raymond T. Odierno (1954–2021), US general, involved in the development of the U.S. Army Field Manual 3-34 (FM 3-34), describing tactics for counterinsurgency operations, used by the US Army in Afghanistan from 2006 onwards
• Nikolai Vasilyevich Ogarkov (1917–1994), Marshal of the Soviet Union; Always Ready to Defend the Fatherland
• Onasander (1st century), Greek military writer; Strategikos
• Humberto Ortega (1947–2024), Nicaraguan general, military writer; Sobre la insurrección (Havanna 1981)
• Franklin Mark Osanka (1936–2016), US officer, military writer
• Robert Endicott Osgood (1921–1986), The Limited War
• Albrecht Friedrich Rudolf, Archduke of Austria (1817–1895), Austrian field marshal; Über die Verantwortlichkeit im Krieg (On Responsibility in War)
• Adolf Ott (1842–1918), German soldier and writer

P

• Yuri Aleksandrovich Panteleyev (1901–1983), Soviet admiral; My Life for the Fleet
• Peter Paret (1924–2020), Understanding War: Essays on Clausewitz and the History of Military Power
• Antoine de Pas, Marquis de Feuquières (1648–1711), French general; Mémoires sur la guerre
• Peng Guangqian 彭光谦 (1943–), Chinese military strategist
• Lothar Persius (1864–1944), German naval officer and military author
• David Petraeus (born 1952), US general, military writer; FM 3-24 Counterinsurgency
• John Philippart (c. 1784–1875), British military writer
• Ardant du Picq (1821–1870), French colonel and military theorist; Études sur le Combat
• Thomas D. Pilcher (1858–1928), British officer, military writer
• Johannes Pohler (1851–?), German historian; Bibliotheca historico-militaris
• Markus Pöhlmann (born 1967), military historian
• Polyaenus (2nd century), author of Strategemata
• Polybius (c. 200–c. 118 BC), Greek historian
• Karl Eduard Pönitz (1795–1858), Saxon officer and military writer; Militärische Briefe eines Verstorbenen an seine noch lebenden Freunde, historischen, wissenschaftlichen, kritischen und humoristischen Inhalts. Zur unterhaltenden Belehrung für Eingeweihte u. Laien im Kriegswesen. (short: Military Letters of a Deceased, Adorf Verlagsbureau, 1841)
• Douglas Porch (born 1944), US military historian
• Adalbert of Prussia (1811–1873), German admiral
• Ruslan Pukhov (born 1973), Russian defense analyst; The Tanks of August; Brothers Armed
• Peter Purzelbaum (1884–1957), officer and military writer
• Ferdinand von Prondzynski (1804–1871), Prussian general; Theorie des Krieges (Theory of War)
• Jacques François de Chastenet de Puységur (1656–1743), Marshal of France; Art de la Guerre

Q

R

• Harold E. Raugh (born 1956), US military writer
• Oskar Regele (1890–1969), Austrian officer and military historian
• Frank Reichherzer (born 1977), military historian
• Markus Reisner (born 1978), Austrian historian and military expert
• Hellmuth Rentsch, officer, military writer; Partisanenkampf: Erfahrungen und Lehren
• Rink, Martin (born 1966), military historian
• Henri de Rohan (1579–1638), Huguenot leader; Le parfait Capitaine
• Heinrich Rohne (1842–1937), Prussian lieutenant general and military writer
• Erwin Rommel (1891–1944), German field marshal; Infanterie greift an
• Arthur Rosenberg (1889–1943), historian; A History of Bolshevism
• Friedrich Ruge (1894–1985), German vice admiral and military writer
• Wilhelm Rüstow (1821–1878), military writer and historian
• Cornelius Ryan (1920–1974), The Longest Day; A Bridge Too Far

