On the front lines with those who serve

"Hog Pilots, Blue Water Grunts: The American Military in the Air, at Sea, and on the Ground"

by Robert D. Kaplan

Random House, 448 pp., $27.95

Robert D. Kaplan's latest book on the American military is, as its title implies, as exhausting as it is exhaustive.

A sequel to his 2006 book "Imperial Grunts," Kaplan's latest effort explores many of the largely unseen and ever-changing duties our armed forces are tasked to do throughout a fast-spinning world. It traverses bumpy terrain — of tangled politics, vast territories and cultures foreign to most Americans.

Above all, Kaplan strives to humanize these men and women by bridging the gap between complex and unpopular foreign policy and those who must do the heavy lifting and think on the fly.

While "Imperial Grunts" mainly focused on the Marines and Special Forces units and the immediate deadly concerns of the twin conflicts of Afghanistan and Iraq, "Hog Pilots, Blue Water Grunts" takes readers far beyond the Middle East. It hops aboard destroyers and nuclear submarines plying the Pacific Ocean, follows training exercises with Saharan armies and humanitarian goodwill efforts, and takes the reader inside the cockpit of the stealth B-2 bomber and before consoles that operate unmanned drones that spy and kill.

Kaplan has written 11 books, mostly on military affairs, and is a longtime correspondent for Atlantic Monthly magazine. He is revered by some, reviled by others. Some say he is about as knowledgeable as they come, and an honest voice. Others say he holds the sort of aggressive mindset that led to the Iraq quagmire.

For sure, he zigs while much of the journalistic crowd zags. He also puts in the time. He spent much of his time between 2002 and 2006 embedded with the personnel he spotlights, from the depths of the ocean to sweltering desert heat.

The primary strength of "Hog Pilots, Blue Water Grunts" is the first-hand window into what we don't normally see — the people instead of the policy. He admires the airmen and sailors, soldiers and Marines about whom he writes. He listens and looks into the motivation — and often tradition — behind their service. He notes trends, too, such as how the South and Midwest seem to continue to shoulder an inordinate share of the military burden, and the importance of family legacy in the military. A nuclear submarine's chief of the boat told Kaplan: "My grandfather was a sailor on a Navy cruiser and my dad was an Army Ranger. But my grandfather was a better storyteller. I was enthralled by his tales of riding out typhoons, even if they were exaggerated."

"Hog Pilots, Blue Water Grunts" also returns to Iraq, and spends a chapter on the military's efforts to restore order to Mosul by working with locals to "suppress" bad elements and create job opportunities, even as the money promised to do so lagged. It relays a remarkable example of how noncommissioned officers, the ones you never hear of, make a difference — or not — by following instincts and human behavior, rather than an edict from Washington, D.C.

Kaplan ruminates about how the country's malaise and anger over Iraq has yet to greatly influence its appreciation of the military men and women, as was the case in Vietnam. "Although our own elite may not want any part of military life, and show no warrior spirit when a military situation becomes difficult," he writes, "nevertheless, openly mocking the idea of military service is by and large not socially acceptable."

The hardest part of the book to stomach is Kaplan's war gaming, which focuses on Asia. He spends considerable time considering the next threat and possible fight with China, whose economic and military rise is tipping the global balance. He discusses scenarios if North Korea falls, and myriad other hot spots in America's never-ending "imperial" approach.

That never-ending list of "threats" and the relentless tasks placed upon the American military make "Hog Pilots" not just an exhaustive piece of work but an exhausting read.

Richard Seven is a Seattle Times features reporter.