“Deeply grounded in primary sources and engagingly written. . . . The definitive work on the interwar US Army in the western Pacific.” — Journal of Southeast Asian Studies
“Pioneering. . . . Fills the void and adds depth and understanding to American military history, Philippine history, and the story of Hawaii.” — Philippine Studies
“A meticulously researched and well-written military history of a subject that has not been extensively explored. . . . Linn conveys effectively a sense of how the army at various levels understood its political, social, and military obligations and how the soldiers attempted to solve, bury, or otherwise reconcile problems inherent in policing and defending large, populous, and distant territories.”American Historical Review
“A first-class piece of research; it is what is professes to be - a survey and a pioneering work, which will remain in use in libraries, staff colleges, and universities, and on the shelves of military buffs, for years to come.” — War in History
"Superbly grounded in the sources, Linn offers thoroughly researched descriptions of the principal strategic and tactical issues — including their naval dimensions — character sketches of the antagonists, and an enriched understanding of interwar army planning. — Journal of Military History
“In this magnificently researched study, Linn puts forth a compelling argument that, contrary to popular interpretation, the U.S. Army was not caught unaware by the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor and the Philippines in 1941.” — CHOICE
“Linn’s study, based on painstaking and thorough research in many collections, has much to offer those interested in 'lessons learned' in the post-Cold War era.” — Western Historical Quarterly
“A brilliant example of the new military history. . . . Guardians of Empire is one of the most sophisticated and accessible accounts of the role of the U.S. military in peacetime. . . . It clearly establishes Linn as one of the leading military historians in the country.” — Military History of the West
“A brilliantly constructed narrative, Guardians of Empire is the definitive work on the U.S. Army in the Pacific from the Philippine wars to World War II and will be the standard for years to come.” — History: Reviews of New Books
“In this masterly study, Brian Linn develops the Army’s experience to include social history as well as the evolution of strategic policy and tactical planning in the Philippines and Hawaii over the decades leading up to World War II. This fascinating book answers questions as to the difference between theories and realities, which was the foundation for the debacle in 1941 and 1942.” — Edward M. Coffman, author of The Old Army: A Portrait of the American Army in Peacetime, 1784–1898