S

• Ronald Schaffer, US military historian; introduction to Small Wars Manual (United States Marine Corps, 1940)
• Emil Schalk, Summary of the Art of War (1862)
• Gerhard David von Scharnhorst (1755–1813), German field marshal and military writer
• Wilhelm zu Schaumburg-Lippe (1724–1777), count, military theorist
• Justus Scheibert (1831–1903), engineering officer
• Sigismund von Schlichting (1829–1909), infantry theorist
• Alfred Graf von Schlieffen (1833–1913), designer of the Schlieffen Plan
• Erwin A. Schmidl (born 1956), Austrian officer, military historian
• Helmut Schmidt (1918–2015), German politician, defense minister and chancellor; strategic writings
• Hugo Schmidt von Boneti (1866–1918), general major and military writer
• Paul von Schmidt (1837–1905), Prussian general major and military writer
• Jürgen W. Schmidt (born 1958), military historian
• Rochus Schmidt (1860–1938), officer, military writer
• Louis Schneider (1805–1878), actor, journalist, military writer
• Karl Ritter von Schönhals (1788–1857), Austrian field marshal, military writer
• Wilhelm von Schramm (1898–1983), German officer, journalist, military writer
• Kurd Schwabe (1866–1920), officer, military writer
• Max Schwarte (1860–1945), general, military writer
• von Schweinitz, officer, military writer
• Lazarus von Schwendi (1522–1583), diplomat and general; military writer
• Bernhard Schwertfeger (1868–1953), colonel and military writer
• Mychajlo Schyrochow (born 1974), Ukrainian historian and journalist
• Ludwig von Seddeler (1791–1852), Austrian-Russian lieutenant general, military historian
• Philippe-Paul de Ségur (1780–1873), French officer and military writer
• Alexander De Seversky (1894–1974), Entscheidung durch Luftmacht (Victory through Air Power)
• Maxim Shepovalenko, Russian military analyst; The Syrian Frontier
• Boris Shaposhnikov (1882–1945), Marshal of the Soviet Union; The Brain of the Army
• Richard Simpkin (1921–1986), military theorist
• Peter W. Singer (born 1974), US political scientist, military historian; Wired for War
• Pushpinder Singh Chopra (1943–2021), Indian military historian
• Pavel Smirnov (1888–1959), Soviet general major; Breaking Fortified Lines (1941)
• Friedrich von Smitt (1787–1865), Russian historian of German origin
• Andrei Snesarev (1865–1937), Russian-Soviet military theorist
• Vasily Danilovich Sokolovsky (1897–1968), Marshal of the Soviet Union; Military Strategy
• Siegfried Sorge (1898–1989), German rear admiral and military writer
• Rolf Steinhaus (1916–2004), German vice admiral and military writer
• Hew Strachan (born 1949), military historian
• Prabowo Subianto (born 1951), Indonesian politician, businessman and former military officer, On the Art of Military Leadership (original Indonesian title: Kepemimpinan Militer “Military Leadership”)
• Sun Tzu (c. 544–496 BC), Chinese general; The Art of War
• Alexander Suvorov (1730–1800), Russian generalissimo; The Art of Victory
• Alexander Andreyevich Svechin (1878–1938), Russian officer; Strategy
• Syed Ameer Ali (1849–1928), A Short History of the Saracens
• Richard Szafranski, US officer, military writer

T

• al-Tabari (839–923), Persian historian; Tārīkh
• Carl Tanera (1849–1904), travel and military writer
• Stefan Terzibaschitsch (1926–2008), German-Serbian naval writer
• Charles W. Thayer (1910–1969), US diplomat, military writer, Guerrillas and Partisans: Nature and Methods of Irregular Warfare (1964)
• Maximilian Friedrich von Thielen (1781–1856), officer and military writer
• Thukydides (c. 454–c. 399/396 BC), author of History of the Peloponnesian War
• Alfred von Tirpitz (1849–1930), German Grand Admiral and naval strategist
• Eduard Ivanovich von Totleben (1818–1884), German-Baltic Russian general; Defense of Sevastopol (2 vols., 1863–1878)
• Arnold J. Toynbee (1889–1975), War and Civilization: A Study of History (1957)
• Hans Karl Heinrich von Trautzschen (1730–1812), poet and military writer; Military and Literary Letters of Mr. von T. (1769)
• Vladimir Kiriakovich Triandafillov (1894–1931), Soviet military theorist; The Scope of Operations of Modern Armies (1926), The Character of Operations of Modern Armies (1929)
• Georg Trierenberg, officer, military writer
• Roger Trinquier (1908–1986), French paratrooper officer, military writer; Modern Warfare (1961)
• Philippe-Charles-Jean-Baptiste Tronson du Coudray (1738–1777), French military writer; Mémoire sur la meilleure méthode d’extraire et de raffiner le salpêtre (1774)
• Yamamoto Tsunetomo (1659–1719), author of Hagakure
• Mikhail Tukhachevsky (1893–1937), Marshal of the Soviet Union; military theorist
• Henri de La Tour d’Auvergne, vicomte de Turenne (1611–1675), French general and Marshal of France
• Lancelot Turpin de Crissé (1716–1793), French military writer; Essai sur l’art de la guerre (1754)
• Nick Turse (born 1975), US journalist and historian; Tomorrow’s Battlefield

U

V

• Roberto Valturio (1405–1475), Italian author of De re militari (1460)
• Bernardo de Vargas Machuca (1557–1622), Spanish military theorist; Milicia y descripción de las Indias (1599)
• Sébastien Le Prestre de Vauban (1633–1707), French general and fortress engineer
• Vaultier (18th century), artillery commissary; Observations sur l’art de faire la guerre
• Flavius Vegetius Renatus, Roman military writer; Epitoma rei militaris
• Julius von Verdy du Vernois (1832–1910), Prussian infantry general and military theorist
• Ivan Vinarov (1896–1969), Fighter on the Silent Front
• David Vine (born 1974), US anthropologist and author on overseas US military presence, Lily-Pad Strategy
• Võ Nguyên Giáp (1911–2013), Vietnamese general; strategist of the First Indochina War
• Eduard Freiherr von Völderndorff und Waradein (1783–1847), Bavarian major general and military writer; Observations sur l’ouvrage de Mr. le Comte Ph. de Ségur (1826)

W

• John D. Waghelstein (1937–2025), US officer, military writer
• Gerhard Wagner (1898–1987), German admiral and military theorist
• Johann Jacobi von Wallhausen (1580–1627), first German military writer
• Timothy A. Walton, US political scientist; Three Warfares
• Wang Xiangsui (born 1954), Chinese author; Unrestricted Warfare (with Qiao Liang)
• Nikolai Efimovich Varfolomeev (1890–1939), Soviet military commander and theorist
• Edward Wegener (1904–1981), German and NATO admiral, military theorist
• Wolfgang Wegener (1875–1956), German vice admiral and naval strategist
• Wei Liao 尉缭 (Warring States period), Chinese military theorist; Wei Liaozi
• Dieter Wellershoff (1933–2005), German admiral, Inspector General of the Bundeswehr
• Reinhold von Werner (1825–1909), German vice admiral and military writer
• Gerhard Wiechmann (born 1958), German historian; Guerilla und small wars
• Johannes Wieland (1791–1832), Swiss officer and military writer
• William of Tyre (12th century), Chronica
• Ulrich Wille (1848–1925), Swiss general and military theorist
• Karl Wilhelm von Willisen (1790–1879), Prussian general and military writer; Theorie des großen Krieges angewendet auf den russisch-polnischen Feldzug von 1831 (Theory of the Great War Applied to the Russo-Polish Campaign of 1831)
• Hermann von Wissmann (1853–1904), German explorer and administrator in Africa; Afrika. Schilderungen und Rathschläge zur Vorbereitung für den Aufenthalt und Dienst in den Deutschen Schutzgebieten (Berlin 1894)
• Quincy Wright (1890–1970), A Study of War (1965)
• Joseph Caldwell Wylie (1911–1993), US naval officer; Military Strategy: A General Theory of Power Control (1967)

X

Y

Z